If you travel to eat, Oaxaca is your place. This southern Mexican state is famous for its cooking, its mezcal and its living Indigenous cultures – and it has mountaintop ruins, petrified waterfalls and some of the best surf beaches on the Pacific. This Oaxaca travel guide helps you combine the city, the valleys and the coast.
Why visit Oaxaca
Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s most culturally rich states, home to many Indigenous peoples and languages, colourful textile and pottery traditions and some of the country’s most important festivals.
Its capital, Oaxaca de Juárez, is a UNESCO-listed colonial city of stone churches and busy markets, surrounded by valleys full of archaeological sites, craft villages and mezcal distilleries.
Top places to visit in Oaxaca
Oaxaca City
The baroque Church of Santo Domingo and its cultural centre, the lively Zócalo, and the Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets, where smoke from the grills fills the air. Evenings are for mezcal bars and rooftop terraces.
Monte Albán
The ancient Zapotec capital stands on a flattened mountaintop above the valley, with plazas, pyramids and sweeping views. Go early in the morning.
Hierve el Agua and Mitla
Hierve el Agua looks like a frozen waterfall – mineral cliffs with natural infinity pools on the edge. On the way, visit Mitla, with its intricate stone mosaics, and the giant Tule tree.
Craft and mezcal villages
Teotitlán del Valle for hand-woven rugs, San Bartolo Coyotepec for black pottery and Santiago Matatlán, the self-proclaimed world capital of mezcal, for tastings at family distilleries.
The Pacific coast
Surf the famous Zicatela beach in Puerto Escondido, relax in laid-back Mazunte and Zipolite, or choose the calm bays of Huatulco.
Best time to visit Oaxaca
October to April is the dry season, with sunny days and cool mornings in the city (about 1,550 metres above sea level). Late October and early November bring the unforgettable Day of the Dead celebrations. In July, the Guelaguetza festival celebrates the state’s dances and costumes. May is the hottest month, and summer brings afternoon rain.
Getting to and around Oaxaca
Oaxaca City has flights from Mexico City and other cities, and first-class buses take around six hours from the capital. Tours and colectivos reach the valley sites, but a rental car gives more freedom. The road to the coast is long and winding – short flights to Puerto Escondido or Huatulco save many hours.
Oaxaca itinerary ideas
- Four days: Oaxaca City, Monte Albán and a day trip to Mitla, the Tule tree and Hierve el Agua.
- One week: add craft villages, a mezcal tasting and a cooking class.
- Mountains and sea: Oaxaca City followed by a few days in Puerto Escondido or Mazunte.
What to eat in Oaxaca
Taste the seven moles, from black mole to amarillo, tlayudas (giant crispy tortillas), quesillo (Oaxaca string cheese), memelas at the market and, if you dare, chapulines – toasted grasshoppers. Drink mezcal, tejate (a pre-Hispanic maize and cacao drink) and hot chocolate made with Oaxacan cacao.
Oaxaca travel tips
- Drink mezcal slowly: it is sipped, not shot, often with orange slices and worm salt.
- Book early for the Day of the Dead and the Guelaguetza.
- Carry cash for markets, villages and colectivos.
- Respect local customs in Indigenous communities, and ask before photographing people.
Oaxaca FAQ
How many days do you need in Oaxaca?
Four days for the city and the valleys; a week or more to add the coast.
How do you get from Oaxaca City to the coast?
By short flight (the fastest option) or by road – about six to seven hours of mountain curves by car or shuttle.
When is the best time to visit Oaxaca?
October to April for dry, sunny weather, with the Day of the Dead at the end of October as the highlight of the year.
