Uruapan has a small airport (UPN) with connections to Mexico City and Guadalajara. The more common approach is by bus — the ADO and ETN lines run comfortable coaches from Mexico City's TAPO terminal (about five hours), and there are frequent services from Guadalajara (around three and a half hours) and Morelia (under two hours). The main bus terminal is on the eastern edge of the city, a short taxi ride from the centre.
By car, Uruapan is reached via Highway 14 from Morelia, a scenic road through the Purépecha highlands. Coming from the coast, the road from Lázaro Cárdenas climbs dramatically from tropical lowlands to the highland plateau — spectacular driving with good visibility in the dry season, potentially foggy in the rainy months.