Oaxaca

Oaxaca is a beautiful state located in southeast Mexico. It is a colorful place with beautiful baroque churches, archaeological sites, colonial buildings, natural wonders, and the best flavorful dishes you’ll ever taste.

Oaxaca city is one of the most beautiful and cleanest cities we’ve visited in Mexico. You can easily spend a whole week exploring the city and its amazing gems. There are many cool attractions outside the city that are nearby and easy to access. Check out our cool adventures in Oaxaca!

We visited Oaxaca during our spring break which was the same week that semana santa or holy week is observed. With that came so many beautiful religious and cultural celebrations that we got to be a part of. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the vibrant jacaranda trees that beautify the streets of Oaxaca. We arrived on Palm Sunday and got to witness the talented street vendors creating religious crafts out of palm leaves in almost every corner of the city.

We rented a car since we wanted to visit places outside the city and did not want to go with tour buses, which are available too. Nothing against tour buses, we just prefer the freedom of doing our own thing at any time we like, and renting a car aligns more with our lifestyle. Getting to our hotel was a bit tricky due to the streets that end abruptly, but we managed to get there.

We stayed in a beautiful and spacious suite in Barrio Xochimilco. It was only a 10 minute walk from the historic downtown Oaxaca. Our suite had a big kitchen, two rooms, a living room and dining area. Way too big for the two of us, but we loved it!

On our first evening, we had great authentic Oaxacan food at Casa Oaxaca. We also tried traditional mezcal with sal de gusano (worm salt), and fresh orange slices. Mezcal is strong and if you have not tried it before, we recommend starting with the smooth mezcals.

After our dinner, we visited the beautiful Santo Domingo de Guzman church. This church was designed by the Dominican friars, and was a former monastery until the mid 1800s. It’s baroque style facade will make you stop and admire the beauty and design of this historic building. This is one of the most beautiful churches in Oaxaca. The interior of this church has 24 karat gold plating throughout the altar. Santo Domingo is part of the historic buildings added as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.

Our evening walks always ended at the Zocalo. The Zocalo is a fun place to have a drink, kick back and enjoy the nightlife with live mariachi.

We also liked the fun upstairs bars at Plaza Santo Domingo. You can sit on the balcony and enjoy the best night views of Santo Domingo church. During the weekends, there are live bands playing. Great atmosphere to have a mezcal and chill!

For those who like exploring traditional dishes and are not afraid to try ‘strange’ and ‘weird’ things, we recommend checking out the local Mercado 20 de Noviembre and Mercado Juarez. There, you will find numerous vendors on every corner selling grasshoppers of different sizes that are ready to eat. Look out for the traditional sal de gusano (worm salt) used to accompany mezcal tasting and other dishes. This is also a great place to try the popular tlayudas and tamales de mole negro.

For dessert, head over to the ice cream shops outside the beautiful Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. You will find dozens of flavors to choose from.

A cool historic hotel to visit, or stay at is La Quinta Real located in the center of Oaxaca. This luxurious hotel was built in 1576 and was originally a convent. We went there to have dinner and watch a fun Guelaguetza show.

One can spend a whole week exploring the beautiful city of Oaxaca but there are so many other cool destinations worthy of visiting outside the city. This is when renting a car becomes handy. However, there are other forms of transportation available to use such as taxis and tour buses.

We highly suggest visiting a mezcaleria. We went to Oro de Oaxaca, located just outside Oaxaca city on the 190 on the way to Mitla. At a mezcaleria, you’ll be able to sample a variety of authentic mezcals including milk-based and honey-based, mezcals that are aged longer, and some with different flavors based on the wood barrel it sat in.

If you’re looking for a fun outdoor adventure, take a day trip to Hierve El Agua, which is about an hour and a half away from Oaxaca city. Take the 190 past Mitla, there are many signs clearly marked to get there. Note that there is a toll fee of $49 pesos on the way.

Hierve El Agua (“Where the Water Boils”) is a beautiful site with petrified waterfall rock formations. Due to the calcium carbonate in the spring water being oversaturated, these waterfalls are petrified. There are two waterfalls, cascada grande and cascada chica. If you like to hike, we recommend taking the trails to the different waterfalls. The views are spectacular. There are also two natural pools where you can swim. Try to get there early so you can have the pools to yourself. It can get really crowded as it is a popular spot to visit.

About 20 minutes away from Oaxaca city, you will find the cute little town of Santa Maria del Tule, home to the famous Arbol del Tule. Arbol del Tule is the widest tree in the world with a trunk that measures about 174 feet. A must see!

If you keep driving on the 190 south, about 10 minutes from Santa Maria del Tule, you will come across Teotitlan del Valle. This charming village is well-known for their wool and cotton weaving workshops. You can find the finest hand-woven tapetes (rugs) and other textiles. There are also demonstrations of the weaving and the making of the colorful dyes to create the beautiful textiles.

A great way to learn more about the Zapotec culture is to visit at least one or two of the many archeological sites in Oaxaca. Make sure to arrive early to avoid the large crowds.

We visited the quiet town of Mitla, located about 48 minutes away from the city. Mitla is the second most important archaeological site in Oaxaca and most important in the Zapotec culture. The crimson domes from the church are icons of the beautiful archaeological site. Tickets to get into the main archaeological area are $34 pesos.

Another majestic archaeological site to visit is Monte Alban. Only 30 minutes away from the city you will find one the first major cities of Mesoamerica. We recommend going with a tour guide to learn about the history of this amazing place. Fee to enter is $70 pesos. Mexican citizens enter for free on Sundays.

We hope you visit this gorgeous state! We are sure you will love it as much as we did!

Time We Visited: April

Places Visited/Attractions:

Santo Domingo de Guzman
Zocalo
Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Mercado Juarez
Basilica de Nuestra Senora de La Soledad
Oro de Oaxaca
Milta
Hierve El Agua
Arbol del Tule
Teotitlan del Valle
Monte Alban

Restaurants We Dined At:

Casa Oaxaca
Restaurante Mayordomo
Las 15 Letras
La Quinta Real

Food Suggestions:

Tlayudas
Memelas
Chapulines (grasshoppers)
Sal de Gusano (worm salt)
Tamales de Mole Negro
Tejate
Nieve
Mezcal

Our Suggestions:

Do get insurance if renting a car.
Expect to be walking around a lot if you want to see everything in the town as some of these attractions are within close proximity from each other.
Obtain a map of the whole city from the hotel receptionist that you’re staying at.
When visiting the archaeological sites, be sure you get there early to beat the crowd and the hot sun.
Visit a Mezcaleria.

Total Costs: