Best Things To Do In Oaxaca, Mexico: The Ultimate List 2026

Oaxaca (pronounced waa-ha-kuh) is one of the most popular places to visit in all of Mexico. It’s known for its cultural and historical importance, stunning architecture and lively atmosphere, and is especially special around Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

It was our hope to be in Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead festivities, but accommodation gets booked up reeeeally far in advance – so our first recommendation is: if you are coming to Oaxaca for Día de los Muertos – book early! And if you can’t find accommodation, do what we did and go to Mexico City instead – read our full guide on How to Celebrate Day of the Dead in Mexico City 2026 for more info.

No matter what time of year you visit there’s plenty to do and see. Let’s take a look at what we think are the best things to do in Oaxaca for 2026!

Custom Mexico Itinerary: Create Your Ideal 1-6 Week Adventure

Everybody’s ideal holiday looks a little different. Some of us (Connor) love history; others (like Hannah) are all about the local food on offer! Whatever it is you’re interested in can make it hard to find an itinerary that fits your vibe, especially if you’re in a couple or group with differing priorities. That’s why […]

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How to Get to Oaxaca

Before we jump in, we wanted to round up the best ways to get to Oaxaca in the first place. If you want, you can skip straight to the list of best things to do.

Mexico City To Oaxaca

🚌 Take a Bus

Getting from Mexico City to Oaxaca by bus is probably the most budget-friendly option. The two main operators – ADO and AU – will both get you there safely and comfortably, with ADO being a little higher quality and new but a touch more expensive than AU. There’s also an ADO Platinum service which is much nicer than the other two – check it out if you want to ride in style!

The journey will take about 6.5 – 8 hours typically. Prices vary, but you can expect to pay between £30 – £45 ($40 – $60 USD) for the cheaper ADO/AU buses, and around £65 for ADO Platinum ($85 USD).

Check out the bus options, timetables and prices from Mexico City to Oaxaca on Busbud.

🚙 Drive yourself

Another option is to drive yourself down to Oaxaca. This route well-travelled, safe and easy to navigate – you’ll spend most of the 460km journey on the 150D and 135D highways. It’ll take around 6 – 7 hours though, so bear that in mind and plan accordingly.

We always use Rentalcars.com when we rent cars in other countries, as you get to compare prices upfront and avoid hidden fees. Check out some rental car options below:

✈️ Opt for a Flight

Taking a plane is definitely quicker and in some cases can be cheaper than other options – we’ve seen deals on SkyScanner from £30!

Flights from Mexico City to Oaxaca are direct, so you’ll only be in the air for around 1 hour and 20 mins. If you’re short on time or prefer plane travel to buses, this might be a good option for you.

While it’s certainly quicker to fly, the impact on the climate is much worse. Consider whether the environmental trade-off is worth it before you travel.

Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca 

🚌 Take a Bus

Once again, the most budget-friendly way to get from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca is by bus. The main operator this time is ADO, with trips costing around £17 ($23 USD). The journey takes around 3 hours.

Check out the bus options, timetables and prices from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca via Busbud.

🚙 Drive yourself

You can opt to drive yourself to Oaxaca, of course. The route is simple once again – you’ll spend most of the 190km journey on the 175 & 175D highways, and it’ll take around 3.5 – 4 hours without stopping.

As we mentioned before, roads ending in D are toll roads in Mexico. That means that the 175D part of the journey will cost you, but it’s a much smoother and quicker drive than alternative routes.

✈️ Can I Take a Flight?

While it’s technically possible to fly from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca, we really don’t think it’s worth it. Almost all flights available involve at least one stop in the middle, they generally cost much more than the bus and take more time overall, especially factoring in time to arrive at the airport early.

It’s a no-brainer – catch the bus or drive yourself!

San Cristóbal de las Casas to Oaxaca 

🚌 Take a Bus

The bus from San Cristóbal de las Casas to Oaxaca typically takes around 12 – 13 hours, so it’s best taken as an overnight bus.

We enjoyed plenty of overnight buses in Mexico, including this exact journey – albeit going in the opposite direction from Oaxaca to San Cristóbal de las Casas. They’re really not too bad – and remember, it’ll save you a night of accommodation anyway, so it’s great for budget-travellers and those looking to maximise on time!

Make sure to bring:

• 🤿 Eye mask
• 🎧 Ear plugs / headphones
• 😴 Neck pillow – if you’ve got one!
• 🧣 Warm clothes – it gets cold on those buses during the night.

The price of an overnight bus from San Cristóbal de las Casas to Oaxaca starts from around £52 ($70 USD). Check out the options, timetables and prices on Busbud.

