Trip highlights
- 1Monte Albán ruins
- 2Oaxacan mole and mezcal tasting
- 3Hierve el Agua petrified waterfalls
- 4Santo Domingo Church and Templo
- 5Mercado Benito Juárez
Daily spend
Where you're going
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In pictures
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Day-by-day plan
Arrival & Santo Domingo
Monday, October 25
Est. spend
$73
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive at Oaxaca International Airport (OAX)
Oaxaca International Airport
Taxis connect to the historic centre in about 20-30 minutes.
Pre-purchase a taxi ticket at the airport's official counter for a fixed price rather than negotiating outside.
☀️ Afternoon
Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Santo Domingo, Oaxaca City
One of Mexico's most ornate Baroque churches, with a gilded interior and an adjoining cultural centre and botanical garden showcasing the region's striking biodiversity of cacti and succulents.
Don't skip the adjoining Ethnobotanical Garden — it's one of the best collections of Oaxacan plant life and offers a calm contrast to the church's intensity.
🌙 Evening
Mole tasting dinner
Oaxaca City centre
Oaxaca is famously known as the 'land of seven moles,' each a distinct, complex sauce — a tasting menu dinner is the best way to sample several varieties in one sitting.
Mole negro, the darkest and most complex variety, is considered the signature mole of the region.
🍽️ Meals
Airport or hotel breakfast
Oaxacan · $5
Centro lunch
Oaxacan · $8
Mole tasting dinner
Oaxacan · $25
Monte Albán & Mercado Benito Juárez
Tuesday, October 26
Est. spend
$88
per person
🌅 Morning
Monte Albán archaeological site
Monte Albán
An ancient Zapotec capital perched dramatically atop a flattened mountain ridge overlooking the Oaxaca Valley, with monumental plazas, pyramids, and ball courts dating back over 2,000 years.
Visit in the morning before the heat builds and the site gets crowded — the views over the valley are also clearer earlier in the day.
☀️ Afternoon
Mercado Benito Juárez and Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Mercado Benito Juárez, Oaxaca City
Oaxaca City's two great central markets, packed with stalls selling chapulines (toasted grasshoppers), tlayudas, fresh produce, and an entire dedicated meat-grilling hall in the 20 de Noviembre market.
Try a tlayuda, often described as a Oaxacan pizza — a large crispy tortilla topped with beans, cheese, and meat.
🌙 Evening
Mezcal bar crawl
Oaxaca City centre
Oaxaca is the heartland of mezcal production, and the city has a thriving scene of small bars offering tastings of mezcal from different regions and agave varieties.
Ask for a flight of mezcals from different agave species to understand the spirit's range — it's far more varied than typical tequila.
🍽️ Meals
Monte Albán area breakfast
Oaxacan · $5
Market lunch
Oaxacan · $8
Mezcal bar dinner snacks
Oaxacan · $20
Hierve el Agua Day Trip
Wednesday, October 27
Est. spend
$98
per person
🌅 Morning
Drive to Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua
About 1.5-2 hours from Oaxaca City, Hierve el Agua is a set of natural rock formations resembling petrified waterfalls, created by mineral-rich spring water cascading over the cliff edge for thousands of years.
Combine the trip with stops at a traditional mezcal distillery and the weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle, both commonly included on day tour routes.
☀️ Afternoon
Natural infinity pools and petrified falls
Hierve el Agua
Swim in the natural mineral pools perched at the cliff edge, with the petrified waterfall formations and sweeping valley views below.
Arrive early to avoid the largest crowds, as the pools can get busy by midday with both tourists and tour groups.
🌙 Evening
Return to Oaxaca City
Oaxaca City
Return in the evening, often stopping at a rug-weaving cooperative or mezcal palenque along the way, for a relaxed final dinner.
🍽️ Meals
Pre-departure breakfast
Oaxacan · $5
Hierve el Agua lunch
Oaxacan · $8
Oaxaca City dinner
Oaxacan · $25
Final Shopping & Departure
Thursday, October 28
Est. spend
$72
per person
🌅 Morning
Zócalo and final shopping
Zócalo, Oaxaca City
A final morning around Oaxaca City's lively central Zócalo, shopping for black pottery (barro negro), alebrijes (painted wooden animal figures), or textiles in the surrounding streets.
☀️ Afternoon
Final lunch and packing
Oaxaca City
A relaxed final lunch before transferring to the airport.
🌙 Evening
Transfer to Oaxaca Airport
Oaxaca International Airport
Allow at least 2 hours before a domestic or international flight.
🍽️ Meals
Hotel breakfast
Oaxacan · $5
Zócalo lunch
Oaxacan · $10
Airport food
Oaxacan/International · $10
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
October–April (dry season) offers the most comfortable weather. Late October to early November brings Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), one of Mexico's most vivid and important cultural celebrations, particularly significant in Oaxaca.
🛂 Visas
Many nationalities can enter Mexico visa-free for short tourist stays — check current requirements before travel.
💱 Currency
Mexican Peso (MXN). Cards are accepted at hotels and larger restaurants; cash is preferred at markets and smaller eateries.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 911
ambulance: 911
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Oaxaca is known as the 'land of seven moles' — a tasting menu dinner is the best way to sample the region's complex, varied sauces in one sitting.
- Ask for a mezcal flight from different agave varieties to appreciate the spirit's range — Oaxaca is the undisputed heartland of mezcal production.
- Arrive early at Hierve el Agua to avoid the largest crowds at the natural infinity pools, which fill up considerably by midday.
- If visiting in late October/early November, book accommodation well in advance — Día de los Muertos draws significant crowds to Oaxaca, one of Mexico's premier destinations for the holiday.
- Try a tlayuda at Mercado Benito Juárez or Mercado 20 de Noviembre — often described as Oaxacan pizza, it's a defining regional dish.
One thing worth not skipping
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