--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Oaxaca, Mexico | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Oaxaca, from Monte Albán to the market halls and the valley craft villages. When to go, how many days you need and how to reach the ruins." url: https://wimup.com/city/oaxaca type: City guide updated: 2026-10-07 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Oaxaca Oaxaca, Mexico · North America · By Wimup Editorial, 16 min read Oaxaca is a colonial grid you can cross on foot, with a Zapotec capital on the ridge above it and a valley of craft villages spread out around it. Below are the ten experiences worth your time, plus where to eat, where to drink mezcal, and how to reach the ruins and the weavers without booking a coach tour. ## Quick answer The best things to do in Oaxaca are Monte Albán, the Santo Domingo complex, the two market halls off the zócalo and a run of craft villages in the valley. Give the city four to five days, come between November and April for dry weather, and set aside at least two of those days for the valley: the ruins, the weavers and the mezcal all sit within an hour of the centre. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Nov · Feb · Mar - **Ideal length:** 4–5 days - **Budget per day:** $60–120 - **Language:** Spanish - **Getting around:** Walking & colectivos - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.oaxaca.travel/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Oaxaca ### 1. Monte Albán Ruins · Carretera Dr. Ignacio Bernal s/n, Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, Oaxaca The Zapotecs levelled an entire ridge above the valley floor and built their capital on top of it, and the Gran Plaza still reads as one deliberate act of engineering. Founded around 500 BC, it held the valley for more than a thousand years. Come for the ball court, the carved Danzantes slabs and the view down three arms of the valley at once. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Ticket at the gate - **Best at:** Opening time - **Tip:** Shuttles run from the centre Links: [Website](https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/94-zona-arqueologica-de-monte-alban?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Museo de las Culturas Landmark · Macedonio Alcalá s/n, Centro Histórico, Oaxaca de Juárez The church stops people mid-sentence: every surface gilded, and a family tree of the Dominican order spreading across the ceiling above the door. The former convent next to it holds the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, whose room of Tomb 7 gold from Monte Albán justifies the ticket on its own. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Church free, museum ticketed - **Best at:** Late morning - **Tip:** Enter the museum from the cloister Links: [Website](https://www.inah.gob.mx/museos/museo-de-las-culturas-de-oaxaca-santo-domingo?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 3. The market halls and the Pasillo de Humo Market · 20 de Noviembre s/n, Centro Histórico, Oaxaca de Juárez Two halls sit back to back a block off the zócalo. Benito Juárez is the dry side: mole pastes, chocolate ground to order, chapulines, baskets, quesillo pulled into balls in front of you. Mercado 20 de Noviembre is the eating side, and its smoke-filled corridor of charcoal grills is where you buy tasajo by weight and eat it at a shared table. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Cash, small notes - **Best at:** Lunchtime - **Tip:** Buy the meat first, the sides second ### 4. Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca Garden · Reforma esq. Constitución, Centro Histórico, Oaxaca de Juárez The convent garden spent most of the twentieth century as a military barracks. A campaign led by Francisco Toledo stopped a hotel scheme from taking the site, and it became a garden of Oaxacan plants instead. Every species in it grows somewhere in the state, and the walk explains which ones became mezcal, cochineal dye and the glaze on the black pottery. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Ask at the gate about the English walk ### 5. Hierve el Agua Nature · San Lorenzo Albarradas, Oaxaca Two mineral cliffs that look like waterfalls frozen mid-fall, with spring-fed pools on the terrace above them and the Sierra opening out beyond. It sits about 70 km east of the city on communal land, and access is run by the communities that own it, which has meant temporary closures in the past. Confirm it is open before you commit a day to it. - **Time:** Full day - **Cost:** Community fee at the gate - **Best at:** Early morning - **Tip:** Check access before you set out ### 6. Mitla Ruins · San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Oaxaca Where Monte Albán is scale, Mitla is surface. The palace walls carry more than a hundred mosaic panels of cut stone fitted without mortar, every one a variation on the step-and-fret motif, and the Spanish built a church directly onto one of the courtyards. It is 45 km east of the city and pairs naturally with the mezcal road beyond it. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Ticket at the gate - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Pair it with Santiago Matatlán ### 7. Museo Textil de Oaxaca Museum · Av. Hidalgo 917, Centro Histórico, Oaxaca de Juárez A small museum doing serious work. Rotating shows of Oaxacan and international cloth, with the back-strap loom, the treadle loom and the dye plants explained clearly enough that the rugs in Teotitlán make sense afterwards. Come here before you shop, not after. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free entry - **Best at:** Any time - **Tip:** Visit before the craft villages Links: [Website](https://museotextildeoaxaca.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 8. Barrio de Jalatlaco Neighborhood · Barrio de Jalatlaco, Oaxaca de Juárez Ten minutes east of the cathedral the grid narrows into cobbles, low colour-washed houses and murals that are repainted often enough to be worth a second visit. It is the neighbourhood people photograph, and it has enough cafés and small kitchens to justify staying rather than walking through. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Free to walk - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Start at the San Matías church ### 9. Teotitlán del Valle Craft village · Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca The weaving village, half an hour east. Families work treadle looms in their own courtyards and will show you the cochineal, indigo and marigold behind the colour, which is the reason to come out here: a naturally dyed rug and a chemically dyed one cost different money, and now you know why. Buy at the workshop rather than in town. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Workshops free to visit - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Ask to see the dye pots ### 10. The mezcal road to Santiago Matatlán Mezcal · Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca The town calls itself the world capital of mezcal and the highway into it is lined with palenques. Ask to see the roasting pit, the stone tahona and the still before anything is poured. Understanding the process is what separates an afternoon here from a bar back in the city, and it is also the argument for hiring a driver. - **Time:** Half a day - **Cost:** Tastings, cash - **Best at:** Late morning - **Tip:** Do not drive yourself ## Best restaurants in Oaxaca Six tables that cover the range, from a heirloom-corn tortillería to two Michelin-starred kitchens. 1. **Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante** (Modern Oaxacan · Centro): Alejandro Ruiz’s rooftop looks straight across at Santo Domingo, and the kitchen is where a lot of people first understand modern Oaxacan cooking. [Website](https://casaoaxacaelrestaurante.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Los Danzantes Oaxaca** (Contemporary · Centro): An adobe courtyard open to the sky just off the Alcalá, holding both a Michelin star and a Green Star since the guide reached Mexico in 2024. [Website](https://losdanzantesoaxaca.com.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Criollo** (Set menu · Centro): Enrique Olvera and Luis Arellano’s set menu, served in a converted house on Madero and built around what the valley grew that week. [Website](https://criollo.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Origen** (Modern Oaxacan · Centro): Rodolfo Castellanos cooks the Oaxacan repertoire with technique rather than reverence, a few blocks south of Santo Domingo. [Website](https://www.origenoaxaca.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 5. **Levadura de Olla** (Sierra Sur cooking · Centro): Thalía Barrios García cooks the food of San Mateo Yucutindoo, her village in the southern sierra, and took a Michelin star for it in 2024. [Website](https://levaduradeolla.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 6. **Itanoní** (Heirloom corn · Colonia Reforma): A tortillería in Colonia Reforma that has been milling heirloom criollo corn since 2001. Order memelas and a tetela and taste what the corn is doing. ## Best mezcal bars in Oaxaca Five rooms in the centre, from a tasting library to a bar with one guitar in it. 1. **In Situ Mezcalería** (Tasting-led · Centro): The reference room for tasting by agave rather than by brand. Small, plain, and staffed by people who will steer you through it properly. 2. **Mezcaloteca** (By appointment · Centro): More study room than bar: single-batch bottles catalogued by producer, agave and still, poured in small measures and explained. 