Oaxaca itinerary: 1 to 3 days
Plans for one to three days in Oaxaca, day by day: the Church of Santo Domingo, the Museum of Cultures and the Ethnobotanical Garden, the Andador Macedonio Alcalá, the Zócalo and the cathedral, and the 20 de Noviembre market first, then Monte Albán, the Rufino Tamayo Museum, Barrio de Jalatlaco and the Valley of Oaxaca, with the Tule tree, the weavers of Teotitlán del Valle, Mitla and Hierve el Agua, as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Oaxaca in 1 day
Day 1
Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca (Santo Domingo convent)
Museum in the restored Santo Domingo convent covering the region's history, with the gold treasure found in Tomb 7 at Monte Albán.
Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca
Garden of Oaxaca's native plants, cacti and agaves in the convent's former grounds, shown only on guided tours.
Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Baroque Dominican church with a stone facade and an interior covered in gilded stucco, including the dazzling Rosary Chapel.
Andador Turístico Macedonio Alcalá
The pedestrian street linking Santo Domingo to the Zócalo, lined with colonial buildings, galleries, mezcal bars and street performers.
Oaxaca Cathedral
The city's cathedral of green volcanic stone on the Alameda next to the Zócalo, with a Baroque facade facing the square.
Zócalo of Oaxaca
The shaded main square, with cafés under the arcades, a bandstand, balloon sellers and music most evenings.
Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets
Two neighbouring markets: Benito Juárez for crafts, chocolate and mezcal, 20 de Noviembre for food, with its aisle of grilled meats.
Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude
Baroque basilica of the city's patron, the Virgin of Solitude, with a terraced plaza where stalls sell Oaxaca's famous ice-creams.
Oaxaca in 2 days
Day 1
Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca (Santo Domingo convent)
Museum in the restored Santo Domingo convent covering the region's history, with the gold treasure found in Tomb 7 at Monte Albán.
Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca
Garden of Oaxaca's native plants, cacti and agaves in the convent's former grounds, shown only on guided tours.
Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Baroque Dominican church with a stone facade and an interior covered in gilded stucco, including the dazzling Rosary Chapel.
Andador Turístico Macedonio Alcalá
The pedestrian street linking Santo Domingo to the Zócalo, lined with colonial buildings, galleries, mezcal bars and street performers.
Oaxaca Cathedral
The city's cathedral of green volcanic stone on the Alameda next to the Zócalo, with a Baroque facade facing the square.
Zócalo of Oaxaca
The shaded main square, with cafés under the arcades, a bandstand, balloon sellers and music most evenings.
Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets
Two neighbouring markets: Benito Juárez for crafts, chocolate and mezcal, 20 de Noviembre for food, with its aisle of grilled meats.
Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude
Baroque basilica of the city's patron, the Virgin of Solitude, with a terraced plaza where stalls sell Oaxaca's famous ice-creams.
Day 2
Monte Albán
The Zapotec capital on a levelled mountaintop above the city, with plazas, pyramids, a ball court and views over the valleys.
Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art
The painter Rufino Tamayo's collection of pre-Hispanic sculpture and pottery, shown in colourful rooms of a colonial house.
Árbol del Tule
A Montezuma cypress in the churchyard of Santa María del Tule, about 10 km from the city, with one of the widest trunks in the world.
Teotitlán del Valle weaving village
Zapotec village in the valley known for wool rugs woven on looms with natural dyes; families show how they work.
Barrio de Jalatlaco
One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, with cobbled streets, colourful houses, murals and small cafés and restaurants for the evening.
Oaxaca in 3 days
Day 1
Hierve el Agua
Mineral springs on a cliff edge that have built up white rock formations like frozen waterfalls, with natural pools and valley views.
Mitla archaeological site
Zapotec religious centre known for the stone fretwork mosaics that cover its palace walls in geometric patterns.
Teotitlán del Valle weaving village
Zapotec village in the valley known for wool rugs woven on looms with natural dyes; families show how they work.
Árbol del Tule
A Montezuma cypress in the churchyard of Santa María del Tule, about 10 km from the city, with one of the widest trunks in the world.
Day 2
Monte Albán
The Zapotec capital on a levelled mountaintop above the city, with plazas, pyramids, a ball court and views over the valleys.
Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude
Baroque basilica of the city's patron, the Virgin of Solitude, with a terraced plaza where stalls sell Oaxaca's famous ice-creams.
Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets
Two neighbouring markets: Benito Juárez for crafts, chocolate and mezcal, 20 de Noviembre for food, with its aisle of grilled meats.
Zócalo of Oaxaca
The shaded main square, with cafés under the arcades, a bandstand, balloon sellers and music most evenings.
Oaxaca Cathedral
The city's cathedral of green volcanic stone on the Alameda next to the Zócalo, with a Baroque facade facing the square.
Andador Turístico Macedonio Alcalá
The pedestrian street linking Santo Domingo to the Zócalo, lined with colonial buildings, galleries, mezcal bars and street performers.
Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Baroque Dominican church with a stone facade and an interior covered in gilded stucco, including the dazzling Rosary Chapel.
Barrio de Jalatlaco
One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, with cobbled streets, colourful houses, murals and small cafés and restaurants for the evening.
Day 3
Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca (Santo Domingo convent)
Museum in the restored Santo Domingo convent covering the region's history, with the gold treasure found in Tomb 7 at Monte Albán.
Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca
Garden of Oaxaca's native plants, cacti and agaves in the convent's former grounds, shown only on guided tours.
Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art
The painter Rufino Tamayo's collection of pre-Hispanic sculpture and pottery, shown in colourful rooms of a colonial house.
Watch: Oaxaca
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Oaxaca
October to May is the dry season, with sunny days and cool nights; April and May are the hottest months. The rainy season, from about June to September, brings afternoon storms but green valleys. The Guelaguetza dance festival takes over the city in July, the Day of the Dead fills it at the end of October and start of November, and the Night of the Radishes is held on 23 December.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Oaxaca on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Oaxaca on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Oaxaca on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for Mexico from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Oaxaca
- The Ethnobotanical Garden can only be visited on guided tours at set times, with fewer tours in English; check the schedule and plan the morning around it.
- The Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca closes on Mondays and the Rufino Tamayo Museum on Tuesdays, so plan the museum day around them.
- For Monte Albán, shuttle buses leave from the city centre; for Tule, Teotitlán, Mitla and Hierve el Agua in one day, join a valley tour or hire a driver and start early.
- Eat in the 20 de Noviembre market's smoky grill aisle, try a tlayuda, mole and chapulines, and finish with an ice-cream at the stalls by the Basilica of Solitude.
- The city sits at about 1,550 m: days are sunny and nights can be cool, so bring sun protection and a layer, and book well ahead for the Guelaguetza and the Day of the Dead.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Basilica of Our Lady of Solitude: AlejandroLinaresGarcia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Benito Juárez and 20 de Noviembre markets: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán: The original uploader was Bobak at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5
- Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca: Kaldari, CC0
- Hierve el Agua: The original uploader was Lavintzin at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5
- Mitla archaeological site: Uploaded into English Wikipedia by en:User:Bobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 2.0
- Monte Albán: nsaum75 !Dígame¡, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca (Santo Domingo convent): Eddann123, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oaxaca Cathedral: Moody 75 from Phoenix, AZ (currently), CC BY-SA 2.0
- Rufino Tamayo Museum of Pre-Hispanic Art: Miandigra, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Teotitlán del Valle weaving village: Gibrán Aquino, CC BY 2.5
- Zócalo of Oaxaca: Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Árbol del Tule: Nsaum75, CC BY-SA 3.0
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
