Things to do in Oaxaca City
The unmissables
Most booked
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua, Mitla & Mezcal Day Trip with Lunch★ 4.95 (1,529) · 11h
Top rated
Monte Albán guided tour from Oaxaca: Expert archaeologist guide★ 4.85 (1,049) · 3h–4h
Best value
Hierve el Agua, Tule Tree, Mitla tour: Four stops in one day★ 4.73 (1,174) · 12h
Recommended (7)
Oaxaca: 3 Markets Food Walking Tour & 24 Tastings★ 4.97 (500) · 6hUS$ 106View ›
Oaxaca: Market Food Tour with Gastronomy Researcher & 20 Tastings★ 4.78 (463) · 3h 30mUS$ 57View ›
Monte Albán tour from Oaxaca: Certified guide, UNESCO site★ 4.63 (434) · 4hUS$ 34View ›
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Day Trip & Mezcal Tasting Tour★ 4.83 (422) · 8hUS$ 65View ›
Oaxaca City: Traditional Cooking Class & Family Meal with Mezcal★ 4.98 (357) · 3hUS$ 95View ›
Oaxaca: Cooking Class & Market Tour with Chef Oscar★ 4.66 (354) · 4h 30mUS$ 75View ›
Oaxaca: Mezcal Distillery Tour, Agave Fields & Oaxacan Lunch★ 4.91 (302) · 6hUS$ 102View ›Top rated (10)
Traditional Oaxaca Cooking Class with Local ChefA hands-on cooking class in Oaxaca where you learn to prepare three traditional regional dishes—mole, handmade tortillas and chocolate tamales—from a local chef and cookbook author. The class runs 3.5 hours, is 100% practical, and includes all the food and drinks you make. Vegetarian, gluten-free and vegan menus are available on request.Is it for me?Book this class if you want to leave Oaxaca knowing how to make the dishes you've eaten there—the hands-on format and the chef's expertise in regional cooking mean you're learning techniques and stories, not just following a recipe.
Oaxaca: Art Walk & Cacao Tasting in Jalatlaco StudiosYou’ll wander Oaxaca’s colorful Jalatlaco streets with a local guide, meet working artists in their studios, try your hand at printmaking (and take your own piece home), then taste three different cacao drinks in Centro’s cozy chocolatería. Expect laughter, paint-stained fingers, and stories you’ll remember long after you leave.
Oaxaca Private Tours: Monte Albán, Artisan Workshops & MarketsYou ride in a private vehicle with a local guide and skip the standard tour route entirely, spending your day in artisan workshops, archaeological sites, and markets that operate on real community schedules. Pickup, transport, water, and fuel are included; you choose which stops matter to you and how long to stay at each one. No fixed itinerary means no rushing past something that catches your eye.Is it for me?Book this if you want to spend a day in actual artisan workshops and markets rather than tourist-facing stops, and you'd rather have a local guide handle the logistics and introductions than navigate timing and locations yourself — the private vehicle and local connections are what make access to family workshops possible at all.
Oaxaca City: Markets Food Tour & 15+ TastingsYou walk through Oaxaca's busiest markets with a local guide who grew up there, stopping at 15+ vendors to taste mole, tamales, chocolate, mezcal and street food. All tastings and drinks are included, the pace is slow enough to talk to vendors and the guide, and you finish knowing why Oaxacan food tastes the way it does. Book early if you're traveling in high season — groups are kept small.Is it for me?Book this if you want to eat real Oaxaca food the way locals do, without arranging your own market route or figuring out which stalls are worth your time — the guide's family connections and years of eating in these markets is what makes the difference between a food tour and an actual introduction to the place.
Oaxaca: Monte Albán, Barro Negro & Alebrijes Day TourYou’ll walk among Monte Albán’s ancient stones with a local guide who shares Zapotec stories, get your hands dirty shaping barro negro in San Bartolo Coyotepec, enjoy Oaxacan lunch at Tierra Mágica (vegan options too), and watch alebrije artisans paint their wild creations in San Martín Tilcajete. This day trip is less about rushing and more about soaking up textures, flavors, and quiet moments you’ll remember long after.
