Oaxaca
Oaxaca travel guide
Seven moles, Zapotec ruins and the Guelaguetza on the Cerro del Fortín
Oaxaca is a colonial highland city in southern Mexico with the country's most celebrated regional food, a strong Zapotec and Mixtec culture and Monte Albán on a hill nearby. October to May is dry and sunny, with the Day of the Dead the busiest week; plan four or five days for the city and the valleys. Prices are moderate.
Oaxaca de Juárez spreads across a broad highland valley in southern Mexico, at the foot of the Cerro del Fortín, at an altitude of about 1,550 m. Its centre is a grid of low colonial buildings in pale green volcanic stone and pastel paint, laid out by the Spanish in the 16th century and protected together with the nearby ruins of Monte Albán as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.
People come above all to eat. The state has an extraordinary range of heritage maize, chillies and cacao, and the city's cooks turn them into seven classic moles and crisp tlayudas, along with thick hot chocolate, all washed down with mezcal from the distilleries of the surrounding valleys. Markets here are a full day out in themselves.
The indigenous presence is strong. Zapotec and Mixtec communities live throughout the Central Valleys, and their weaving villages, Sunday markets and festivals are within easy reach. Each July, dancers from the state's regions gather for the Guelaguetza on the Cerro del Fortín, and around the Day of the Dead, the city's cemeteries glow with candles.
Politics is part of the scene too: the Zócalo is often occupied by protest camps, mostly teachers, which are usually peaceful but can block streets. Spend four or five days to do the city, Monte Albán and a couple of valley villages justice.
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Top things to do in Oaxaca
Oaxaca's attractions are its colonial churches and museums, its markets and food, Monte Albán and a ring of craft villages in the valleys.
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Best time to visit Oaxaca
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Sunny, mild days and cool nights, with the Day of the Dead and the Night of the Radishes in December; hotels fill and prices rise.
The warmest, driest weeks before the rains; walk early and spend afternoons in shaded courtyards.
Afternoon storms most days and green valleys; July brings the Guelaguetza, the biggest festival of the year.
Hotels for the Day of the Dead, around 31 October to 2 November, and the Guelaguetza in late July book out months ahead.
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Getting there
Xoxocotlán airport vans and the ADO terminal on Niños Héroes
Oaxaca's Xoxocotlán International Airport (OAX), about 8 km south of the centre and a 20 to 30 minute drive away, has frequent flights from Mexico City and direct routes from Houston, Dallas and Los Angeles. Long-distance ADO coaches arrive at the terminal on Niños Héroes. On leaving arrivals, buy a ride from one of the official transport booths: shared colectivo vans drop each passenger at their address, and a private taxi especial costs more but leaves right away. The city's yellow taxis cannot pick up at the airport. For the return trip, book the colectivo a day ahead at the office near the Alameda de León, or call a taxi or DiDi. Most long-distance buses arrive at the first-class ADO terminal on Calzada Niños Héroes de Chapultepec, north of the historic centre, about a 15-minute walk or a short taxi ride to Santo Domingo. From Mexico City the bus takes around 6.5 hours. Smaller van companies run to Puerto Escondido and the Pacific coast over the mountains, around three hours on the highway opened in 2024, or six to seven hours on the old mountain roads.
- Oaxaca airport (OAX)
- 20-30 minutes to the centre by colectivo van or taxi especial
- ADO first-class terminal
- Calzada Niños Héroes; 15 minutes on foot to Santo Domingo
- Bus from Mexico City
- About 6.5 hours
- Vans to the coast
- Around three hours to Puerto Escondido on the 2024 highway; six to seven to Mazunte over the old mountain roads
- Take motion-sickness tablets for the mountain vans to the coast.
- Book Day of the Dead and Guelaguetza flights and rooms several months ahead.
Staying safe
Zócalo protests and dark streets at night
Oaxaca is one of Mexico's safer cities, though late-night robberies happen, particularly after midnight on the edges of the centre. Take taxis back after dark, and expect protests and road blockades around the Zócalo, which are common but rarely aimed at visitors.
- Mercado de Abastos
- Pickpockets are common; carry little
- Zócalo protests
- Usually peaceful but can block streets and bus routes
- Take a taxi back from the Cerro del Fortín area after dark.
Where to stay
Jalatlaco, Santo Domingo or Xochimilco
Stay in or near Oaxaca's Centro Histórico, ideally north of Avenida Independencia, where the streets are calmer and the restaurants best, usually in a courtyard hotel. Jalatlaco, Santo Domingo and Xochimilco are favourite barrios, though church bells, fireworks and brass bands are constant. Noise is the main drawback: church bells, fireworks and brass bands are a constant feature of local life.
