As two of the most popular destinations for any Mexico trip, it’s essential to know how to travel between Mexico City and Oaxaca. Let’s breakdown the best methods of transport: bus vs car vs plane.
⛪️ Why visit Oaxaca
Before we dive into the travel guide… why visit at all? Oaxaca is famous for its rich culture & traditions, its stunning cobbled streets and colonial architecture, and all-round vibes. The city is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and you can really see why just by wandering through the streets – it’s beautiful, clean, safe and charming!
Oaxaca tends to be especially vibrant around the time of Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead celebrations in Oct/Nov) and Guelaguetza (the yearly cultural festival in July).
With loads of things to see and explore, like the nearby Monte Albán archaeological site & the petrified waterfalls of Hierve el Agua, and of course not forgetting all the delicious local cuisine, it’s a must-visit when in Mexico!
Check out our full article on the Best Things to Do in Oaxaca before you visit for all the unmissable sights and attractions during your visit!
How far away is Oaxaca from Mexico City?
Oaxaca is about 460 km from Mexico City. On a good day a drive could take you 6-7 hours. This route does include toll roads – more on that below.
🚌 Travelling by Bus
As usual, we’d always recommend travelling by bus in Mexico, especially for those on a tight budget. It’s the cheapest (and in our opinion, the BEST) option. We’re consistently impressed with the buses in Mexico – they’re clean, comfortable, on-time, safe and super easy.
Buses between Mexico City and the south of the country tend to operated by either AU, ADO & OCC.
- AU: AU buses are normally the cheapest option you have. They’re not flashy but still nice, with a smooth ride and seats that recline slightly. Tickets start from £31 (US $41.50).
- ADO: ADO buses come in various flavours; ADO is the standard service, ADO GL is the slightly nicer and more comfortable variant, and ADO Platino is the most premium service – expect higher costs but a luxury trip. If you priority is budget then the standard ADO is a great choice, otherwise treat yourself to an ‘upgrade’. Tickets range from £46 – £66 (US $61.50 – $88.50).
- OCC: OCC tends to be the economical version of ADO – run by the same company but marketed differently. On this exact route, however, the prices appear to be the same… how confusing!
We went with the cheapest option in almost every case during our 2 months in Mexico and never had any complaints whatsoever! ADO, AU, OCC (& ETN in the North Mexico) are all great options – safe, comfortable, reliable.
You can pick up the bus from a couple of different terminals throughout Mexico City. Let’s look at what each of those options are:
TAPO
TAPO (Terminal de Autobuses de Pasajeros de Oriente) is the most frequented departure station for this journey, which is reflected by the large amount of buses that run per day. The trip to Oaxaca from TAPO takes about 7-8 hours.
To get to TAPO take the Metro line 1 to San Lázaro station. It’s a short walk through the shopping centre/terminal to reach the bus gates from there.
The price of a bus ticket from Mexico City to Oaxaca can vary, but prices tend to start from around £31 / US $41 per person.
Check out the timetable and book your tickets ahead of time for Mexico City to Oaxaca here. See our explanation below on why we love Budbud!
Tip: Make sure to book your Oaxaca accommodation a long way in advance if you’re visiting for Day of the Dead. We’re talking months in advance – they tend to sell out reeaaalllyy early!
Terminal del Norte, Terminal Sur, Terminal Santa Martha Acatitla
You can also travel by bus from some of Mexico City’s other major bus stations, which all offer direct buses to Oaxaca for a similar cost.
Buses from these stations are much less frequent, but they’ll get the job done if you’re closer to one of them in CDMX.
Some will go via the airport too – check before you travel if this helps with your plans on Busbud.
- Terminal del Norte – take the Metro Line 5 to station ‘Autobuses del Norte’, which is right next-door. Otherwise Uber/taxi.
- Terminal Sur – take Metro Line 2 to the end of the line, station ‘Metro Tasqueña’. It’s the closest station to Xochimilco if you’re going/staying there! Uber or taxi there if you’re elsewhere.
- Terminal Santa Martha Acatitla – take Metro Line A to station ‘Acatitla’, otherwise Uber/taxi.
The cost will vary depending on departure terminal/arrival terminal/date/bus class, but you can expect to pay between £31 – £66 / US $41.50 – $88.50 per person.
Buses in Mexico are often air-conditioned, make sure you take layers in your bag just in case!
Arrival in Oaxaca
We took the bus from TAPO to Periferico station in Oaxaca – one of the major arrival bus terminals in the city. You can also get dropped you off at Santa Rosa or Terminal ADO, but be aware these (especially Santa Rosa) are further out of the city, so if you’re walking into town it’s best to go for Periferico – it’s the same price too!
Walking into central Oaxaca from Periferico station takes around 15 minutes, otherwise you can opt for an Uber or taxi to take you straight to your door from any of the arrival terminals.
Booking with Busbud
Why do we always recommend using Busbud for bus tickets in Mexico? Busbud is an online-booking platform for all buses in Mexico, which will suit you if:
- You like to plan ahead (like us), rather than leaving things until the last minute,
- You don’t want to risk waiting to buy tickets at the terminal – which may all be sold out,
- You have a tight schedule to stick to,
- You want everything to be in easy English – great if you’re not a confident Spanish speaker,
- You want to choose your seat ahead of time – top deck at the front is the best!
All of these were us when we were in Mexico – that’s why we found booking our buses in advance on Busbud.com was so helpful. We’d really recommend it! Check out Busbud’s website here.
🚗 Travelling by Car
Drive yourself
That was a whole lot of information about the buses – but what if you’d prefer to drive for yourself? Luckily, the route from Mexico City to Oaxaca is super straightforward. You’ll simply follow the 150D then the 135D heading south, and you’ll find yourself in Oaxaca after around 6-7 hours! Easy, right?
Tip: This route includes tolls! Often roads in Mexico with the letter ‘D’ are the toll roads e.g. road 80D. Without the D, e.g. just road 80, is the toll-free equivalent.
Avoiding tolls saves money at the expense of time – in the case of CDMX – Oaxaca it’ll add on about 3.5 hours! If you’re sure, then make sure to use the ‘Avoid Tolls’ option on Google Maps.
Not sorted your rental car just yet? We always use Rentalcars.com whenever we rent cars in other countries. Having the ability to compare prices upfront is such a time-saver, as opposed to checking out each individual hire company one-by-one! Start your search using this handy widget below:
Private transfer
If you prefer to travel in comfort and don’t mind paying more for it, consider a private transfer to take you from Mexico City to Oaxaca!
It’ll going to be much more expensive than the bus or driving yourself, but it comes with some big advantages: there’s no hassle, you’ll be more relaxed, your luggage will be super secure and it’s often quicker.
We’d recommend this option if a private transfer is of interest to you:
➡️ Private transfer from Mexico City to Oaxaca City
✈️ Travelling by Plane
Your final option is to take a flight. The closest airport to Oaxaca is Oaxaca International Airport (OAX). It’s only about 11 km from the centre, so you can expect the drive to take between 10-30 mins depending on traffic and your final destination – not bad!
You can catch your flight from Mexico City International Airport Benito Juárez Airport (MEX) or Felipe Ángeles International Airport (NLU), and flight times are typically around 1hr 5mins – 1hr 25mins.
We normally check out flight options using SkyScanner, then book on directly once we’ve got an idea of airlines/costs/timings. Prices usually start from around £19 (US $25.50).
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