Centro
First-timers, foodChurches, markets and most hostels.
City guide
Things to do in Oaxaca
Mexico's food and craft capital: seven moles, mezcal from village distilleries, busy markets, a colourful colonial centre, and the Zapotec city of Monte Albán on the hill above.
48
Hostels in the city
8.4
Average, from 21,737 reviews
7
Kinds of mole
4–5
Days
Where Mexico eats best
Oaxaca de Juárez sits at about 1,550 metres in a valley in southern Mexico, surrounded by villages known for weaving, pottery, carved wooden animals and mezcal. Its centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of green-stone churches, painted houses and pedestrian streets.
Most people come for the food: mole in seven colours, tlayudas, chocolate, chapulines (grasshoppers) and mezcal. The markets are the place to start, and cooking classes are popular.
The city is busiest in July for the Guelaguetza dance festival and around the Day of the Dead, when the cemeteries fill with candles and marigolds. Give Oaxaca four or five days, with trips to Monte Albán and the valley villages.
Where to base yourself
The Centro is walkable and has most hostels; Jalatlaco is quieter and close by.
Jalatlaco
Quiet, street artCobbled streets just east of the Centro.
Xochimilco
Local, quietAn old neighbourhood north of Santo Domingo.
Reforma
Local, cafésA residential area north of the Centro.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 12 top-rated hostels. Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Oaxaca
Walk the Andador Macedonio Alcalá to the Templo de Santo Domingo and its museum, and join a guided tour of the Ethnobotanical Garden behind it. Eat your way through the Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets.
Take a cooking class, and a mezcal tour to the palenques (distilleries) around Santiago Matatlán. Climb up to Monte Albán, the Zapotec capital on a flattened mountaintop.
Drive the Tlacolula valley for the giant Tule tree, the Mitla ruins, the Sunday market at Tlacolula and the weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle.
Free things
And what it costs nothing to do
Walking the Centro, the Zócalo and the pedestrian Alcalá is free, and so is looking inside Santo Domingo church. The markets cost nothing to wander.
The Jalatlaco neighbourhood has street art, and the Cerro del Fortín viewpoint looks over the city.
Free walking tours run most days; tip the guide.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking
In the 20 de Noviembre market, pick meat in the smoky grill aisle and eat it with tortillas and salsas for about €5 to €8. Tlayudas, large crisp tortillas, cost €3 to €6, and mole with chicken €5 to €10.
Try tejate, a cold maize and cacao drink, hot chocolate, and chapulines.
Mezcal is everywhere; sip it slowly with orange and worm salt. A 10 to 15 per cent tip is usual in sit-down restaurants; check the bill first, as some add a service charge (propina).
Nightlife
Going out
Oaxaca's nights are about mezcal bars, rooftop bars over the Centro and live music, with a few clubs.
Calendas, street parades with giant puppets and brass bands, pass through the Centro on many weekends, often for weddings.
A mezcal costs €2 to €5 and a beer €1.50 to €3.
Getting around
Getting around
The Centro is easy on foot. Colectivos (shared taxis) and buses go to the valley villages, and tours are an easy way to see several in a day.
ADO buses run to Mexico City in about 6 to 7 hours, and to San Cristóbal overnight. Vans and buses go to Puerto Escondido in roughly 4 to 7 hours, depending on the route; the newer highway is the quickest.
Oaxaca's airport is about 30 minutes from the Centro, with flights to Mexico City and beyond.
Costs
What Oaxaca costs
Hostel beds start at around €10 to €18 a night. A market meal costs €3 to €6.
Monte Albán costs under €10 to enter, a mezcal tour about €40 to €70, and a cooking class about €60 to €100.
Pay in pesos. Carry cash for markets, colectivos and the villages.
Safety
Safety and scams
Oaxaca city is one of the more relaxed places in Mexico for visitors. Watch your bag in markets and crowds.
Protests and road blockades happen often, sometimes closing roads to the coast or the airport; build in a spare day. Some sites, such as Hierve el Agua, close at times because of local disputes, so check before you go.
Do not drink the tap water; use bottled or filtered water, which most hostels provide. In an emergency, call 911.
Worth the trip
Ruins, villages and petrified waterfalls.
Monte Albán
The Zapotec capital.
Mitla
Ruins with stone mosaics.
Hierve el Agua
Mineral pools and petrified waterfalls; check it is open.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Dance, the dead and radishes.
Two Mondays in late July
Guelaguetza
Cerro del Fortín
Dance from the state's regions.
31 October to 2 November
Day of the Dead
Citywide
Altars, parades and candlelit cemeteries.
23 December
Night of the Radishes
The Zócalo
Carved radish sculptures.
March or April
Holy Week
Citywide
Processions.
Hostels
Where to stay
The highest-rated hostels in Oaxaca, live from Hostelworld. Prices and availability are live on each property page.
Hostal Central
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Casa de Don Pablo Hostel
Dorms from €21 a night
See dates and book
El Cielo Oaxaca
Dorms from €10 a night
See dates and book
Azul Cielo Hostel
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Leveli Coliving & Hostel Oaxaca
Dorms from €10 a night
See dates and book
Maka MX
Dorms from €13 a night
See dates and book
Hostel Don Nino
Rooms from €28 a night
See dates and book
Casa Angel Hostel
Dorms from €10 a night
See dates and book
Iguana Hostel Oaxaca
Dorms from €8 a night
See dates and book
Ticuchi Hostal Oaxaca
Dorms from €12 a night
See dates and book
Paulina Youth Hostel
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
Hostal Luz de Luna Nuyoo
Dorms from €9 a night
See dates and book
When to go
October to May is dry and sunny; April and May are hot. June to September brings afternoon rain and green hills. July is busy for the Guelaguetza, and late October to early November for the Day of the Dead.
Jan
Dry
Feb
Dry
Mar
Warm
Apr
Hottest, Easter
May
Hot
Jun
Rain starts
Jul
Guelaguetza
Aug
Rain
Sep
Rain
Oct
Day of the Dead build-up
Nov
Day of the Dead
Dec
Night of the Radishes
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs, rounded. Warm days and cool nights.
What your trip will cost
Per night, for one person, based on Oaxaca prices.
Treat these as a guide. Tours and classes cost extra.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Oaxaca questions
The ones we get asked most.
Is Oaxaca safe?
It is one of the more relaxed places in Mexico; watch for protests and road blockades.
How many days do I need in Oaxaca?
Four to five days.
How do I get to Monte Albán?
By shuttle from the Centro, about 20 minutes.
Is Hierve el Agua open?
It closes at times because of local disputes; check before you go.
How do I get to Puerto Escondido?
By van or bus, roughly 4 to 7 hours, or a short flight.
When is the Guelaguetza?
On the two Mondays after 16 July.
When is the best time to visit?
October to March, or for the Day of the Dead.
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