Oaxaca Sierra Norte: Guided Hike, Local Food & Private TransportYou’ll breathe mountain air on quiet trails above Oaxaca, share homemade breakfasts in Cuajimoloyas, and hike at your own pace through pine forests with a local guide who knows every turn. There’s time to laugh over lunch in a village kitchen before heading home tired but happy — it’s less about conquering miles than feeling part of these mountains for a day.
Oaxaca: Monte Albán, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán & Mezcal TourYou’ll climb ancient Monte Albán with a local guide, watch Oaxacan weavers spin color into wool at Teotitlán del Valle, float in natural pools above Hierve el Agua’s cliffs, and taste smoky mezcal where it’s made. It’s a day packed with real people and stories — you might find yourself thinking about Oaxaca long after you leave.
Monte Albán Full-Day Tour: 5 Oaxaca Artisan WorkshopsA full-day guided tour from Oaxaca that combines a 1.5- to 2-hour hike through the Monte Albán archaeological zone with visits to four artisan workshops in surrounding villages—San Martín Tilcajete, Santo Tomás Jalieza and San Bartolo Coyotepec. A certified guide leads the entire day, hotel pickup is included, and you choose at checkout whether to add a traditional Oaxacan lunch. The itinerary may shift depending on local festivals or hotel pickup routes, and shared tours mean seats are reserved in advance.Is it for me?Book this if you want to combine archaeology with hands-on artisan workshops in one day—the shared van connects five stops including Monte Albán's guided hike and working craftspeople in their homes, rather than visiting sites separately.
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua Hike, Mineral Pools & Mezcal TastingYou’ll wake before dawn in Oaxaca City for a sunrise drive to Hierve el Agua, sharing breakfast with locals before hiking past petrified waterfalls and soaking your feet in mineral pools. Walk through valleys with your guide, visit a Zapotec family for mezcal tasting, then end with a home-cooked lunch—leaving you quietly changed by Oaxaca’s gentle pace.
Oaxaca: Vegetarian Cooking Class & Market Walk with Local CookYou’ll wander Oaxaca’s colorful Merced neighborhood with a local cook, shop for fresh organic produce at the market, taste snacks along the way, then return to prepare classic Oaxacan vegetarian dishes together—including mole and dessert. The class ends with everyone sharing lunch and giving thanks—a warm memory you’ll carry home.
Lowest price (10)
Bicycle Tour through Oaxaca: Urban Art & HistoryA two-hour guided bicycle tour through the City of Oaxaca covers the neighborhoods of Jalatlaco and Xochimilco, the colonial arches of the San Felipe aqueduct, and the Temple of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, with a local guide explaining the art, history and pre-Hispanic roots of each stop. The tour includes a bicycle, helmet and technical assistance; a viewpoint option is available depending on group fitness. English and Spanish guides are available, and the minimum age is 18.Is it for me?Pick this if you want to cover more ground than a walking tour allows while staying in the city center—you'll bike through neighborhoods to see colonial architecture and street art at a pace that lets you actually absorb what you're seeing.
Hierve el Agua & Mitla Full Day Tour: 6 Stops with GuideThis full-day guided tour of Oaxaca visits six sites across the region: the petrified waterfalls and natural pools at Hierve el Agua (two hours of free time), the archaeological zone of Mitla with a certified guide, a textile workshop in Teotitlán del Valle where artisans show the wool-rug process, a mezcal factory with tasting, the ancient Tule Tree, and a buffet lunch of traditional Oaxacan food. Hotel pickup starts between 7:30 and 7:50 a.m., and the tour runs 10 to 11 hours total. The guide speaks English or Spanish depending on the option you choose at checkout.Is it for me?Book this if you're arriving without a car—a shared van with a guide handles six stops across culture, archaeology, and nature, with two hours to explore Hierve el Agua at your own pace.
Monte Albán, mezcal tasting & alebrijes tour from OaxacaThis seven-hour guided tour from Oaxaca combines the archaeological site of Monte Albán with visits to three artisan workshops in the surrounding villages: a traditional mezcal palenque where you taste ancestral spirits, a family workshop making hand-painted wooden alebrijes, and a black clay studio where potters use centuries-old techniques. A bilingual local guide leads the walking tour at the ruins and explains each craft process as artisans work in front of you; transport with air conditioning and hotel pickup from the historic center are included.Is it for me?The tour runs seven hours with walking at Monte Albán and standing time at each workshop while artisans demonstrate their craft — it is paced for observation and conversation rather than physical exertion, and suits anyone interested in how Oaxacan culture and traditions are made and preserved.