- Around Santo Domingo and Macedonio Alcalá
- The most central, with galleries, restaurants and hotels in old mansions; busy and loud at weekends
- Jalatlaco
- A small cobbled barrio east of the centre with painted houses, street art and cafés; quiet and a 10-minute walk from Santo Domingo
- Xochimilco
- Old barrio north of the centre around the colonial aqueduct; residential, with good guesthouses
- South of Independencia near the markets
- Cheaper hotels and hostels close to the Mercado 20 de Noviembre; more traffic and less charm
- Near the Zócalo
- Central, but protests and street noise can make it hectic
Getting around
Along Macedonio Alcalá on foot
Oaxaca's historic centre is a grid of about 15 by 15 blocks around the Zócalo, and nearly everything a visitor needs lies within it, linked by the pedestrian Macedonio Alcalá to Santo Domingo five blocks north. Avenida Independencia divides a smarter north from a market-oriented south. Taxis are plentiful; agree the fare before you get in, and use them at night when some streets on the edge of the centre are dark. City buses are numerous and cheap but confusing for visitors. For Monte Albán, a shuttle bus leaves from the centre about hourly, or take a taxi. For the valley villages, shared colectivo taxis run out along the Mitla road toward Tule, Teotitlán and Tlacolula, though many people join a tour or hire a driver for the day instead.
- On foot
- Zócalo to Santo Domingo in about 10 minutes along Alcalá
- Monte Albán shuttle
- About hourly from the centre; 20-30 minutes
- Colectivo taxis
- Shared rides along the Mitla road to Tule, Teotitlán and Tlacolula
- Taxi or DiDi
- Agree taxi fares in advance
Know before you go
What makes Oaxaca worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Templo de Santo Domingo, with its gilded interior and the Capilla del Rosario.
- The smoky grill aisle of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, where you choose your meat and it is cooked in front of you.
- Monte Albán's Gran Plaza, a leveled mountaintop with temples and views over three valleys.
- Nieves on the plaza of the Soledad basilica, sorbets in flavours like burnt milk and mezcal.
- The Jardín Etnobotánico, a garden of cacti and native plants behind Santo Domingo seen on guided tours.
Good to know
- The Zócalo is often occupied by protest camps; they rarely affect visitors beyond blocked streets.
- The ethnobotanical garden can only be visited on guided tours, some in English at set times.
- Hierve el Agua is sometimes closed by local disputes; check before you go.
Trip fit
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Weather in Oaxaca, month by month
Month-by-month climate figures for Oaxaca are being researched.
Four days between Santo Domingo, Monte Albán and Mitla
Four days in Oaxaca cover the centre, Monte Albán and the valley towards Mitla. Start at the Zócalo and cathedral, walk up Macedonio Alcalá to Santo Domingo, and spend late morning in the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca in the former convent, which displays the Mixtec gold from Tomb 7 at Monte Albán.
Join an afternoon tour of the Jardín Etnobotánico, then browse the Museo Textil and the prints at the Instituto de Artes Gráficas, founded by the painter Francisco Toledo. Dinner in Jalatlaco.
Day two: Monte Albán. Take an early shuttle to Monte Albán, the Zapotec capital on a flattened mountaintop. Allow two or three hours for the Gran Plaza, the ball court and the carved figures known as the Danzantes. Back in town, have lunch in the Mercado 20 de Noviembre and visit the Basílica de la Soledad with a sorbet from the stalls outside.
Day three: east along the Mitla road. Stop at the huge Árbol del Tule in Santa María del Tule, a cypress with one of the widest trunks on Earth, then Teotitlán del Valle to watch rugs being woven with natural dyes. Visit Mitla for its stone fretwork mosaics and finish at Hierve el Agua, mineral springs over cliffs that look like frozen waterfalls. Many tours add a mezcal distillery in Santiago Matatlán.
Day four: the craft villages. Go south to San Bartolo Coyotepec for black pottery and to San Martín Tilcajete for painted wooden alebrijes, or visit the Sunday market at Tlacolula.
Tlayudas, mole negro and the grill aisle of 20 de Noviembre
Oaxaca's cooking deserves its reputation, and the markets are the way in, above all the grill aisle of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre. The famous dish is mole, in seven classic versions, mole negro the most complex, dark with burnt chillies, spices and chocolate, while tlayudas, huge crisp tortillas with beans and cheese, are the street favourite.
The famous dish is mole, and the city counts seven classic versions. Mole negro is the most complex, dark with burnt chillies, spices and chocolate. Coloradito is brick-red and sweeter, amarillo is used in empanadas and tamales, and verde is herbal and green. Restaurants serve them over chicken or pork, and the markets sell the paste to take home.
The everyday favourite is the tlayuda, a huge crisp tortilla spread with pork lard and black beans, topped with quesillo, Oaxaca's stringy cheese, and grilled meat, then folded and toasted over coals. The evening tlayuda stands around the city are the place to try it. In the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, the pasillo de humo, or smoke aisle, lets you pick strips of tasajo (thin-cut beef) and cecina enchilada (chilli-rubbed pork) and have them grilled on the spot, served with tortillas, onions and salsas. The Mercado Benito Juárez, next door, sells fruit, cheese, mole paste and toasted chapulines, grasshoppers seasoned with lime and chilli.