3. **Sabina Sabe** (Cocktails · Centro): The one to pick for cocktails rather than a flight, with a kitchen that keeps pace with the bar. 4. **Mezcalería Cuish** (Producer-led · Centro): Built around a group of small rural producers, with a terrace upstairs that doubles as a gallery and a music room. 5. **Los Amantes** (Tiny · Centro): One room on Allende, a bartender, a guitar and a short list. It fills early and stays full. ## Best markets in Oaxaca Five markets, from the halls tourists find in an afternoon to the wholesale yard the city actually shops in. 1. **Mercado Benito Juárez** (Daily · Centro): The dry-goods hall a block off the zócalo: mole pastes, chocolate ground to order, chapulines, baskets and quesillo pulled into balls at the counter. 2. **Mercado 20 de Noviembre** (Daily · Centro): Next door, and the one you eat in. The Pasillo de Humo is a corridor of charcoal grills where the meat is bought by weight and cooked in front of you. 3. **Mercado Sánchez Pascuas** (Daily · Centro): A neighbourhood market north-west of the centre: produce, flowers, a few breakfast stalls, and almost no visitors. 4. **Tlacolula Sunday market** (Sundays · Tlacolula de Matamoros): The valley’s big weekly tianguis, an hour east. Zapotec is the working language and most of the trade is still between villages. 5. **Central de Abastos** (Daily · West of centre): The wholesale market on the western edge, vast and loud, where the city buys. Go with a plan or go with someone who has one. ## Best museums and galleries in Oaxaca Six collections in the centre, three of them founded or rescued by the artist Francisco Toledo. 1. **Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca** (Pre-Hispanic · Centro): The former Dominican convent beside Santo Domingo, and the Tomb 7 gold recovered from Monte Albán is the strongest room of pre-Hispanic craft in the state. [Website](https://www.inah.gob.mx/museos/museo-de-las-culturas-de-oaxaca-santo-domingo?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Museo Textil de Oaxaca** (Textiles · Centro): Rotating shows of Oaxacan and international cloth, with the looms and the dye plants explained beside them. [Website](https://museotextildeoaxaca.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca** (Contemporary · Centro): Contemporary work in a seventeenth-century house on the Alcalá, with Toledo, Tamayo, Morales and Nieto in the permanent collection. [Website](https://museomaco.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 4. **Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca** (Prints & library · Centro): Toledo’s graphic arts institute opposite Santo Domingo, with a print collection and an art library open to anyone who walks in. 5. **Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo** (Photography · Centro): A photography centre, also founded by Toledo, with a darkroom and a specialist library behind the exhibition rooms. 6. **Museo Rufino Tamayo** (Pre-Hispanic art · Centro): The painter’s own collection of pre-Hispanic pieces, arranged by form rather than by culture, which is the whole argument of the place. ## Best craft villages in Oaxaca Six villages, each with its own material. All are within an hour of the centre and reachable by colectivo. 1. **Teotitlán del Valle** (Weaving · 30 min east): Rugs on treadle looms, half an hour east. Ask which pieces are dyed with cochineal and indigo; the price gap is the answer. 2. **San Bartolo Coyotepec** (Black pottery · 20 min south): Barro negro, the burnished black pottery, about twenty minutes south. The state folk-art museum sits on the same square. 3. **San Martín Tilcajete** (Alebrijes · 45 min south): Alebrijes carved from copal and painted in fine line work, on a lane a kilometre off Highway 175. 4. **Santa María Atzompa** (Green pottery · 6 km west): Green-glazed pottery six kilometres west, close enough to fold into a Monte Albán morning. 5. **San Antonio Arrazola** (Alebrijes · West valley): The other alebrije village, tucked under the western slope below Monte Albán. 6. **Santo Tomás Jalieza** (Back-strap weaving · South valley): Back-strap weaving: belts, table runners and bags, made largely by women’s cooperatives selling from the village square. ## Best neighborhoods in Oaxaca Four quarters, and the case for each. 1. **Centro Histórico** (Best for a first visit · Centro): The UNESCO grid: the zócalo, the cathedral, the Alcalá walking street and most of the museums, all inside about twenty blocks. 2. **Barrio de Jalatlaco** (Best for cafés · East of centro): Cobbles, murals and small kitchens ten minutes east of the cathedral. The prettiest streets in the city and the most photographed. 3. **Barrio de Xochimilco** (Best for craft workshops · North of centro): The oldest quarter, north of the centre, built along the Arquitos aqueduct. Residential, unhurried, and still full of workshops. 