🚙 Drive yourself

If you’re feeling brave, you can attempt the drive yourself, but be aware that it’s around 600km and will take over 9 hours.

You’ll be sticking to the 190, 190D and 185D (D = toll roads!) highways for the majority of the journey, so it’s not a complex route.

✈️ Can I Take a Flight?

Similar to coming from Puerto Escondidio, it’s technically possible to fly from San Cristóbal de las Casas to Oaxaca, but just don’t think it’s worth the hassle. You’ll have to get to the nearest airport which is Tuxtla Gutierrez Airport an hour away, then board a flight that will undoubtedly require a layover in Mexico City as well.

It’ll cost more, won’t save you much time in the long-run, it’s worse for the planet and just requires a lot more effort. Once again, we’d recommend taking the bus for the best combo of convenience and price.

Cancun to Oaxaca

✈️ Take a Flight

Taking a plane is the best option for travelling from Cancun to Oaxaca. It’s MUCH quicker and often cheaper than other modes of transport.

There are lots of direct flights from Cancun to Oaxaca which makes it really easy! Direct flights take around 2 hours and we’ve seen excellent deals on SkyScanner for around £30 ($40 USD), which is a bargain.

🚌 🚙 Can I Take a Bus or Drive Myself?

Yes… but we wouldn’t recommend it. The journey will cover over 1500km and will take anyway from 22 hours to over 35 hours in total depending on your chosen mode of transport and route, which is absolutely mental!

If you’re road-tripping and you’ll be stopping at other popular destinations such as Merida, Valladolid & Palenque over the course of multiple days, then it’s doable. However, it’s still a heck of a lot of driving. Consider doing a Yucatán loop then flying to Oaxaca instead.

You might still be considering the bus, and while we applaud your bravery it might be far more exhausting than it’s worth. Most buses leave in the afternoon of day 1 and won’t arrive until the morning of day 3 – upwards of 35 hours in the same bus! Plus, prices seem to all be over £120 ($160 USD) for one way, which is far more than the flight would be. If your heart is set on it make sure you check out the various times, prices and options on Busbud.

Where to Stay in Oaxaca

Before we say any more, we’ll reiterate what we said at the start of this article: If you’re visiting Oaxaca around the time of Day of the Dead, you MUST BOOK EARLY! We started looking for hostels and hotels 2-3 months before – around late July – and every single reasonably-priced option was already completely sold out!

Oaxaca is a relatively small city, and you’ll definitely want to be within walking distance to the main sights and sounds of the city. That means staying in the Centro area – the bustling, vibey heart of the city.

There’s loads of options, so make sure you check out all the best hotel options on Booking.com. Here’s a selection of great places to stay we’d recommend based on your budget level:

$ Budget: Hostal Chocolate Calenda
$-$$ Budget/Mid: Capital O El Nito Posada
$$ Mid-range: Hotel Parador de Alcalá
$$$$ Luxury: Pug Seal Oaxaca

Best Things to Do in Oaxaca 2026

Time to dive into the list you’re here for! We spent time in Oaxaca trying as many activities as we could to gather this list of the best things to do in Oaxaca in 2026, so we hope you have as much fun as we did!

🏘️ Start with a Walking Tour of the City

We’d always suggest doing a walking tour when you arrive in a new city. It’s the BEST way to get insights from the locals (who actually live there), who will recommend great places to eat and explore in the city. It also has the added benefit of allowing you to get your bearings around a brand new place!

Usually when it comes to walking tours in Mexico we’d recommend Estación Mexico, however we found the one in Oaxaca was literally the only one that wasn’t quite up to scratch compared to other walking tours.

As that’s the case, we’d choose the best reviewed walking tour on GuruWalk.

🏛️ Visit Monte Albán Ruins

Monte Albán was an ancient Mesoamerican city that once sat atop a hill just 20 minutes outside of modern-day Oaxaca. The site is home to some truly impressive structures, incredible 360 views of the surrounding valleys and fascinating archeological ruins – a perfect way to spend half a day in Oaxaca.

The best way to visit Monte Albán and get the most out of your visit is by booking a tour. Usually, a tour includes hotel pickup, transport and an expert tour guide. Check out some of these popular options:

However, it’s just as easy – and often cheaper – to get yourself to Monte Albán via taxi or colectivo bus, then optionally pay for a tour guide at the entrance. This is what we did – taxi there, colectivo bus back – and it was really smooth.

The taxi drive is about 20 minutes long and cost us MX $200 (£7.90 or US $10.75) in total.

