The vibrant capital of Oaxaca state, Oaxaca City is the perfect place to take a break from the gorgeous beaches of Puerto Escondido, along the Oaxacan coast. Not that I think a beach break is ever really required, but taking in a little bit of culture is always a nice change. And culture is one thing Oaxaca City has in abundance.
The most ethnically diverse part of the country, Oaxaca state is made up of different Zapotec and Mixtec groups with vastly distinct cultures and languages. Oaxaca City is a mixing pot of these, with different cuisines and customs that make the city the little gem that it is. The cobblestone streets and colourful façades of Oaxaca City’s colonial centre are UNESCO designated and draw in throngs of tourists every year, both local and international.
There’s tons of ways to spend your time in Oaxaca, especially if you’re like me and basically travel to eat. Thanks to it’s mountain ranges and coastlines, Oaxaca state has a number of different climates and cultures, leading to Oaxaca City being known as the gastronomical powerhouse of Mexico. People flock to sample everything the city has to offer, from al fresco fine dining to road side taco stands.
Stumbling off the overnight bus from Puerto Escondido at 7:30 in the morning, we grabbed a cab to our hostel where we lucked into an early check-in. With only three days to explore all Oaxaca City had to offer, we knew it was going to be a whirlwind of a visit.
We long ago figured out that the best way to get our bearings when we land somewhere new is to take a city tour, ASAP. They’re always super interesting, and the tour guides always know the coolest things that aren’t included in any travel guides. Luckily, Azul Cielo had a walking tour starting in a couple hours that we could tag along on. After a quick shower and change, we headed out to grab breakfast and a much needed coffee before meeting up with our tour group.
I’m the world’s biggest fan of ‘for tips’ walking tours, I’ve gone on so many and the majority of them have been fantastic. Why do I love them? They’re led by a local with the insider scoop, your money is going directly to the tour guide putting in the work, and the places you visit usually aren’t listed in any guidebooks.
Our tour of Oaxaca City was no exception. I’m horrible and unfortunately do not remember the name of our tour guide, but he brought us to so many fantastic spots scattered around the city, that we would never have stumbled across on our own.
Oaxaca City is famous for producing beautiful hand woven textiles, a tradition carried on by master weavers for thousands of years. We visited a family ran shop that has been producing beautiful handcrafted textiles for the last 200 years. When we arrived one of the family members was on the loom, in the process of making a large blanket. A large blanket can take up to 2 full days to make! Obviously, I had to bring one home with me.
The next stop on our Oaxaca City tour was Espacio Zapata – a local printing press and gallery founded by Asamblea de Artistas Revolucionarios de Oaxaca. Oaxaca has a long history of revolution and, this gallery is full of amazing politically charged prints. While we were here our tour guide gave us a condensed version of Oaxaca’s revolutionary history. If you’re lucky, they’ll be printing during your visit.
Visiting the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán is a must while in Oaxaca City. A former monastery founded in 1575 by the Dominican order, this Baroque style building is a visual wonder and boasts of a highly decorated interior comprising of more than 60,000 sheets of 23.5-karat gold leafs. Entrance is free, and flash photography isn’t allowed.
Couples from around the world flock to Oaxaca to get married at Santo Domingo de Guzmán. The church is gorgeous, but it’s the street celebrations afterwards that are the major attraction. We lucked out and were checking out the area around the church just as a wedding ceremony was finishing up inside.
Waiting outside the church for the happy couple, is a group of folk dancers known as the Chinas Oaxaqueñas. Dressed in beautifully embroidered skirts and shirts, they are part of a calenda – a festive parade, that celebrates occasions such as weddings or graduations.
The Chinas Oaxaqueñas proceed through the streets, dancing with baskets of flowers balanced on their heads, along with a traditional brass band. The procession is lead by large wooden puppets of the bride and groom, called ‘monos’, and large paper balls printed with the bride and groom’s names.
Mezcal is produced throughout different areas of Mexico, but the majority is produced in Oaxaca. We all know that Mexico’s claim to fame – tequila is produced from agave as well, but besides that mezcal and tequila are entirely different.
Mezcal was traditionally fermented and cooked in lava rock lined pits filled with wood and charcoal (that smoky flavour), before being distilled in clay pots. Larger mezcal producers have changed things up and taken on more modern methods, but some small batch mezcal producers still use the old-school methods.
Looking to really get into the Oaxacan spirit? Take a guided city mezcal tour, head to an agave farm, head out of the city for a palenques & distilleries tour, or opt for your own tasting at any of the mezcal bars around town.
