One of the best things about Oaxaca is that you don’t need a ticket or invitation to experience its traditions. Walk through the city long enough and you’ll eventually find yourself standing in the middle of a calenda — a lively street parade filled with music, dancing, giant puppets, and fireworks. Here’s what they are,…
Here’s the situation with taxis in Oaxaca: they’re cheap, they’re everywhere, and there are no meters. That last part is where visitors get into trouble. Without a meter, the price is whatever gets agreed before you get in — and without knowing the going rate, you’ll often pay two or three times what a local…
The short answer? If you have less than 7 days, don’t rush to the coast. Here’s why — and what to do instead. So you’re planning your first trip to Oaxaca and you’ve hit the classic dilemma: do you stay in the city, go to Puerto Escondido, or somehow squeeze in both? Here’s the honest…
I’ve been living in Oaxaca City for over a decade. Every time a friend visits, they ask me the same thing: what should I actually do? This itinerary is my answer. Five days, well-paced, covering the highlights without overfilling every hour. I’ve built in time to wander, eat properly, and do the things that actually…
Thirty minutes east of Oaxaca City, there’s a small Zapotec village where families have been weaving rugs by hand for over 2,000 years. That’s not marketing copy. Teotitlán del Valle — known locally as Xigie, meaning “under the stone” — is a living, working community where the weaving tradition never stopped. Wool dyed with crushed…
Oaxaca City is one of those places where you don’t actually need to go far to have incredible experiences – but if you do venture out, the rewards are worth it. Within a couple of hours, you can visit ancient ruins, petrified waterfalls, traditional weaving villages, and mezcal distilleries that still use centuries-old methods. Some of…
If you’re heading from Oaxaca City to San Cristóbal de las Casas (Chiapas), the bus is the most straightforward option. It’s a long trip, but easy to organize. My #1 Recommendation: ADO The best company to go with is ADO. For this route, you’ll typically be choosing between standard ADO and ADO GL, both of which…
If you want the simplest, most reliable way to get from Oaxaca City to Mexico City, the bus is the best option. It’s affordable, comfortable, and runs all day and night. My #1 Recommendation: ADO The best company to use is ADO. It’s the main long-distance operator in Mexico and easily the most comfortable and dependable…
Oaxaca is one of the best places in Mexico to buy something worth keeping. The craft traditions here — textiles, pottery, carved wood, chocolate, mezcal — are genuinely world-class, and the variety across the city means you don’t have to settle for generic tourist market stuff if you know where to look. The challenge is…
Easter in Oaxaca City isn’t just a single day – it’s an entire week of traditions known as Semana Santa (Holy Week). If you’re here during this time, you’re stepping into one of the most culturally significant periods of the year. But don’t expect a party. This is not Día de Muertos or Guelaguetza. Semana Santa is…