Our family had the absolute privilege of spending over two months in Oaxaca last fall, and we totally fell in love with the city and the state! We’d love to share our favorite things to do in Oaxaca, including a list of Oaxaca City must-dos and also the things that are worth a day trip.
If you’d like to learn more about how our family of five has been traveling fulltime for over five years, we suggest starting here!
Is Oaxaca Safe?
Safety is always a top concern when people ask us about our time in Oaxaca and the rest of Mexico. I can’t decide your personal risk profile, but I can offer two things:
- We never felt unsafe our entire two months in Oaxaca, and
- Oaxaca is consistently ranked as one of the safest states in Mexico
As with any travel situation, normal precautions like being aware of your surroundings, not carrying large sums of cash, and not breaking any local laws or customs are advisable.
Where to Stay in Oaxaca:
Hotel Recommendations
Although we didn’t stay in a hotel in Oaxaca, these are the places I’d recommend on various budgets, both for their charm and for their excellent locations:
- Hotel Oaxaca Real literally could not have a more central location and has a pool!
- Nana Vida Hotel for an excellent centro location that’s a bit quieter and has Oaxacan charm
- El Mirador for STUNNING views
- Casa Xochitl for that cool, artsy Jalatlaco neighborhood
RV Park Recommendation
We took our fifth wheel RV all the way down to Oaxaca, and we were pleased that getting there was mostly easier than we expected. As long as you stay on toll roads, the driving was mostly comparable to the range of highway conditions we find in the United States. Driving through Oaxaca City to get to the Eastern side of town was busy at rush hour, so we’d recommend trying to arrive and depart in the early morning if possible.
That said, we absolutely LOVED being able to stay in our home in Oaxaca, and the RV Park there is fantastic. El Rancho RV Park in El Tule, Oaxaca was the nicest place we stayed in all of Mexico. If you want a more thorough review, check out the reel we made about staying there. And say hi to Pepe, Paco, and Cali for us if you visit!
Things to Do in Oaxaca City:
Walk from the Santo Domingo Church to the Zocalo
If you’re wanting to know where to start your Oaxaca City wanderings, this is the main tourist drag. The Santo Domingo Church is the iconic Oaxaca City photo that everyone takes, plus there’s almost always some cultural offering in the square there.
Walk from there to the Zocalo and get your first taste of the city! You’ll be sure to find shops and restaurants to duck into on the way, plus probably a souvenir or two from one of the many street vendors.
Eat and Shop Your Way Through the Markets
As with any Mexican city or puebla, you can get a real sense of the place by visiting the mercados. Mercado 20 de Noviembre is mostly food (and you should definitely eat there more than once!), while Mercado Benito Juraez is mostly goods and souvenirs.
If you have a fair amount of time in Oaxaca, you might want to do most of your souvenir shopping at the source in the surrounding villages. But if you’re pressed for time on your trip, you’ll be able to find all of the handcrafted items Oaxaca is known for — barro negro, handwoven textiles, alebrijes, and more!
Check Off Your Oaxaca Food Bucket List
One of the things I didn’t fully appreciate before visiting Mexico was how diverse the cuisine is across regions of Mexico. Oaxaca has some of the most famous and unique food in the entire country, and it is considered a top food destination worldwide.
Here are a few Oaxacan foods that you should make sure to put on your checklist when choosing things to do in Oaxaca:
- Tlayudas
- All 7 of the most popular Mole sauces
- Oaxacan hot chocolate
- Memelas
- Chapulines (roasted grasshoppers)
- Nieve
- Atole
- Cafe de Olla
- Oaxaca cheese
And more! There is truly so much delicious food to try here, but these are the ones I wouldn’t leave without trying, if it were me (except the chapulines — vegetarian through and through here!). You can find all of these foods in the mercados, which we did frequently!
Learn at the Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca
This museum is located directly next to the Santo Domingo Church, and it is a fantastic place to start learning about the history of Oaxaca and of Mexico in general. It is a wonderfully curated collection, plus the building itself is stunningly insta-worthy!