We read lots of blogs that gave advice on when the colectivos were expected to run, but found them to simply arrive when they arrive – classic Mexico. We paid around MX $50pp for our tickets, so if budget is your priority you might have to wait for a little time for it to show up at the entrance to take you back to Oaxca.

One last option is via a shuttle service, operated by a handful of companies in town. They’re clean, air-conditioned and convenient, with guaranteed pick-up times. We’d recommend Lescas Co, which can be booked on Viator for £9.97 per person, which is a great deal for the convenience and comfort you’re getting!

🕙 Opening times: Daily from 08:00 – 17:00, last entry at 16:00
💲 Cost: Tickets for Monte Albán cost MX $100 (£3.95 / US $5.40) and can be purchased on arrival
ℹ️ Info: Read our Ultimate Guide to Monte Albán, Oaxaca 2026 for everything you need to know before you go!

🖼️ Woodcut Workshop with Prietos

We came across posters for the woodcut workshop Prietos Taller by accident while exploring the city streets, and we’re so glad we did! After quickly signing up, we then joined an amazing 3 hour session during which we learnt a little of the history and importance of the art form – especially during Oaxaca’s recent political history – then spent the rest of the time designing, learning the carving techniques and shaping our prints ready for printing.

The BEST thing about this woodcut workshop is that you get to leave with some amazing, completely unique souvenirs (see pics!) – and some great memories!

You really don’t need to be artsy or skilled in this area. We’re absolutely in this category, yet we managed to design pieces that looked really good thanks to the excellent instructions! All you need before arriving is a can-do attitude and an idea of what you want to draw in advance – preferably with a reference pic.

We really can’t recommend this fantastic activity enough!

To book, either message @prietostaller on Instagram or message/call +52 951 472 3259.

In October 2024 the workshop cost MX $500 for 1 person (£20 / US $26.50) or MX $900 for 2 (£35.50 / US $48). Make sure to double check the price before you book!

🏞️ Hierve El Agua

One of the best things we did in Oaxaca is visit Hierve el Agua, a set of petrified waterfalls found just outside the city. The views were absolutely incredible and the ‘waterfalls’ were so strange to see up close – they literally look like they’re frozen in time!

The amazing formations were created due to an excess of calcium carbonate and other minerals in the original waterfalls, that slowly solidified over time – much the same as how stalactites form in caves.

The two highlights of Hierve el Agua are dipping in the natural infinity pools at the top of the falls, or a bit of hiking to see them from below – a completely different perspective! The short hike takes around 45 min – 1 hour to loop around, and it was so worth it. It was especially nice to swim in and cool off in the pools afterwards, even if they weren’t super cold as we’d hoped – so we’d recommend doing it in that order!

💲 Cost: Entry to Hierve el Agua costs MX $50 (£2 / US $2.70).

There’s two ways of getting to Hierve el Agua: either join a tour or attempt to get yourself there.

After making our own way there after a handful of buses and never being entirely certain if we were going the right way or not, we can safely recommend joining a tour to save yourself the hassle! We made it in the end, but it was complicated and we’d heard from other travellers you need a healthy amount of luck to make it all work out…

We’ve written a complete guide on how to visit Hierve el Agua yourself, but we’d still recommend visiting as part of a tour, as that way the transportation will be guaranteed and super easy! Here’s some fantastic options we think look great:

🍎 Mercado Benito Juárez & Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Make sure to stop by these two fantastic markets in the city centre. They’re great fun to simply wander through and check out what’s being sold or enjoy the vibes inside. Mercado 20 de Noviembre was our favourite for food and we really enjoyed eating Tlayudas here – a Oaxacan classic! Mercado Benito Juárez is best for fresh food, spices & condiments.

As well as Mercado Benito Juarez and 20 de Noviembre, there are many amazing markets on the streets that you’ll naturally stroll through as you explore the city. Perfect places to pick up some local souvenirs or gifts for loved ones!

🎨 Explore the Street Art

Oaxaca is covered in amazing street art. One of our favourite parts of our time in Oaxaca was simply exploring the beautiful streets and noticing all the amazing street art on show. Not only is it fun to admire, a lot of the pieces have some really important themes of Oaxaca’s history, which you can often learn about through QR codes.

🍸 Rooftop Bars

The best rooftop bars of the city overlook the Santo Domingo church, especially down Ignacio Allende street. All of the bars in in this street – and this whole area in general – are really cool and have amazing views, so you won’t be disappointed wherever you choose to have a drink or bite to eat.

