14 Awesome Places to Visit in Oaxaca You Can’t Miss
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Last updated on March 31, 2026
There is no shortage of awesome places to visit in Oaxaca. From petrified waterfalls, bustling markets, ancient archaeological sites, and even the world’s largest tree. There is always something cool to do.
I returned to Oaxaca City for a second visit at the start of this year. Initially, I was nervous it would feel stale, like a repeat trip. But I was elated to discover there were so many new, awesome places to visit in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Now that I have two trips under my belt, I’m sharing what I believe are 14 of the best places to visit in Oaxaca. These places are not to be missed and will, without a doubt, help you have an unforgettable trip to Oaxaca’s capital city.
Table of Contents
Centro Historico
The centro historico (historic center) is the most popular place to visit in Oaxaca, Mexico. It’s where most tourists stay and is one of the most charming areas in the city. Most buildings in this area are painted bright colors, with rustic stucco and ornate doors. It’s truly so charming.
It’s also extremely walkable. You can get from one end to the other in 15 to 20 minutes or less, and there is so much to do and see here. Walking along the andador turístico, or pedestrian street, is a must. The cobblestone road lined with pipel picado is such a vibe, and there are great shops and restaurants along the way. But don’t miss other places like:
- The Zocalo (the main plaza)
- La Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción
- Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Oaxaca Museum of Cultures
The Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca is located inside the iconic Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán in the historic center. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9 am to 5 pm daily, it’s a great way to learn the history of Oaxaca and get a glimpse inside the stunning old convent.
The museum starts by showcasing artifacts from the indigenous tribes and progresses through Spanish colonization and into modern-day Oaxaca. The museum is much bigger than it appears, but you can skip to the rooms that are most interesting to you. I personally loved getting to see some of the Zapotec artifacts discovered at nearby archeological sites like Monte Alban. The statues and gold jewelry were incredible!
If you visit on a weekend, keep an eye out for a calenda out front. This church is the most popular destination in Oaxaca for wedding celebrations, which include a brass band, traditional dresses and decorations, and lots of dancing as the guests follow the bride and groom through the streets.
Ethnobotanic Gardens
Sharing the patio space of the Convent is Oaxaca’s botanical gardens, Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca. The garden was planted in 1988 to showcase the variety of plants found across Oaxaca state. Now, lush and mature, you can walk through the gardens on a guided tour.
The gardens are open Tuesday through Sunday with 1-hour tours in Spanish at 10:00 am and 2-hour tours in English at 11:00 am daily.
Mercado Benito Juárez
Mercado Benito Juárez is one of the best souvenir markets in Oaxaca. Popular among tourists but equally loved and used by locals, it’s packed with imported products and handmade goods like huaraches, shoes made from recycled tires and leather, hats, hand-woven clothing, baskets, and local ingredients.
Some places will accept credit or debit cards here, but most require cash. So prepare accordingly!
Oaxaca’s Food Markets
Oaxaca has over a dozen markets sprinkled throughout the city. These neighborhood markets are a place to buy produce, meats, seafood, goods, and pretty much anything else you could want or need.
Markets like Benito Juarez cater mostly to products, things like shoes, hats, and clothing. If you want food you need to go to a food market. There are four main food markets in Oaxaca’s historic center.
All of these are fantastic spots to get breakfast, lunch, or to grab fresh groceries. In the morning, you can find tamales or people selling freshly-baked sweet breads. Sanchez is wonderful for flowers, fresh produce, and a delicious, fresh-blended juice at Super Jugos Angelita.
Mercado Merced is one of the best places to visit in Oaxaca for memelas, a breakfast dish made from masa, smothered in pork fat and salsa, then topped with cheese. Although many argue that Memelas Dona Vale in the Abastos market is the best in the city.
20 de Noviembre is a popular food market for lunch. You can get all of the typical Oaxacan dishes, like moles or tlayudas.
But one unique spot in the market is the pasillo de humo (hallway of smoke). This long corridor has multiple vendors char-grilling various meats, creating a smoky passage and unforgettable experience. The food markets truly are some of the best places to eat in Oaxaca!
Jalatlaco
A lot of people stick to the Centro Historico, but there are other great neighborhoods to visit in Oaxaca. Xochimilco, just north of the historic center, is a great area with nice restaurants and cool shops. But Jalatlaco is the go-to spot for an eclectic, artsy vibe.
This neighborhood, about a 20-minute walk from the historic center, is one of the coolest places in Oaxaca to visit. Known for its colorful and ornate murals, each street feels like a living art gallery. There are also fantastic restaurants and shops to visit. Some of our favorites were:
- Once Upon a Time in Oaxaca
- Café Bláson (a local chain with several locations throughout Oaxaca)
- Yegolé Café
- Boulenc Pan y Café
- Taller de Alebrijes (to see them painting alebrijes)
We spent an afternoon exploring and loved every minute of it.
Textile Museum or Textile Workshop
Oaxaca is well-revered for its artistry, especially textile making. For centuries, indigenous communities throughout this region of Mexico have used textiles to identify with their local community and tell stories.
While the art of weaving isn’t as common in other parts of Mexico, it is still alive and well in Oaxaca. In fact, many women and families rely on selling their handmade textiles to support their families. The intricate weaving is done on a loom or by hand, displaying specific patterns and designs based on their regional identity.
Most shops around town are sourced from authentic local makers, but some we really liked were:
- Territual
- Teokari vínculo artesanal
- Muchitos
A great place to learn the history of textiles in Oaxaca is the free Textile Museum in the historic center. But if you prefer to see the skill in action, you can visit Vida Nueva Women’s Weaving Cooperative. This cooperative provides economic and artistic opportunities for women in rural Zapotec communities by helping them create and sell their works for fair wages.
