Magical Towns on the way from Mexico City to Oaxaca

5 Magical Towns are less than 30 km from the road between Mexico City and Oaxaca, a trip of roughly 478 km on the highways 150D and 135D via Puebla and Tehuacán.

It’s about six hours of driving, so it pays to break up the trip. The easiest stops are in the Puebla valley (Huejotzingo, Cholula and Atlixco) and, in Oaxaca’s Mixteca region, Teposcolula with its 16th-century open chapel.

Distance: ≈ 478 km
Driving time: ≈ 5 h 30 min
Stops: 5

Stops in order, from Mexico City

Km 105
Puebla
Huejotzingo
≈ 7 km off the road
A 16th-century Franciscan convent, the famous Huejotzingo Carnival, cider and chiles en nogada, just outside the city of Puebla.
Km 123
Puebla
San Pedro Cholula
≈ 6 km off the road
The San Gabriel convent and its 49-dome Royal Chapel, a main square with one of Mexico's longest arcades and the Great Pyramid a few blocks away.
Km 124
Puebla
San Andrés Cholula
≈ 7 km off the road
The Great Pyramid of Cholula topped by the Remedios sanctuary, one of the oldest living cities in the Americas, talavera pottery and student life.
Km 127
Puebla
Atlixco
≈ 28 km off the road
The city of flowers at the foot of Popocatépetl: plant nurseries, convents, the San Miguel hill viewpoint and year-round festivals.
Km 384
Oaxaca
San Pedro y San Pablo Teposcolula
≈ 27 km off the road
A jewel of Oaxaca's Mixteca: the largest open chapel in Latin America, a 16th-century Dominican convent and the Casa de la Cacica.

Kilometers are approximate, measured along the main highway; the detour is the straight-line distance from the road to the town, so by road it will be longer. Times are estimates: check your route and road conditions before you leave.