Oaxaca
Oaxaca has seven distinct moles, more indigenous languages spoken per square kilometre than anywhere else in Mexico, and a mezcal industry that predates the spirit’s international fame by centuries. It is also the city where street muggings have increased enough in the past few years that hotel staff now actively advise against walking home alone at night. Both of these facts are relevant to planning a visit. The first is why the food and culture scene here is unlike anywhere else in Mexico. The second is why smart travellers base themselves in Centro, use authorised taxis after dark, and stay alert at markets.
Getting There and Getting Around
Oaxaca City is served by Xoxocotlán International Airport (OAX), about 6 km south of Centro. Domestic flights connect to Mexico City (roughly an hour), Guadalajara, and a handful of other cities. International visitors typically fly through Mexico City or connect via the US. AeroMéxico, VivaAerobus, and Volaris operate regular routes.
From the airport, authorised taxis have a fixed rate of around MXN 150 to 200 to Centro. Confirm the price at the taxi desk inside the terminal before getting in. Ride-hailing apps including DiDi and Uber operate in Oaxaca City and are reliable options within the urban area.
Within the city, colectivos (shared vans running fixed routes) cost MXN 7 to 10 per ride and cover most urban neighbourhoods. Taxis charge a flat rate for most city journeys; confirm the fare before departure. Walking is practical and pleasant within Centro, Jalatlaco, and the market district. Do not walk back to your accommodation alone after 10 pm.
For day trips, the easiest options are shared minibuses departing from the second-class bus station (TAPO) or private tours. Renting a car is practical for visiting multiple sites outside the city in one day but requires confidence navigating roads with limited signage.
Where to Stay
Centro Historico is the most practical base. Everything within the colonial core is walkable during daylight hours and the density of restaurants, cafes, and markets means you are never far from something good. Avoid Airbnbs in Centro if possible: there have been consistent reports in 2024 and 2025 of travellers being followed to rental accommodation and robbed outside. Hotel security is meaningfully better.
Barrio de Jalatlaco is a small neighbourhood just northeast of Centro, widely cited as one of the most photogenic areas of any city in Mexico. Its cobbled streets with coloured facades and hand-painted murals have attracted a cluster of boutique hotels and good cafes. It is quieter than Centro at night and considered safer.
Notable Hotels:
Casa Oaxaca Hotel on Garcia Vigil (from MXN 3,000 per night) is a beautifully converted colonial house with a respected on-site restaurant. La Casita Oaxaca in Jalatlaco (from MXN 1,800) has eight rooms and an exceptional breakfast. Hotel Casa Antonieta (from MXN 900), a smaller budget-end boutique in Centro, gets consistently strong reviews for value and service.
Food: What Oaxaca Is Actually About
No other city in Mexico has a comparable density of serious food culture operating across budget levels simultaneously. The same masa that goes into a MXN 15 tlayuda from a street vendor goes into the dishes at Michelin-starred Los Danzantes. Understanding the fundamentals makes every meal more rewarding.
The Markets
Mercado 20 de Noviembre, one block south of the Zócalo, is the essential market for eating. The central aisle of charcoal grills serves tasajo (thin-sliced dried beef), cecina (spice-rubbed pork), and chorizo alongside quesillo (the stringy Oaxacan string cheese). You pick your meat, they grill it, you eat at the bench. Expect MXN 80 to 150 per person. The adjacent Mercado Benito Juárez handles spices, dried chilies, chocolate, and mole pastes in bulk. The drinking chocolate sold here, made from cacao and cinnamon ground in-house, is a different category of thing from anything sold in supermarkets.
Tlayudas
A tlayuda is a large, partially dried corn tortilla grilled over charcoal, spread with black bean paste, Oaxacan cheese, and your choice of topping. It is the definitive local street food. At market stalls the price is MXN 40 to 80. Itanoní on Belisario Domínguez (Barrio de la Reforma) is the most serious tlayuda restaurant in the city: owner Gabriela Fernández Orantes nixtamalises the corn in-house and works with heritage corn varieties. The walk from Centro takes 30 minutes or a short taxi ride, which is worth it.
The Seven Moles
Oaxaca’s mole tradition is built around seven distinct sauces, each with a different chili profile, colour, and application. Mole negro (dark, complex, built on dried mulato and pasilla chilies plus chocolate and more than 20 other ingredients) is the most famous and the most labour-intensive. Mole coloradito (reddish, slightly sweet), mole verde (herb-forward, fresh, made with hoja santa and tomatillo), and the remaining four each have their own character. The best place to understand the differences is a cooking class rather than a restaurant meal, since restaurant moles are often made in large batches.
Restaurants
Los Danzantes on Calle Macedonio Alcalá is the flagship: a Michelin-recognised restaurant in an open courtyard setting, with dishes that take traditional Oaxacan ingredients into more refined territory. Expect MXN 350 to 600 per main. Zandunga, specialising in the cuisine of the Istmo de Tehuantepec (the southern coastal region of Oaxaca state), offers tamales de rajas, garnachas, and fresh seafood preparations that most visitors to Oaxaca City never encounter. Humar is newer and focuses on raw preparations: ceviches, oyster tacos, and crudos with Pacific fish.
Mezcal
Oaxaca is where mezcal is cheapest, most varied, and most interesting, because you are buying at the source. Bottles that retail for MXN 800 to 1,200 in Mexico City cost MXN 450 to 700 here. La Casa del Mezcal on Flores Magón, open since 1935, is the most locally rooted mezcaleria: a genuine cantina rather than a tourist bar, with a broad selection at honest prices. La Mezcaloteca on Reforma offers guided tastings of small-batch, artisanal mezcals produced by traditional producers, with a mezcalero leading three or five-pour flights. For context, mezcal is made from cooked agave hearts; tequila is a type of mezcal restricted to blue agave from specific regions. The smoked, complex flavours of Oaxacan mezcal come from roasting the agave hearts in earthen pits before fermentation.
Sights and Activities
Oaxaca Centro
The Zócalo (main square) functions as the city’s living room: families, vendors, street musicians, and protesters all share it on any given evening. The Palacio de Gobierno on the south side has a significant Diego Rivera-influenced mural by Arturo García Bustos depicting Oaxacan history. Entry is free.
The Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán is the visual centrepiece of the city: an ornate 16th-century Dominican church whose gold-leaf interior is one of the more extravagant examples of Mexican baroque anywhere. Adjacent to it, the Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca houses Zapotec and Mixtec artefacts including gold jewellery from Monte Albán Tomb 7. Entry to the museum is MXN 85; the church is free.
Monte Albán
Monte Albán is a Zapotec archaeological site on a flattened mountain top 9 km west of Oaxaca City, visible from much of the valley. It was continuously inhabited from around 500 BC to 700 AD and functioned as the capital of the Zapotec state. Entry as of January 2026 is MXN 209 per person (free for children under 13, seniors over 60, and INAH cardholders). The site is at 1,940 metres altitude; carry water and sunscreen. Shared minibuses from Calle Mina near the second-class bus station run to Monte Albán and cost about MXN 30 each way. Allow two to three hours for a proper visit.
Teotitlán del Valle
A Zapotec weaving village 28 km east of Oaxaca City, producing handwoven rugs using wool dyed with natural pigments including cochineal (extracted from insects living on cacti), indigo, and pomegranate bark. The quality of the work is genuine and the prices reflect real craft rather than factory production. Cooperative workshops throughout the village offer demonstrations; buying directly from weavers here is straightforward and recommended over buying from intermediary shops in the city.
Hierve el Agua
Mineral spring pools on a cliff edge 70 km east of Oaxaca City, with calcium carbonate formations that resemble frozen waterfalls. Entry is MXN 60. The pools are swimmable and the views over the valley are excellent. The road to Hierve el Agua passes through Mitla, the second most important Zapotec archaeological site after Monte Albán (entry MXN 95), making a combined day trip practical.
Day of the Dead
Oaxaca’s Día de Muertos (31 October to 2 November) is the most significant annual event. The city fills with comparsas (costumed processions with brass bands), elaborate market altars, and candlelit cemetery vigils that continue through the night. For 2025, the city announced more than a week of events from 25 October. Accommodation books out months in advance for this period; if you plan to come for Muertos, book accommodation in spring. Prices for hotels increase substantially during this week.
Practical Notes
Language: Spanish is the primary language. In markets and smaller restaurants, basic Spanish makes a significant difference. Several indigenous languages including Zapotec and Mixtec are also spoken in communities around the city; learning a single word of greeting in Zapotec (binni guenda in the Isthmus dialect, gusta guiidxi in Valley Zapotec) is appreciated out of proportion to the effort.
Water: Do not drink tap water. This applies to ice at market stalls. Purified water is available everywhere; the environmental-preference option is to carry a filter bottle and refill from hotel purified water dispensers.
Money: Most restaurants and hotels accept cards. Markets and street food require cash (MXN). ATMs are available in Centro; use those inside banks or in ATM booths rather than freestanding machines on the street. The exchange rate from USD to MXN is reasonable; exchange currency at banks or established exchange offices rather than on the street.
Safety: Oaxaca City is safer than many Mexican cities but muggings occur, particularly late at night and in market areas. Keep phones out of sight in crowded spaces. Take authorised taxis after dark. Street demonstrations (plantones) occur regularly around the Zócalo, usually relating to teachers’ union disputes; they are part of everyday Oaxacan life and are not dangerous, but they can affect traffic. The city overall is welcoming to tourists and most visits are trouble-free.
The strongest single piece of advice for a first visit to Oaxaca is to plan more time than you think you need. The food alone justifies at least four days; add the archaeological sites and villages, and a week passes quickly.