Painting Museum
Oaxaca has a vibrant art community. While murals and wheatpaste are some of the most prevalent artworks on the street, dot painting on alebrijes is one of its beloved art traditions.
Alebrijes are a part of the Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, celebrations. These talismans are painted in bright colors and are supposed to help protect the spirits on their return from the dead.
Most alebrijes are small wooden animal figures carved from the copal tree. They are painted in bright colors and decorated with tiny dots–hundreds to thousands of them–creating a colorful masterpiece. The alebrijes are truly amazing and showcased beautifully at the Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños.
But you’ll also find other collections of work from local artists and other unique displays of painting, including those with flowers, another Day of the Dead tradition. The museum is open daily, making it a great place to visit on Monday when most other museums are closed.
Monte Alban
The next few places on this list aren’t in Oaxaca City, but still remain some of the top places to visit in Oaxaca. The first is Monte Alban. Located about a 20 to 25 minute drive from the historic center, it’s the closest archeological zone and one of the most important sites for the Zapotec people.
My recommendation is to take a guided tour. It’s around three to four hours and shows you the top sites on the property while sharing interesting facts about the Zapotec people. We did not pay for a tour guide on our first trip and were disappointed to see there weren’t any signs or audio guides to follow, so we didn’t really understand what we were looking at.
Below is one of the highly reviewed guided tours to Monte Alban, which includes transportation.
Hierve el Agua
Hierve el Agua is one of the farthest day trips from Oaxaca, located about an hour and forty minutes outside of the city. But it’s one of the awesome places to visit in Oaxaca that you simply cannot miss!
Meaning boiling water, Hierve el Agua is a petrified waterfall fed by natural cold springs. Water deep below the earth bubbles to the surface, slowly falling over the cliffs to create unreal white waterfalls calcified over thousands of years.
You can DIY a trip to Hierve el Agua if you have a rental car, but we think it’s easier to hop on a guided tour.
The Hierve el Agua half-day trip we booked included transportation, paid for the two entrance fees, and a local guide to explain the flora and fauna and move us through the site comfortably. Our trip was around six hours total and included a one-and-a-half-hour hike to the bottom of the waterfalls, plus time to swim in the springs if desired. It was epic!
Mezcal country
Another one of the top places to visit in Oaxaca, Mexico, is Santiago Matatlán. Considered the capital of Mezcal, it’s where agave fields dot the horizon as far as the eye can see.
Mezcal is the local spirit made in Oaxaca from the agave plant. Unlike tequila, which uses only blue agave, mezcal can use multiple agave varieties, which are roasted and then distilled, giving it a distinct aroma and flavor.
You can taste the mezcal from this region at almost any restaurant or mezcaleria in town. But I highly recommend visiting mezcal country. The tour we took included a visit to an agave field and two palenques, or backyard distilleries.
It was truly so fascinating and taught us so much about mezcal. We also got to sample well over 20 varieties of mezcal and finish with an enormous meal before heading back to Oaxaca City. Check availability for this tour below, but no matter what, don’t miss this tour!
Tlacolula Sunday Market
Sundays near Oaxaca City are dia de plaza. It’s the day when local sellers from the nearby mountain villages come to Tlacolula de Matamoros to sell their goods. You’ll often find more vendors in Oaxaca’s Zocalo and pop-up markets on Sunday, for this reason, but you’ll find the best products at the Tlacolula Sunday market.
The market operates from morning into early afternoon, so it’s best to go first thing in the morning. There is plenty to eat, see, and shop for! So, have pesos and a bag on hand to collect all your goodies.
If you’re too intimidated to visit on your own (it can be intense if you’re not well-traveled in Mexico or Central America), you can book a guided tour. They walk you through the market explaining the meaning and importance of local products, foods, and explain the importance of the market for the local people before venturing to a nearby palenque to try mezcal.
Tule Tree
Santa Maria de Tule is around a 30 to 40-minute drive from Oaxaca Centro. It’s a nice local neighborhood with its own markets, stores, a beautiful church, and other sites to visit. But most people come here to visit El Arbol de Tule, the Tule tree.
The tree is considered the world’s largest by width, at a whopping 58 meters long (190 feet), and is over 2,000 years old! We stayed in Santa Maria del Tule when we visited Oaxaca in our RV back in 2020 and loved this area. But if you’re visiting Oaxaca City, you can stop here as a part of a Mezcal day trip or to Hierve el Agua. You can also take a collectivo (public bus), taxi, or bike here.
Arena Oaxaca (Lucha Libre Match)
Most people think of Mexico City when they think of Lucha Libre. But it’s not the only place to enjoy the eccentric and super fun sport of Mexican wrestling. Arena Oaxaca or Arena San Francisco are small, intimate “arenas” where you can watch Lucha Libre up close.
Most matches are on the weekend, but it will vary depending on when you are visiting, so check their pages to see what matches might be happening when you’re there.
If you haven’t been to a Lucha Libre match or you want to have a good time, definitely add a Lucha Libre match to your list of places to visit in Oaxaca, Mexico.
If you’re looking for an easy-to-follow itinerary that includes these top places to visit in Oaxaca, check out our four-day guide. We organize a day-to-day itinerary to maximize your time in Oaxaca, Mexico. It also includes recommendations on where to eat and other awesome things to do in Oaxaca City (like this cooking class).
