One day in Oaxaca

Day by day

1. Day 1: Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán and Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca

   Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca and Andador Macedonio Alcalá, then Zócalo and Cathedral in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán

      Visit in the late afternoon, when the sun lights the façade, and step inside quietly if a service or wedding is under way. Allow 30–45 minutes.

   2. Late morning

      Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca

      Go before visiting Monte Albán to understand the site, and leave time for the window views of the garden and the church dome. Allow 2 hours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Mole negro

      Fondas in the 20 de Noviembre market and traditional restaurants in the centre; mole pastes are sold by the kilo in the Benito Juárez market.

   4. Afternoon

      Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca

      Book the English-language tour if you need it; Spanish tours run more often, and the content is excellent either way. Allow 1–2 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Andador Macedonio Alcalá

      Walk it twice: in the morning for galleries and shops, and after dark when calendas and street performers take over. Allow 1 hour.

   6. Evening

      Zócalo and Cathedral

      Take a coffee under the arcades in the early evening, when the square is at its liveliest and the marimba players set up.

Before you go

• Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca: Visits are by guided tour only; reserve a place at the entrance a day or two ahead, especially for English tours.

If it rains

• Swap in Mercado 20 de Noviembre (Centro Histórico): Pick the meat first, then sit at a shared table; vendors will bring tortillas, guacamole and chiles to you, each paid separately.
• Swap in Mercado Benito Juárez (Centro Histórico): Buy mole paste here to take home; stallholders will let you taste the negro, rojo and amarillo before choosing.
• Swap in Museo Textil de Oaxaca (Centro Histórico): Check the shop before buying textiles elsewhere; it is a reliable benchmark for quality and fair prices.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 6–7 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 11.1 hours in December to 13.1 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Walking. The Zócalo, markets, Andador, Santo Domingo and Jalatlaco are all within a 15–20 minute walk; pavements are narrow and uneven in places.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Oaxaca
• 3 days in Oaxaca
• 5 days in Oaxaca

Questions travellers ask