4. **Colonia Reforma** (Best for longer stays · North-east): The modern residential district north-east. Apartments, supermarkets and Itanoní, no colonial sights, and better value for a long stay. ## Best day trips in Oaxaca Six trips into the Valles Centrales, none of them more than about ninety minutes away. 1. **Monte Albán** (10 km west · Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán): The Zapotec capital on the ridge, ten kilometres west. Half a day on the shuttle, longer if you walk the South Platform properly. [Website](https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/94-zona-arqueologica-de-monte-alban?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Hierve el Agua** (70 km east · San Lorenzo Albarradas): Mineral cliffs and spring-fed pools seventy kilometres east, on communal land. Access is community-run and has closed before, so check first. 3. **Mitla** (45 km east · San Pablo Villa de Mitla): Zapotec palace walls covered in mortarless stone mosaics, with a colonial church built straight onto one of the courtyards. 4. **Árbol del Tule** (10 km east · Santa María del Tule): A Montezuma cypress in a churchyard ten kilometres east, with the widest recorded trunk of any tree on earth. Ten minutes, and worth them. 5. **Santiago Matatlán** (50 km east · Santiago Matatlán): The self-declared world capital of mezcal, past Mitla. Palenques line the highway and most will walk you through the pit, the tahona and the still. 6. **Yagul** (35 km east · Tlacolula valley): A quieter hilltop site near Tlacolula with a large ball court, listed by UNESCO alongside the prehistoric caves of the Yagul and Mitla valley. ## Festivals & annual events in Oaxaca (2026) - **Semana Santa** (Mar–Apr): Holy Week processions through the centre, including the silent procession on Good Friday. The dates move with Easter. - **Guelaguetza** (Late Jul): The state dance festival, on two Mondays at the Auditorio on the Cerro del Fortín, with all eight regions. - **Feria del Mezcal** (Jul–Aug): The mezcal fair runs alongside Guelaguetza, with producers from across the state pouring espadín, tobalá and tepeztate. - **Festival de los Moles** (Jul–Aug): The third of the late-July trio, built around the state’s moles and the cooks who still make them from scratch. - **Día de Muertos** (31 Oct–2 Nov): Comparsas through the streets, sand tapestries in the courtyards and family vigils in the panteones. The busiest week of the year. - **Las Posadas** (Dec): Nine nights of neighbourhood processions before Christmas, with piñatas, punch and buñuelos at the end of each one. - **Noche de Rábanos** (23 Dec): Carvers turn oversized radishes into scenes on the zócalo, then the city queues to see them. More than a century old. - **Calendas** (Year-round): Street parades with brass bands, giant marmotas and monos de calenda, thrown for weddings, saints’ days and most other excuses. ## Must-try dishes in Oaxaca, Mexico - **Tlayuda**: A large crisped tortilla layered with bean paste, quesillo and grilled meat, folded on the charcoal. - **Mole negro**: The darkest of the state's seven moles, built from chilhuacle chillies, chocolate and plantain. - **Tasajo**: Thin salted beef grilled over charcoal. The default order in the Pasillo de Humo. - **Chapulines**: Grasshoppers toasted on the comal with garlic, lime and chilli, eaten here long before the Spanish. - **Memelas**: Thick oval masa cakes off the comal, spread with bean paste and asiento and topped with crumbled cheese. - **Tejate**: A cold maize and cacao drink whisked by hand until it foams, with mamey pits and cacao flower in the mix. - **Quesillo**: The stringy white cheese wound into a ball, sold by weight and pulled apart at the table. - **Caldo de piedra**: A river fish and prawn broth from the Chinantla, cooked in a gourd by dropping in fire-heated stones. ## Oaxaca transport & airports - **Oaxaca International** (OAX): Xoxocotlán sits about 13 km south of the centre, 20 to 30 minutes by road. No rail link, so it is a colectivo van, an authorised taxi from the arrivals desk, or a hotel transfer. [Website](https://www.asur.com.mx/Contenido/Oaxaca?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **First-class buses** (ADO): The first-class terminal is on Calzada Héroes de Chapultepec, a little north of the centre, and is how most people arrive from Mexico City and Puebla. Book ahead around Guelaguetza and Día de Muertos. [Website](https://www.ado.com.