Driving Barra to Patzcuaro

August 4, 2007 5:02 PM

What route should we drive from Barra de Navidad, Jalisco to Patzcuaro, Michoacan and back this December?

Our considerations are, first, speed, and second, scenery. We have experience with Mexican roads and we're not too concerned about windy mountain roads or livestock on the highway.

One possibility is Highway 80 to Guadalahara and then south via the newish toll road. Another is down the coast on Highway 200 to 37D (the toll road), which the Mexican tourism people say takes "six hours and fifty minutes" (seven hours if you stop to pee, I guess). I've also heard of a route through Colima and Guzman.

posted by timeistight to Travel & Transportation (1 answer total)

If speed is of utmost concern, what about taking the coastal 200 down to 54/110, headed through Colima and toward Jiquilpan? The stretch from Mazamitla to Jiquilpan looks like it's of secondary roads on Mapquest, but I'm looking at the INEGI 1:250k maps, and they're all considered primary routes (federal/state highways). The Rt. 15 toll road from Guadalajara to Morelia is very speedy, but if you opt for the libre, be forewarned that the stretch around Jacona/Zamora is a little weird (lots of turns through town)--opt for a bypass if possible. I've driven a lot of these stretches several times, though never as far southwest as Barra de Navidad. Feel free to email/followup if you have questions
posted by zachxman at 6:11 PM on August 4, 2007