Mitla & Teotitlán: Half Day Tour with Family GuidesYou’ll join a small group led by a local family guide from Oaxaca, exploring El Tule’s ancient tree, Mitla’s mysterious ruins with their intricate stonework, and an artisan rug workshop where natural dyes come alive in your hands. Includes pickup and lunch—expect laughter, stories, and moments you’ll want to hold onto.
Monte Albán Archaeological Tour 3 Hours with GuideA 3-hour guided tour of Monte Albán, the pre-Hispanic archaeological site near Oaxaca City, with certified bilingual guide, admission, snacks and bottled water included. The operator manages timing carefully so you move through the site without feeling hurried, and you get free time to photograph and linger at each area. Available in Spanish or English; children from age 1 are welcome.Is it for me?The tour moves at a deliberate pace with built-in time to photograph and absorb each area, so you're not racing through the site—the guide manages the timing so the experience stays comfortable even though the walk covers significant ground and elevation.
Hierve el Agua from Oaxaca: Petrified Waterfalls & Natural PoolsYou're driven to Hierve el Agua's petrified waterfalls, swim in natural mineral pools, and have the option to hike to the main cascade—all in one half-day without stopping elsewhere. The 3-hour stay lets you move at your own pace instead of being herded through, and your air-conditioned vehicle handles the mountain roads both ways. Bring cash and swimwear; no card payments or restaurant stops along the route.Is it for me?Choose this if you want to see Hierve el Agua's unusual geology without arranging your own transport or timing—the fixed 3-hour stay gives you room to swim and rest instead of rushing, and the driver handles the mountain roads both ways.
Monte Albán tour with ruins, workshops & chocolate tastingThis nine-hour guided tour from Oaxaca takes you to Monte Albán, the most important archaeological site in the region, built by the Zapotec culture. You'll explore the ruins with a live guide in English or Spanish, then travel to San Antonio Arrazola to visit an ancestral mezcalería, watch alebrijes being made in a workshop, see black clay ceramics being shaped, and stop at a traditional Oaxaca restaurant for lunch. The day ends with a chocolate tasting at an authentic shop. Pickup is included.Is it for me?Book this if you're staying in central Oaxaca without your own car—pickup and drop-off mean you skip the taxi coordination between Monte Albán, the craft workshops, and Cuilapam.
Oaxaca: Monte Albán, Arrazola & Black Pottery Day TripYou’ll stand above Oaxaca at Monte Albán’s ancient ruins, watch artists shape magical alebrijes in Arrazola, wander through sunlit arches at Cuilapam Convent, and see black pottery born from local hands in San Bartolo Coyotepec. Includes hotel pickup and an easy pace so you can actually take it all in.
Monte Albán, Alebrijes & Black Pottery: Oaxaca Day TourThis eight-hour guided tour of Monte Albán, San Antonio Arrazola and San Bartolo Coyotepec combines the Zapotec archaeological site with two working artisan villages where you see alebrijes carved and painted and black pottery fired by hand. A certified bilingual guide leads the day, hotel pickup and air-conditioned minivan transport are included, and admission to Monte Albán is part of the package. The tour is built for first-time visitors to Oaxaca who want the major stops without rushing between them.Is it for me?Book this if you want a guided pace through three distinct stops—archaeological site, alebrije workshop, pottery village—rather than rushing between them, with a certified guide providing context at each location.
Oaxaca: Hierve el Agua, Mitla & Mezcal Distillery Full DayYou visit five distinct sites across the Oaxaca Valley in one day: a 2,000-year-old tree, Mitla's geometric ruins, Teotitlán's natural-dye weavers, Hierve el Agua's mineral pools, and a working mezcal distillery with tasting. A bilingual guide handles transport and timing, lunch is included, and the air-conditioned vehicle means you're not navigating the valley on your own.Is it for me?Book this if you want to see the main natural and archaeological highlights of the Oaxaca Valley without arranging transport, entry fees, or timing between five separate stops — the guide handles the route and keeps the day moving so you can focus on each place.
