For couples · Oaxaca · Mexico
Romantic things to do in Oaxaca
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Quick answer
Oaxaca suits couples who like food, art and slow evenings: candlelit courtyards, rooftop terraces facing Santo Domingo and mezcal tastings. Its festivals add music and colour, while the valley villages make relaxed day trips. Couples tend to stay in Santo Domingo and the Andador.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 2
- Area for couples
- Santo Domingo and the Andador
- Best months
- January–March
Romantic ideas
1.Rooftop dinner facing Santo Domingo
Several restaurants around the church have terraces where you can watch the façade turn gold at sunset over dinner.
2.Mezcal tasting for two
Book a guided tasting of wild-agave mezcals in a small mezcalería near the Andador.
3.Sunset on the Cerro del Fortín
Climb the Fortín stairs for the view of the domes and mountains as the light fades.
4.Cooking class together
Spend a morning in the market and an afternoon grinding chiles for mole, then share the meal you made.
5.Evening calenda
Follow a wedding calenda with giant puppets and a brass band along the Andador on a weekend evening.
Sights couples love
Experience · Centro Histórico
Mezcal tasting
Ask for the agave type and the producer's village for each pour, and sip slowly; artisanal mezcal can be well above 45% alcohol.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Food
- After dark
- Couples
Experience · Centro Histórico
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
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for couples, first-timers, culture, food lovers and shopping
Santo Domingo and the Andador
The northern half of the centre around Santo Domingo and the pedestrian Andador Macedonio Alcalá is the most polished part of the city, with boutique hotels, galleries, mezcal bars and many of the best-known restaurants. The Ethnobotanical Garden and the Museo de las Culturas are on the doorstep.
- Good
- Prettiest streets in the city; Restaurants and mezcal bars on foot; Quieter than the Zócalo
- Watch out
- Highest hotel prices in Oaxaca; Tourist-oriented shops and menus
- Nearby
- Santo Domingo, Jardín Etnobotánico, IAGO, Museo Textil
Romantic day trips
- Hierve el Agua (About 1.5–2 hours by road) — Mineral springs flowing over a cliff edge have left white calcified formations that look like frozen waterfalls.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Mole negro and Tasajo and cecina. Drink bottled or purified water, and prefer busy stalls with high turnover.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Oaxaca romantic?
Oaxaca suits couples who like food, art and slow evenings: candlelit courtyards, rooftop terraces facing Santo Domingo and mezcal tastings. Its festivals add music and colour, while the valley villages make relaxed day trips.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Oaxaca?
Rooftop dinner facing Santo Domingo: Several restaurants around the church have terraces where you can watch the façade turn gold at sunset over dinner.
+Where should couples stay in Oaxaca?
Santo Domingo and the Andador: The pedestrian street, galleries and the gilded church.