Things to do in Oaxaca: Zapotec ruins, smoky markets and mezcal valleys by bus
Oaxaca de Juárez is the gateway to the Central Valleys, where Zapotec cities, weaving villages and family-run mezcal distilleries sit within an easy colectivo ride of a green-stone colonial centre.
Plan your trip and book your ADO bus to Oaxaca below.
Why visit Oaxaca
Oaxaca de Juárez is the gateway to the Central Valleys, where Zapotec cities, weaving villages and family-run mezcal distilleries sit within an easy colectivo ride of a green-stone colonial centre. The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Monte Albán, and its kitchens - mole, tlayudas, tejate, grilled tasajo - are reason enough to come.
Most foreign visitors never leave the few blocks around the Zócalo and Santo Domingo. Mexicans travel differently: they go to the Sunday market in Tlacolula, buy mezcal straight from the palenque in Matatlán, hike between the cloud-forest villages of the Sierra Norte and eat in the smoke-filled meat aisle of the 20 de Noviembre market. Arriving by bus puts you right where those trips start.
Oaxaca at a glance
Arrive at
Oaxaca ADO Bus Station (1st class)
From Mexico City
From around 6h 05min
ADO connections
About 120 arrivals a day
Best time to visit
October to April
Top things to do in Oaxaca
The experiences travellers and locals rate most, all easy to reach once you step off the bus.
The old Zapotec capital sits on a flattened mountaintop about 9 km west of the city, roughly 400 m above the valley floor. Look for the carved Danzantes stones and the oddly angled Building J, and go early before the midday sun. Treasures from Tomb 7 are displayed in the city's regional museum at Santo Domingo.
Monte Albán
Mineral springs about 70 km east of the city have built travertine formations that look like frozen waterfalls, with natural pools on the cliff edge. The site is run by local communities and has been closed by local disputes and road blockades several times, so check it is open the week you go. Expect to pay a small entry fee and sometimes a separate community road charge.
Hierve el Agua
Every Sunday the town of Tlacolula, about 30 km east of the city, fills with vendors from across the valley selling produce, textiles, barbacoa and pulque. Travellers on forums say it is the biggest weekly market in the region and recommend arriving between about 10:00 and 16:00. Colectivos leave from near the baseball stadium (Estadio Vasconcelos) for little money.
Tlacolula Sunday market
Jardín Etnobotánico
Behind the Santo Domingo church, this garden gathers plants from every region of Oaxaca - agaves, cacti, dyes and medicinal species - on the grounds of the former monastery. It can only be seen on a guided tour of about an hour, and tour times change often, so confirm the schedule at the entrance.
Pasillo de Humo at Mercado 20 de Noviembre
In the meat aisle of this central market you choose raw tasajo, chorizo or cecina enchilada and it is grilled over charcoal in front of you. Buy tortillas, grilled spring onions and chiles from the stalls around you and eat at shared tables. Around 12:30-13:30 is a good time to beat the lunch crush.
Mezcal palenques in Santiago Matatlán
Matatlán, roughly 45 km south-east of the city on the road to the Isthmus, calls itself the world capital of mezcal. Small palenques along the highway roast agave in earth pits and grind it with stone wheels, and many welcome walk-in visitors for a tasting during production hours. Combine it with Mitla or Tlacolula on the same day.
Do it like a local
What Mexican travellers do in Oaxaca, from forums, local guides and people who live there.
- Spend Sunday morning at the Tlacolula market and eat barbacoa there
- Buy mezcal directly from family palenques in Matatlán instead of in the city
- Hike or stay in cabins in the Sierra Norte villages on long weekends
- Go to the 20 de Noviembre market to grill meat for lunch with family
What to eat in Oaxaca
- Tlayuda: A large, crisp corn tortilla spread with asiento (pork lard) and beans, topped with quesillo and grilled tasajo or chorizo, usually eaten at night from street griddles.
- Mole negro: The darkest of Oaxaca's moles, made with dried chiles, chocolate and dozens of spices, and served over chicken or turkey at fiestas and Sunday lunches.
