Rainy day · Oaxaca · Mexico
7 things to do in Oaxaca when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: nsaum75 !Dígame¡ , CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, Mercado 20 de Noviembre and Mercado Benito Juárez. Together the 7 picks below take roughly 11–13 hours across 2 areas; all charge for entry. June is usually the wettest month, with about 15 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 7
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 11–13 hours
- Areas
- Santo Domingo and the Andador and Centro Histórico
Oaxaca on a rainy day
Museum · Santo Domingo and the Andador
1.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.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Architecture
Market · Centro Histórico
2.Mercado 20 de Noviembre
Pick the meat first, then sit at a shared table; vendors will bring tortillas, guacamole and chiles to you, each paid separately.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Market · Centro Histórico
3.Mercado Benito Juárez
Buy mole paste here to take home; stallholders will let you taste the negro, rojo and amarillo before choosing.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Museum · Centro Histórico
4.Museo Textil de Oaxaca
Check the shop before buying textiles elsewhere; it is a reliable benchmark for quality and fair prices.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Shopping
Museum · Centro Histórico
5.Museo de Arte Prehispánico Rufino Tamayo
Allow an hour and combine it with lunch nearby; the museum is small enough to see without fatigue.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Gallery · Santo Domingo and the Andador
6.Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca
Use the courtyard as a calm break from the Andador, and ask about other cultural centres Toledo founded in the city.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Experience · Centro Histórico
7.Oaxacan cooking class
Choose a class that includes the market visit; seeing chilhuacle and pasilla chiles on sale helps you recognise moles afterwards.
- Time needed
- 4–6 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Food
- Couples
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Santo Domingo and the Andador | Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca and Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca | 2 hours + 45 minutes |
| Centro Histórico | Mercado 20 de Noviembre, Mercado Benito Juárez, Museo Textil de Oaxaca, Museo de Arte Prehispánico Rufino Tamayo and Oaxacan cooking class | 1 hour + 1 hour + 1 hour + 1 hour + 4–6 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 7, 6 low cost, 1 expensive. Book ahead for Oaxacan cooking class. The longest visit is Oaxacan cooking class; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Oaxacan cooking class: Popular classes fill up around Día de Muertos and the Guelaguetza; reserve a few weeks ahead for those periods.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Santo Domingo and the Andador and Centro Histórico): Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca → Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca → Mercado 20 de Noviembre, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Centro Histórico): Mercado Benito Juárez → Museo Textil de Oaxaca → Museo de Arte Prehispánico Rufino Tamayo, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Centro Histórico): Oaxacan cooking class, at least 4 hours.
The wettest months
- June: highs of 29°C (84°F), about 15 rainy days, quiet crowds. The rainy season begins: sunny mornings, afternoon or evening downpours and green hills.
- July: highs of 28°C (82°F), about 15 rainy days, very busy crowds. Rainy afternoons but festival month: the Guelaguetza and mezcal fair fill the city and hotels sell out.
- August: highs of 28°C (82°F), about 15 rainy days, quiet crowds. Green and quiet after the festival, with afternoon rain; a good month for low prices.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Centro Histórico — Zócalo, cathedral and markets in the colonial grid
- Santo Domingo and the Andador — The pedestrian street, galleries and the gilded church
More of Oaxaca
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Oaxaca?
Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca. The former Dominican convent beside Santo Domingo now houses the state's main history museum, spread over cloisters and vaulted halls.