Admission is very affordable, and like most Mexican museums, you’ll have to check your backpacks and bags at the front. Leave 2-3 hours for this museum at least!
Take a Tour of the Botanical Garden
The Jardín Etnobotánico tops many lists of things to do in Oaxaca, and for good reason — it’s a fascinating collection of desert plants and makes for beautiful very “Oaxacan” photos. It’s also conveniently located just behind the above museum; in fact, you can see down into it from inside the museum! This is a relatively quick stop that combines well with a trip to the museum and the church.
Photograph the Street Art in Jalatlaco
The Jalatlaco neighborhood is the coolest and most colorful neighborhood in Oaxaca. It’s light on car traffic, so very pedestrian friendly, plus its walls are absolutely covered in gorgeous street art. Take an afternoon to wander around this neighborhood taking pictures and ducking into the cool shops that you find!
Try some Mezcal (or Take a Tour to a Distillery!)
If you’re into alcohol at all, you probably don’t want to leave Oaxaca without trying Oaxaca’s most famous drink — mezcal! There are dozens of tasting rooms right in the city center, or you can do what we did and drive out of the city to one of the many mezcal distilleries in the valleys.
We really enjoyed taking a tour and tasting at mezcal distillery Mezcal El Rey de Matatlán, even though none of us are big liquor drinkers. It was fascinating to see the whole process and taste many different varities at once. If you’re looking for a mezcal distillery tour with transportation, consider this one.
Things to Do in Oaxaca That Are Worth the Day Trip:
Some of the most fun things to do in Oaxaca are actually just outside the city or even a few hours away. Here are the things we think are worth making a trip outside of Oaxaca City for! Consider using Zapotec Travel, an Indigenous woman owned travel guide service, if at all possible. We’re not affiliated at all, but I think what she is doing is so cool.
Monte Albán
Monte Albán is an impressive Zapotec archaeological site in a stunning hilltop setting just outside of Oaxaca City. Visiting Monte Albán is absolutely one of the most iconic and educational things you can do on a visit to Oaxaca. I highly, highly recommend getting there exactly at opening, both for crowd mitigation and because there’s absolutely no shade in the site.
Watch videos or do some internet research about what you’ll be looking at before you get there, or you should opt for hiring a guide so you understand the significance of the site! There’s very little signage around the buildings, so it helps to have some outside knowledge. You can hire a guide onsite, or you can pre-book a tour like this that includes transportation to the site.
Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua is another iconic one of the things to do in Oaxaca, and it’s absolutely worth a visit. Not only is it totally gorgeous, but it’s got some very unique geological features like travertine pools and mineral rock formations that look like a waterfall.
If you have your own wheels, this is an easy drive from Oaxaca City. Bring cash for the toll and be aware that the last few miles are dirt, but navigable in regular cars as long as it hasn’t rained.
If you’re looking for a Hierve el Agua tour, consider one like this that also includes some nearby attractions like the Tree of Tule, Mitla, and the weaving village.
Tree of Tule
The RV park we stayed at was just a few minutes’ walk away from El Arbol de Tule, so we had the great privilege of visiting it multiple times! It is the widest tree in the world, and when I read that, I thought huh, that doesn’t sound like a must-see. But it really is impressively wide. And imagining how long that tree has been there is also mind-blowing.Make sure to catch one of the village kids who will show you the animal faces in the tree for a tip.
Taking a bike tour to see the tree would be a fun way to do it! And don’t miss eating at El Milenario restaurant across the street while you’re there.
Alebrijes Village
One of the coolest things about Oaxaca is that the city is surrounded by multiple artisan villages, where dozens of families specialize in crafting one specific type of item. San Martín Tilcajete is the village that specializes in alebrijes, those colorful imaginary creatues carved out of wood that feel so emblematic of Mexico.