Drinks are a whole education. Hot chocolate, ground with cinnamon and almonds, is made with water or milk and dunked with sweet egg bread called pan de yema. Tejate, a cold maize and cacao drink topped with foam, is sold from bowls in the markets. And mezcal, from smooth espadín to wild tobalá, is poured in dozens of tasting bars in the centre.
Guelaguetza Mondays, Day of the Dead and the Night of the Radishes
Oaxaca's festivals are a reason to plan around dates. The Guelaguetza fills the last two Mondays of July, the Lunes del Cerro, with dance groups performing on the Cerro del Fortín; Day of the Dead brings altars and comparsas in early November; and on 23 December the Night of the Radishes shows carved radish sculptures in the Zócalo.
The Day of the Dead, from 31 October to 2 November, is the other big event. Homes, markets and shops build altars with marigolds, candles and food; costumed street parades called comparsas wind through the barrios; and families keep vigil in candlelit cemeteries, such as at Xoxocotlán. Be respectful and ask before photographing graves or people.
The climate is gentle. The dry season runs from October to May, with sunny, mild days and cool nights in winter, and April and May are the hottest. The rains fall mostly from June to September, typically in the afternoon, leaving the mornings clear and the valleys green. Plan festival trips well in advance and expect higher room prices.
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How we research our Oaxaca travel guide
Oaxaca's festival dates, market and transport details are checked against the official Oaxaca website, UNESCO's listing for the historic centre and Monte Albán, and the city's Wikipedia record, with visa rules from the Instituto Nacional de Migración.
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Checked against trusted sources:
Official website of OaxacaInstituto Nacional de MigraciónUNESCO World Heritage Centre
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Oaxaca.
Getting there
The shared colectivo is cheaper but stops at several addresses; the taxi especial goes straight to your door. Both are sold at the official booths, and the trip takes 20-30 minutes.
Take the shuttle bus that leaves the centre about hourly, or a taxi; the ride takes 20 to 30 minutes. Allow two to three hours at the site.
Around three hours by bus, van or car on the highway that opened in 2024; the old road over the Sierra Sur takes six to seven. Flying is faster when available.
Timing & weather
On the last two Mondays of July, known as the Lunes del Cerro, in the amphitheatre on the Cerro del Fortín, with events throughout the month.
The best time to visit Oaxaca is Oct to Mar. Dry, sunny weather after the rains, with the Day of the Dead in late October and early November.
- Dry season: October - March (Sunny, mild days and cool nights, with the Day of the Dead and the Night of the Radishes in December; hotels fill and prices rise)
- Hot months: April - May (The warmest, driest weeks before the rains; walk early and spend afternoons in shaded courtyards)
- Rainy season: June - September (Afternoon storms most days and green valleys; July brings the Guelaguetza, the biggest festival of the year)
General
A large, crisp tortilla spread with pork lard and beans, topped with quesillo and grilled meat, then folded and toasted over charcoal. Street stands sell them in the evening.
The smoky aisle of grill stalls where you buy raw tasajo, cecina or chorizo and have it cooked on the spot, with tortillas and salsas.
Teotitlán del Valle for woven rugs, San Bartolo Coyotepec for black pottery and San Martín Tilcajete for painted alebrijes.
Most visitors join a tour along the Mitla road, often combined with Tule, Mitla and a mezcal distillery. The site is sometimes closed by local disputes, so check first.
A competition held on 23 December on the Zócalo, where artisans display scenes and figures carved from giant radishes.
Oaxaca's historic centre is a grid of about 15 by 15 blocks around the Zócalo, and nearly everything a visitor needs lies within it, linked by the pedestrian Macedonio Alcalá to Santo Domingo five blocks north. Avenida Independencia divides a smarter north from a market-oriented south. Taxis are plentiful; agree the fare before you get in, and use them at night when some streets on the edge of the centre are dark.
Oaxaca is best known for:
- The Templo de Santo Domingo, with its gilded interior and the Capilla del Rosario
- The smoky grill aisle of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, where you choose your meat and it is cooked in front of you
- Monte Albán's Gran Plaza, a leveled mountaintop with temples and views over three valleys
- Nieves on the plaza of the Soledad basilica, sorbets in flavours like burnt milk and mezcal
- The Jardín Etnobotánico, a garden of cacti and native plants behind Santo Domingo seen on guided tours
Booking
Traditionally seven: negro, coloradito, rojo, amarillo, verde, chichilo and manchamanteles. Mole negro is the most famous and complex.
Visa & documents
Tourist stays in Mexico are visa-free for citizens of the US, Canada, the UK, the EU and many other countries. Immigration officers decide how many days you can stay (up to 180) and stamp your passport or issue a digital record. Holders of valid US, UK, Canadian or Schengen visas may also be exempt.
Health & safety
Oaxaca is one of Mexico's safer cities, though late-night robberies happen, particularly after midnight on the edges of the centre. Take taxis back after dark, and expect protests and road blockades around the Zócalo, which are common but rarely aimed at visitors.