If you’re going the DIY tour, there are lots of mezcal focused bars in Oaxaca City. Some good ones to start off with would be:
Good luck visiting Oaxaca and not falling head over heels for basically everything you eat. I ate to my heart’s content over my 3 days in Oaxaca, but I also wanted to learn how to make some of the dishes I was indulging in. Tamales? No way I was figuring that one out via pinterest.
After some research into Oaxaca’s cooking class option (there are a lot of them), I decided to book a class with La Cocina Oaxaqueña. We had such a great time learning to cook some of our newfound Oaxacan favourites, I’m writing a separate post all about it. Coming soon!
La Cosecha Oazaca is an organic market to the south of town centre. Small stalls line the market, with vendors selling everything your little organic loving heart could possibly desire. Carved kitchenwares, handmade clay coffee mugs, fresh herbs and pure vanilla can all be found at La Cosecha Oazaca. Along with all the goods to bring home with you, of course the food stalls deserve a mention.
Tom and I found a stall that served the most amazing cup of Oaxacan coffee in the market. If you’re unfamiliar with Oaxacan coffee, you need to try it. The coffee is slowly brewed in a large clay pot, along with orange peel, cinnamon, and brown sugar. As major coffee fiends, we guarantee it’s delicious.
The ‘food’ market in town, Mercado 20 de Noviembre is where to go for delicious street food at cheap prices. Two blocks south of Oaxaca’s zocalo, this market is all about amazing cheap eats, and to see the market at it’s best, go around lunchtime. Filled with small stalls and restaurants to sit and have a bite at, and vendors selling baked goods, salsas, etc. it’s fun to spend some time wandering.
In a city famous for it’s intricately hand crafted textiles and goods, Mercado de Artesanias de Oaxaca is a great place to start when looking for things to bring home. It’s hard to pick a favourite when every stall is filled with beautifully made clothes, home goods, and purses. We ended up leaving with a two purses and a gorgeous hand embroidered pillowcase which is the absolute star of my living room.
Oaxacan cuisine is vast, and you could spend a year eating your way through Oaxaca City and still not come close to covering every cafe, restaurant, road side tienda, and market stall. In my three days I managed to cover a lot of culinary ground so you don’t have to.
Check out my full guide on the best restaurants in Oaxaca!
A colourful boutique hostel, with traditionally decorated rooms and rainfall showers. Azul Cielo is about a ten minute walk from the town centre. An amazing breakfast is included, and the hostel offers an array of fun stuff. Free bike rentals, walking tours, and salsa classes twice a week. We signed up for the salsa classes and were the only ones there. In case you’re wondering, I suck at salsa dancing. But, it was fun!
Well known hostel chain throughout Central America, Selina has perfected the formula for the perfect hostel. Smack in the middle of town, Selina’s has spacious dorm rooms, a full restaurant and bar, co-working spaces, and a fun rooftop terrace.
A few minutes walk from the city centre, the shady terraces, gourmet breakfast, and locally produced textiles and furniture are all pretty solid reasons to stay here. An even better reason? Hotel con Corazón works with local NGOs to sponsor tutoring, scholarships, and mentorships in the city through their numerous social impact programs. It’s nice to be able to give back to a good cause just by going to sleep at night.
Taxis and buses are the main mode of transportation in Oaxaca City. The narrow cobbled streets don’t bode well with parking, so I wouldn’t bother renting a car.
Taxis are not metered, so prices need to be negotiated before getting in. The buses in Oaxaca City are 7 pesos/pp, so it makes for a very economical ride, and you can get anywhere you need to go. Buses display their routes in the window, but if you’re unsure (which you probably are), just ask/show the driver. Praise offline google maps.
The ADO bus takes about 11 hours, and is about 600 pesos. The ride from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca City is a windy one, but the bus takes a longer route around, so if you get motion sick this would be a pretty good option for you. Plus, if you’re looking to keep your budget down, it saves you a night’s accommodation. The buses are comfortable, clean, air-conditioned, and have wi-fi.
Aerotucan flies the Puerto Escondido – Oaxaca City route. The flight is 45 minutes, and is around 200 Canadian one way. Flights can be booked online.
There’s also the smaller, more intimate option. AeroVega is a small 6 seater plane, and the business is ran/flown by pilot Don Vega. He can be contacted at aerovegapto@hotmail.com or by calling +529545880062.
Aeromexico flies the one hour flight from Mexico City to Oaxaca City six times a day, and it can be as cheap as 40 USD one way. Obviously, prices go up if you’re booking last minute, so if you can, I recommend booking a bit in advance.
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