Making a trip out to this town is worth the schlep, both to take a workshop tour and to see the vast array of alebrijes available for purchase from local families. We took a tour at the Jacobo & Maria Angeles workshop, which was fascinating to see the whole crafting process. It’s definitely the most “bougie” of the workshops out there, though, so if you’re on a budget, you can find more accessible pieces elsewhere in town.
Barro Negro Village
One of Oaxaca’s most famous artisan goods is its barro negro or black pottery items. San Bartolo Coyotepec is the place to go if you love barro negro, and we did more than once!
Our kids took a pottery class at Dona Rosa’s, the shop where Dona Rosa invented the technique that gives barro negro pieces their distinctive appearance. The class was taught by Dona Rosa’s grandson, which was so cool! My favorite barro negro store in town was Casa de Leon, which had the most clever and unique pieces in my opinion.
Weaving Village
A trip to Teotitlan del Valle absolutely belongs on the list of things to do in Oaxaca, as well, especially if you love handwoven goods. There are dozens of families using centuries’ old techniques to continue creating rugs, bedding, napkins, table runners, and more. And friendly weavers will demonstrate their incredible wooden weaving equipment and show you how they make natural dyes in the same ways that their ancestors did.
You can even request a custom piece that will typically be done in a week or two! We spent about $150 on a handwoven rug in custom colors and a custom size to match our RV bedroom, and we looooove it.
Mitla Archaeological Site
The Mitla archaeological site wouldn’t top my list of things to do in Oaxaca, but it’s worth a trip if you have the time. The carvings there are unique compared to the many other archaeological sites we saw (reminiscent of Greek pottery almost!), and it was much less crowded than Monte Albán. Mitla is a pueblo magico (magical town!) as well, and you can wander the town before or after your time at the site. The big cat sanctuary Yaguar Zoo is even on the way for you major animal lovers out there.
Puerto Escondido (and Surrounding Areas!)
The coast of Oaxaca is just a few hours away from the city thanks to the new toll highway that was recently built, but it feels an absolute world away. It’s worth a trip out there just to be a part of a baby sea turtle release at Centro Ecoturístico Escobilla or for snorkeling in Huatulco if you have the time.
Tours like this one will help you see the coastal highlights quickly if you only have a short time before heading back to Oaxaca City.
Ixtlan de Juarez Mirador
The mountains surrounding Oaxaca City are absolutely breathtaking, as well, and I would highly recommend a day trip or overnight into them if you can swing it. We day tripped to Ixtlan de Juarez for the amazing lookout they’ve built there, but any of the town in the Sierra Norte are stunning.
If you don’t have your own wheels, consider a tour into the Sierra Norte! This one has an Indigenous guide, which sounds fantastic.
Seasonal Festivals are Amazing Things to Do in Oaxaca
If you have the great fortune (or planning acumen!) to find yourself in Oaxaca for any of these seasonal experiences, you are in total luck.
Dia de Muertos
Dia de Muertos is one of the most popular times to travel to Oaxaca for a reason. The city comes completely alive with colorful decorations, creative costumes, live music in the squares, and a festive atmosphere celebrating life that can’t be beat.
I made a couple of reels about our experience here and here, if that’s helpful.
La Noche de Rábanos
One of Oaxaca’s most unique experiences is La Noche de Rábanos that takes place every December 23rd. What started out as a way to market fresh vegetables is now an incredible carving competition unlike any other in the world. If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to be in Oaxaca for the festival, I made a reel about it here.
Guelaguetza
Guelaguetza is an annual festival in Oaxaca that takes place in July and celebrates everything culturally special about the Indigenous peoples of the area — clothing, music, dancing, food, and more! Oaxaca state has the highest percentage of Indigenous people of any state in Mexico, and this celebration honors that. We haven’t had the opportunity to experience it yet, but we would love to!
Thanks for reading! I hope our list of things to do in Oaxaca Mexico helps you plan the most amazing trip.
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