Puerto Vallarta to Mexico City >

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3 days ago
3 min read

PV > Guadalajara > Guanajuato > San Migele de Allende > Mexico City

Mexico | Oct 2025 |

After outstanding rides down Baja and on highways 40D and 23, Mazatlan to/from Durango, I had a good 1-week reset in Chacala, Lo De Marco, and Puerto Vallarta (PV). I needed to decide my route from PV. The coastal route to Manzanillo and Acapulco, or head inland to Mexico City. After some deliberation, I went with the inland route. Here are details on roads taken and stays in some outstanding and highly recommended places to ride through in Mexico.

Duration & Distances

6 days / 4 stops / 21 hrs riding / 1035 km

Ride 1: Puerto Vallarta to Guadalajara

There are 2 routes you can take, libre (free) or cuota (toll). I read that the libre/free road is a nice ride, so I opted for it (set Google Maps to avoid highways and tolls to get the libre road). This was a good ride through some historical scenes. Mascota and the area around it were a surprise: a classic historical town recognised as one of the best preserved in Mexico. I don't think many tourists make it here. There was some nice scenery along the way, but nothing in the same class as the roads in and out of Durango (or nearly as challenging).

Guadalajara was good, a bit grungy. I stayed at an ok local tourist hotel a few blocks from the historic downtown center. Two nights were enough to experience the city (though I probably missed a lot).

Ride: 302 km / 8 hours

Stay: Hotel San Francisco Plaza / $45 / **

R2: Guadalahara to Guanajuoto

Nothing overly special about this ride, a mix of toll and free roads, all on the dry, flat plateau of this area of Mexico.

While the ride was nothing spectacular, Guanajuato was just that. This is a must-see historic city that was bursting with culture and energy. A festival was in full swing during my stay, with amazing singing and dancing shows in the middle of town.

Ride: 273km / 4 hours

Stay: Hotel Dos Rios / $25 / **

R3: Guanjuato San Miguel de Allende

San Miguel is 2-hours from Guanajuato. Both cities are UNESCO heritage sites. While I considered skipping San Miguel after Guanajuato (and thinking San Miguel was overly touristy), I am glad I stayed 1 night and had a look around. It's another stunning traditional city, worth seeing.

Ride: 78 km / 1.5 hours

Stay: Casa Arbol / $47 / ***

R4: San Miguel de Allende to Mexico City

I was keen to see Mexico City, but I had low expectations, thinking it would be a sprawling, smog-filled, poverty-stricken, crime-laden hell-hole. Man, was I wrong! This is an incredible, dynamic, culture-filled, safe, and modern city. This was my first cuota/toll road, and it went fast. The final ride into the city was an unexpected breeze, I blasted down a highway until I arrived at the main boulevard downtown. The first thing I did after checking in was catch a bus to the Anthropology Museum, a showcase of Mexico's incredible indigenous history. The downtown was full of people and showcasing the upcoming Festival of the Dead. My hotel was located in a hip neighborhood full of cool bars and restaurants.

The next day I rode 90 minutes out of the city to Teotihuacan, home to the incredible Pyramid of the Sun

Ride: 303 km / 5 hours

Stay: Hotel Panuco / $38 / **