10 Best Things to Do in Oaxaca City
If you’re searching for a Mexican vacation spot steeped with cultural depth, look no further than Oaxaca. It’s also a safe city for solo female travelers!
For clarity, Oaxaca (pronounced: wah-ha-kuh) is a state in the country of Mexico, but also the name of its central city! Only a ~40-min flight from Mexico City, Oaxaca City sits in a valley surrounded by mountains in every direction — it’s stunning!
I spent 11 days wandering Oaxaca City’s cobblestone streets, admiring local street art, and eating my weight in quesadillas, tacos, and tlayudas. Everyone I met was warm, welcoming, and excited to educate me on their Oaxacan culture. This city is FULL of things to do, so I’d recommend spending at least three days there (but I didn’t get bored or regret my longer stay!). I also recommend that you tack on some beach time in nearby Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, to soak up some Mexican surf vibes on the Pacific coast!
What are the top 10 BEST things to do in Oaxaca City? Check out my favorite Oaxaca activities below!
The 10 best things to do in Oaxaca City, Mexico!
Dine at Oaxaca’s top restaurants
Oaxaca is the foodie capital of Mexico, and I think you’d have to go out of your way to have a bad meal.
One thing that roots Oaxaca as a vital food destination in Mexico is its history with mole. Oaxaca is known as the “land of the seven moles,” though there are MANY more than seven recipes! The region is also famous for its quesillo cheese (referred to as “Oaxacan cheese” outside Mexico), a stringy, melty white cheese often compared to Mozzarella. It reminded me a lot of Halloumi… YUM-O!
Given the historical and cultural significance of food in Oaxaca, the city is home to some of the country’s (and world’s) most prestigious chefs. There are several fine dining restaurants in Oaxaca City with elegant tasting menus. Some of my favorites include Los Danzantes, Origen, El Destilado, and Casa Oaxaca. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to visit Criollo in Oaxaca. Still, it’s co-led by the famous chef, Enrique Olvera, the owner of world-renowned Pujol in Mexico City.
Oaxaca City is a true culinary destination!
Visit Templo Santa Domingo de Guzman
There are *stunning* 16th-century churches scattered throughout Oaxaca City, but Santo Domingo de Guzman is the city’s crown jewel.
This famous church sits right in the Centro Historico (historical city center) and took around a century to build. Its size and beauty make it hard to miss!
Note — Despite the hours listed on the internet, the church doors almost always seemed locked! Tourists can only enter around dusk. Nevertheless, the golden architecture around the alter is worth seeing!
Check out Jalatlaco’s colorful street art
Oaxaca City is known for its brightly colored buildings and cobblestone streets, but the neighborhood of Jalatlaco takes it to another level. Seemingly every corner of Jalatlaco showcases a large-scale mural, most of which speak out against local politics. There are also papel picado (traditional Mexican paper flags) lining the sky on the central streets.
If you’re looking for a cute café while strolling through the area, check out Santa Hierba, whose menu seamlessly combines authentic Mexican breakfast dishes alongside smoothie bowls. Down the block is one of my *favorite* taco spots in Oaxaca… Taqueria El Primo! Please do yourself a favor and order their classic gringas, which are essentially tacos al pastor in a flour tortilla! Note, this place is only open at night.
The Jalatlaco neighborhood of Oaxaca City is provocative and vibrant and NOT to be missed!
Tour a Mezcal distillery
Did you know that Oaxaca is the birthplace of Mezcal?!
I had such an educational, boozy, and FUN experience learning about Mezcal with The Mezcal Journey! We toured the agave fields, learned about the production process, and got to taste 20 different varieties of Mezcal! I was surprised how *truly* different they all tasted.
I learned so many new facts about this traditional Mexican spirit during the tour, which included things like:
Mezcal is not a type of Tequila; Tequila is a type of Mezcal! That’s because Mezcal can be made of various types of agaves, whereas Tequila is only made from the blue agave
There are manyyy different types of Mezcal, and they all taste VERY different!
Mezcal gets its smoky flavor from a step in its development process where it's buried in a (smoky) fire pit with coals and then roasted for a couple of days -- Tequila skips this step!