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Walking the centre** (WALK): The historic grid is flat, compact and closed to cars along the Alcalá. Almost everything in this guide that sits inside the city is within twenty minutes on foot of the zócalo. - **Colectivos & taxis** (VALLEY): Shared colectivo vans to the valley villages leave from the second-class terminal and around the Central de Abastos, and are the cheapest way to Teotitlán or Mitla. City taxis do not run meters. ## Oaxaca at a glance - **Country:** Mexico - **Region:** Valles Centrales, Oaxaca - **Population:** 270,955 (2020 census) - **Founded:** 1529, as Antequera - **Nickname:** La Verde Antequera - **Language:** Spanish - **Currency:** Mexican peso (MXN) - **Time zone:** CST · UTC-6 - **Calling code:** +52 951 - **Airports:** OAX - **Power:** 127V · Type A/B - **Emergency:** 911 ## Interesting facts - The historic centre and Monte Albán were inscribed by UNESCO in 1987 as a single World Heritage site, not two. - Monte Albán was founded around 500 BC and held the valley as the Zapotec capital for more than a thousand years. - Oaxaca is the most linguistically diverse state in Mexico, with sixteen recognised indigenous peoples and dozens of language variants. - The Árbol del Tule, in a churchyard ten kilometres east of the city, has the widest recorded trunk of any tree in the world. - Mezcal carries a denomination of origin spanning several states, and Oaxaca produces the overwhelming majority of the certified spirit. ## Watch [Best of Oaxaca](https://wimup.com/watch/oaxaca.md), 12:27 ## Oaxaca travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Oaxaca? Four to five days is the right length: two for the city and two for the valley, where Monte Albán, Mitla, the craft villages and the mezcal are. Three days works if you accept picking one valley day and letting the rest go. ### What is the best time of year to visit Oaxaca? The dry season runs roughly November to April, and those are the easiest months for walking the city and the valley. May is the hottest. June to September brings afternoon storms that usually clear the mornings. Late July for Guelaguetza and the days around Día de Muertos are the busiest and priciest weeks of the year. ### Is Oaxaca expensive to visit? Budget roughly $60 to $120 per person per day mid-range: a small hotel in the centre, market meals with one restaurant dinner, and shared transport out to the valley. Guelaguetza and Día de Muertos push accommodation well above that, and they book out months ahead. ### Where should I stay in Oaxaca for the first time? The Centro Histórico, inside the UNESCO grid, puts nearly everything in this guide within a twenty-minute walk. Jalatlaco is quieter and prettier and still ten minutes from the cathedral. Colonia Reforma is better value for a longer stay but has no colonial sights. ### Do you need a car in Oaxaca? Not for the city, which is flat and walkable. For the valley, colectivo vans cover the main villages cheaply and a hired driver covers the rest, which is the sensible choice on a mezcal day. A car only earns its keep if you want to string several villages together on your own schedule. ## Nearby guides - [Puebla](https://wimup.com/city/puebla.md): Mexico · 10 picks - [Mexico City](https://wimup.com/city/mexico-city.md): Mexico · 10 picks - [Palenque](https://wimup.com/city/palenque.md): Mexico · 10 picks - [All of North America →](https://wimup.com/north-america): 35 cities Part of the [Mexico guide](https://wimup.com/country/mexico.md) · [North America](https://wimup.com/north-america.md) ## Sources - [Oaxaca tourism board](https://www.oaxaca.travel/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Monte Albán (official site)](https://www.inah.gob.mx/zonas/94-zona-arqueologica-de-monte-alban?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Santo Domingo de Guzmán and the Museo de las Culturas (official site)](https://www.inah.gob.mx/museos/museo-de-las-culturas-de-oaxaca-santo-domingo?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Museo Textil de Oaxaca (official site)](https://museotextildeoaxaca.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Casa Oaxaca El Restaurante (official site)](https://casaoaxacaelrestaurante.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Los Danzantes Oaxaca (official site)](https://losdanzantesoaxaca.com.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Criollo (official site)](https://criollo.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Origen (official site)](https://www.origenoaxaca.com/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Levadura de Olla (official site)](https://levaduradeolla.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Oaxaca (official site)](https://museomaco.org/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Oaxaca International (official site)](https://www.asur.com.mx/Contenido/Oaxaca?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [First-class buses (official site)](https://www.ado.com.mx/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.