- Tejate: A cold pre-Hispanic drink of corn, cacao and mamey seed, whisked to a foam and ladled from big clay bowls in markets.
- Chapulines: Toasted grasshoppers seasoned with chile, lime and salt, sold by the scoop in markets as a snack or taco filling.
When to go and what is on
October to April is dry and sunny with cool nights (January lows around 9 °C); May to September is the rainy season, with June the wettest month, but July brings the Guelaguetza. Late October to early November is busy for Día de Muertos, so book early.
Festivals worth planning around
- Guelaguetza (Two Mondays in late July (Lunes del Cerro)): Dance groups from all eight regions of the state perform on the Cerro del Fortín, with parades (calendas), concerts and food fairs filling the city all month.
- Día de Muertos (31 October - 2 November): Families build altars, decorate graves and hold all-night vigils in cemeteries in the city and surrounding villages, while comparsas parade through the streets.
- Noche de Rábanos (Night of the Radishes) (23 December): Artisans carve giant radishes into nativity scenes and folk figures and display them on the Zócalo for one evening.
How to get to Oaxaca by ADO bus
ADO and its partner lines (ADO, ADO GL, ADO Platino, AU, Cuenca Express) connect Oaxaca with these cities. Times and fares come from current ADO timetables and change by date and service class.
Mexico City → Oaxaca
From around 6h 05min · about 41 departures a day · fares from MX$966
Puebla → Oaxaca
From around 4h 40min · about 23 departures a day · fares from MX$824
Juchitán de Zaragoza → Oaxaca
From around 3h 45min · about 17 departures a day · fares from MX$496
Tehuantepec → Oaxaca
From around 3h 40min · about 15 departures a day · fares from MX$486
San Juan Bautista Tuxtepec → Oaxaca
From around 5h 12min · about 7 departures a day · fares from MX$356
Puerto Escondido → Oaxaca
From around 3h 00min · about 5 departures a day · fares from MX$416
The bus station: Oaxaca ADO Bus Station (1st class)
Address: Calzada Niños Héroes de Chapultepec 1036, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez
Coordinates: 17.07052, -96.71680
The ADO first-class terminal is on Calzada Niños Héroes de Chapultepec 1036, north of the historic centre - roughly a 15-20 minute walk to Santo Domingo and the Zócalo. Taxis wait outside; older traveller reports put the ride to the centre at around 40-50 MXN, so agree the fare before you get in. Colectivos to valley towns leave from other points in the city (for Tlacolula and Mitla, near the Estadio Vasconcelos), not from the ADO terminal.
Day trips from Oaxaca
Santa María del Tule, Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla
Tule about 9 km east; Mitla about 40 km south-east
Follow the highway east by colectivo: see the giant Tule cypress (trunk circumference about 42 m), visit a Zapotec weaving family in Teotitlán, then the stone fretwork mosaics of Mitla, a style found nowhere else in Mexico.
Pueblos Mancomunados (Sierra Norte)
Mountains north-east of the city
A network of Zapotec villages that manage their pine and cloud forests together and run community cabins, guides and trails between villages such as Benito Juárez and La Nevería; day hikes or multi-day treks are possible.
San Agustín Etla
Etla Valley, north-west of the city
A hillside village whose old textile mill is now the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CaSa), with contemporary art shows and a handmade paper workshop; the Etla market day is Wednesday.
Oaxaca travel FAQ
More places to experience in Mexico
Lesser-known destinations on the ADO network, each with its own guide.
Playa del Carmen
Quintana Roo
Tuxtla Gutiérrez
Chiapas
Tampico
Tamaulipas
Tuxpan
Veracruz
José Cardel
Veracruz
Tierra Blanca
Veracruz
Tuxtepec
Oaxaca
Juchitán
Oaxaca
Tehuantepec
Oaxaca
Digital ticket
Directly to your email
Mobile Download
Compatible with your phone
Travel Safely
Certified Vehicles
Do you have questions?
Our customer service team can help with tickets, changes and luggage.
Photos: Unknown author / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons; Holamanueldiaz2 / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons; Bluerasberry / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.