Although Oaxaqueños have been drinking Mezcal for hundreds of years, it was often considered a 'poor man's spirit,' sold casually amongst neighboring farmers. Mezcal only started gaining global popularity in the last five years or so, piggybacking off the significant rise in demand for Tequila
Like the "champagne" designation in France, authentic Mezcal must be produced within eight distinct Mexican states. The state of Oaxaca is the largest producer!
Locals refer to Mezcal as "the elixir of the gods..."
Even if you’re unable to visit a distillery during your visit, I highly recommend sampling a fancy Mezcal cocktail while out in Oaxaca City! Two of my favorite upscale cocktail bars were Selva Oaxaca Cocktail Bar and Los Amantes Mezcalería.
Explore Monté Alban’s ancient Zapotec ruins
About a ~15-minute drive outside Oaxaca City is the 2,000-year-old Zapotec ruins of Monte Albán, a UNESCO world heritage site. It was once a thriving city! I recommend spending a couple of hours roaming around the ancient ruins and climbing the pyramid steps. It’s interesting to think about what life may have been like before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
Take a Oaxacan cooking class
Since food is so deeply engrained in Oaxacan culture, a cooking class is a MUST! I took a Oaxacan cooking class with Mimi Lopez, who I found through Airbnb Experiences. I highly recommend Airbnb Experiences for reasonably priced activities run by local guides, particularly for solo travelers (as they don’t typically require a minimum number of participants)!
Mimi and her son Charlie hosted the class from their home in Matadamas, Oaxaca, where Mimi also runs a local restaurant. The group consisted of one other solo female traveler who was a New Yorker just like me! In typical solo travel fashion, we became fast friends :)
Together, we scratch-made tortillas, salsa, and Mimi’s family recipe for Mole Verdé (which included squash blossoms, a prevalent ingredient in Oaxacan cuisine). Despite the language barrier, it was one of my favorite experiences from my 3-week trip to the state of Oaxaca.
Go hang with Mimi if you visit Oaxaca City… she has incredible eeeats and an even better spirit!! If Mimi is unavailable, take a cooking class somewhere else! I guarantee you’ll leave with a better understanding and appreciation for the Oaxacan culture.
Visit Mercado 20 de Noviembre and sample local street food
While you won’t find dozens of taco stands lined up next to each other in Oaxaca the way you do in Mexico City, there are still PLENTY of solid street food options (including tacos!). Local specialties that you should try include handheld tortilla items like tlayudas, memelas, and tetelas, as well as esquites, which is a soupy version of delicious corn elotes! I’d also recommend trying nieves, which is kind of like a milk-based sorbet!
Outside of trying these delicacies at random stands throughout the Oaxacan streets (which you should do!), make sure to check out Mercado 20 de Noviembre. It’s a giant indoor food hall filled with restaurant stalls, which is fun to meander through and try various snacks! I ate my favorite tlayuda of my trip at Comedor Marie Alejandra inside this market!
People watch at the Zocalo
The heart of Oaxaca City is the Zocalo, a small but busy public square lined around the perimeter with restaurants and historic buildings. There are tons of local vendors in the square selling everything from clay pots to handbags and hats. At night, the square comes alive with mariachi bands and street performers. One of my favorite evenings in Oaxaca consisted of grabbing a nieve (ice cream) nearby and spontaneously salsa dancing the night away outside!
Near the Zocalo, Oaxaca City
Hike to Hierve el Agua, a petrified waterfall!
Outside Oaxaca City lies one of only two petrified waterfalls in the world, Hierve el Agua. These are giant rock formations created over time from the runoff of minerals and carbonated water in the springs above. You can hike up to the stunning mineral pools via a 1.6-mile loop trail.
Unfortunately, this area was closed during my visit to Oaxaca, and I am SO bummed I missed it! Have you been?? If so, share your experience in the comments below!
Practice your Spanish!
One thing I wasn’t quite ready for in Oaxaca City was how most people speak ZERO English. It’s an aspect that made me love the city for its authenticity. But, as someone whose Spanish doesn’t reach far beyond “Me llamo Jen,” I had to up my game QUICKLY!
For that reason, Oaxaca is a wonderful destination to practice your language skills!
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