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Árbol del Tule, Oaxaca

Solo travel · Oaxaca · Mexico

Solo travel in Oaxaca

How to enjoy Oaxaca at your own pace.

Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team

Photo: Nsaum75, CC BY-SA 3.0

Quick answer

Oaxaca is a relaxed city for solo travellers: easy to walk, rich in cooking classes, tastings and group tours, and full of language schools and cafés where long-stay visitors gather. Eating alone at a market counter is completely normal. Many solo travellers base themselves in Jalatlaco.

Key facts

Base
Jalatlaco
Getting around
Walking
Emergency number
911
Language
Spanish, Zapotec and Mixtec

Solo travel tips

  • Join a group tour for the Mitla and Hierve el Agua route; it is the simplest and most affordable way to cover several sights in a day.
  • Cooking classes and mezcal tastings are good places to meet other travellers.
  • Stay in Jalatlaco or near Santo Domingo for quiet streets close to restaurants and bars.
  • Use taxis after late evenings out rather than walking long distances through empty streets.
  • Language schools in the centre offer short Spanish courses with homestay options.

Where to stay

$$ · Best for couples, solo travellers, quiet stays and food lovers

Jalatlaco

Jalatlaco, just east of the centre across Calzada de la República, is one of Oaxaca's oldest neighbourhoods, with stone-paved streets, brightly painted single-storey houses and street murals. It has filled with small guesthouses, coffee roasters and casual restaurants while keeping a residential feel around its church of San Matías.

Good
Photogenic, quiet streets; Ten minutes' walk to Santo Domingo; Good cafés and breakfast places
Watch out
Cobbles are hard work with luggage; Few large hotels
Nearby
Templo de San Matías Jalatlaco, Santo Domingo, Parque El Llano

Great on your own

Religious site · Santo Domingo and the Andador

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.

Time needed
30–45 minutes
Cost
Free
  • Iconic
  • Architecture
  • History
  • Free
  • Photo spot

Museum · Santo Domingo and the Andador

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
Monte Albán, Oaxaca
Photo: nsaum75 !Dígame¡ ‎, CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic site · Monte Albán

Monte Albán

Go early, when it is cooler and the light is soft; there is little shade, so bring a hat and water.

Time needed
2–3 hours
Cost
Low cost
  • Iconic
  • History
  • Views
  • Outdoors
  • Photo spot

Street · Santo Domingo and the Andador

Andador Macedonio Alcalá

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

Time needed
1 hour
Cost
Free
  • Free
  • Shopping
  • After dark
  • Architecture

Museum · Centro Histórico

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

Meeting people

  • Pasillo de Humo lunch — In the 20 de Noviembre market, choose meat from the butchers, have it grilled over charcoal and eat it at shared tables with tortillas, onions and salsas bought from passing vendors.
  • Chocolate mills on Calle Mina — Watch cacao being ground with sugar and cinnamon in the long-established mills near the markets, then order a cup of hot chocolate with pan de yema at the counter.
  • Santo Domingo and the Andador — Mezcalerías, rooftop bars facing the church and cocktail bars with Oaxacan spirits.
  • Calle Porfirio Díaz and Calle Murguía — A cluster of small bars and live-music venues a few blocks north of the Zócalo, popular with younger locals.

Sensible precautions

The centre is generally calm for visitors, but watch for pickpockets in crowded markets and during festivals. Political demonstrations and road blockades are common in Oaxaca; they are usually peaceful but can occupy the Zócalo or close roads, so avoid them and check locally before long drives.

Emergency number
911
Staying connected
Mobile data works well in the city; coverage is patchy in some mountain villages and along the road to Hierve el Agua.

Questions travellers ask

+Is Oaxaca good for solo travellers?

Oaxaca is a relaxed city for solo travellers: easy to walk, rich in cooking classes, tastings and group tours, and full of language schools and cafés where long-stay visitors gather. Eating alone at a market counter is completely normal.

+Where should solo travellers stay in Oaxaca?

Jalatlaco: Cobbled lanes, murals and small cafés in an old barrio.