We went to these 2 and had a brilliant time:

Vaca Marina – amazing views of the church, incredible food ($$) & amazing margaritas! The inside is beautifully decorated, it’s perfect for an evening drink.

Terraza Los Amantes – stunning rooftop with views of the cathedral. Get there for sunset and amazing views of the sky & twinkling mountains. We just went for a beer and it was perfect!

We can’t recommend on food for either, since we ate mostly street food each evening, but both places looked like they served delicious dishes!

🌳 Arbol del Tule (BIG tree)

Arbol del Tule is the largest tree in the world, and is estimated to be 1,400 years old!! Technically it’s the tree with the widest tree trunk diameter of other tree on the planet and, before you think we’re nuts for recommending a tree, it was actually really cool to see!

We weren’t expecting much at all but seeing its true size in real life was really impressive and the photos do not do it justice at all.

💲 Cost: You need a ticket to get up close to the tree, but it’s super cheap – tickets cost MX $20 (£0.80 / US $1).

There’s not much else to see – it’s in a really small town, but it’s worth the stop!

Since it’s halfway between Oaxaca and Hierve el Agua, we hopped off the on our way back. This particular bus doesn’t actually go through the town of Santa María del Tule, so we simply asked the driver to stop on the outskirts and walked in. From the town centre you can hop on a local direct bus back to Oaxaca.

⛲️ Central Zocalo

Make sure you check out the central zocalo (main square) in the centre of Oaxaca. It’s a lovely place to walk around, especially in the evening as it comes to life.

Around the square are plenty of restaurants to sit and have a drink to enjoy the hustle and bustle – plus the excellent people-watching.

We much preferred other areas of Oaxaca for dining though – the zocalo felt a bit too much like a tourist trap, so perhaps go further afield for more intimate options! Still, it’s a great spot to check out at least once.

🌺 Jardín Etnobotánico (Botanical Gardens)

We’re sad that we missed the Botanical Gardens on our visit – we ran out of time! The gardens are made up of a huge 2.3 acres, and is state-owned and run. The grounds are littered with beautiful plants from around Oaxaca state and has a HUGE amount of cacti.

Unfortunately entry is only allowed as part of a guided tour. Tours are only in Spanish and cost MX $50 (£2 / US $2.60) per person and last 1 hour. The times are at the following:

• Monday – Friday, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 5pm
• Saturday, 10am, 11am, 12pm*

*Recent reviews say they offer tours on Saturday but their website doesn’t mention Saturdays, so check this in advance at the ticket office.

You can buy your ticket at the garden before you enter. Check their website for up to date opening times.

They used to do English tours, but sadly they’ve recently stopped operating these (as of December 2024) but the tour is still worth it even in Spanish, just to walk around!

🥘 Street food!

Oaxaca is known for its epic food scene throughout Mexico. However, when you’re on a budget (like we were), you can’t always go to the fanciest restaurants in town.

Luckily, from what we’re told, the best and most authentic Oaxaca food is found on the streets! We found loads of great street food spots by simply wandering around at night following our noses.

We’d suggests you do the same – proper local style! Try different stalls and different dishes, and if you’re feeling brave you can just ask what the vendor recommends.

🇪🇸 ¿Qué me recomienda?
🇬🇧 What do you recommend?

🥃 Taste Mezcal

Oaxaca is the home of Mezcal, so where better to try it while you’re in Mexico!

There are plenty of Mezcal shops to peruse in the city centre – you won’t struggle finding some – where you can also sample the different Mezcals on offer. If you’re feeling confident enough, asking for samples is a great way to go about it.

However if you want to guarantee getting lots out of the experience, with the knowledge of the history & types of mezcal thrown in, we’d strongly recommend a tour, such as one of these (which are often bundled with visits to other Oaxaca attractions – 2 birds 1 stone!):

🏝️ Visit the Beach

Only a 3 hour drive away is Puerto Escondido, a popular surf town on the Pacific coast. It’s a super popular place for visitors looking to get a bit of beach-time while in Oaxaca.

You could maaaybe squeeze this into a day trip, but you’d be better off spending a few nights here to make the most of the drive in our opinion.

There are pretty regular buses, and you can check out the timetable for Oaxaca to Puerto Escondido here.

🍳 Take a Cooking Class/Experience

As we mentioned before, Oaxaca is known for its culinary scene. So, what better way to experience the food than to learn how to make all of its specialities directly from a local?

From traditional classes to more modern takes, there are lots of experiences to choose from, often including trips to source ingredients from the markets too, which is an added bonus!

We’ve scoped out these two which look fantastic:

1. Traditional Cooking Class with Market Visit 
2. Chocolate Making