Booking choice: The Food and Markets Tour with breakfast or lunch. Book this Compare options below
Oaxaca City is compact, and the historic centre is easy to explore on foot. That makes it tempting to plan a short stop. But food lovers usually find that the city rewards a slower pace. The markets are best in the morning, the evening stands come alive after dark, cooking classes take half a day, and the Sunday market in Tlacolula only happens once a week.
This guide suggests a plan of three full days, built around food, with ideas for a fourth or fifth day. It also covers the seasons, the main festivals and the classic sights such as Monte Alban and Hierve el Agua, which many visitors combine with the food. For help choosing between tours, read the guide to Oaxaca food tours.
Quick answer
Plan at least three full days. Day 1: arrive, walk the centre and take an evening street food tour. Day 2: a market morning and a cooking class. Day 3: the Sunday market in Tlacolula, or a mezcal afternoon. Add a fourth or fifth day for Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua or more markets. The dry season runs roughly November to May.
How many days is enough in Oaxaca City?
Three full days cover the essentials for a food lover: an evening street tour, a market morning, a cooking class and a market day trip. Four or five days add room for ruins and villages.
With two days you can taste the highlights, but you will need to choose between a cooking class and a market tour, and you may miss the Sunday market. With three days you can do both, and fit in one evening tour. With four or five days you can add Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua or Teotitlan del Valle, and still have time for unplanned meals.
| Length of stay | What fits | What you may miss |
|---|---|---|
| 2 days | One evening street tour and one market morning | A cooking class, Tlacolula, day trips |
| 3 days | Evening tour, market morning, cooking class, Tlacolula or mezcal | Monte Alban and Hierve el Agua |
| 4 to 5 days | All of the above plus Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua or Teotitlan del Valle | Little, if you plan around Sunday |
Day 1: what should you do on your first evening in Oaxaca?
Walk the historic centre in the afternoon, then join an evening street food tour to see where the city eats after dark.
Arrive, rest and get used to the altitude of about 1,550 m. In the afternoon, walk the historic centre and the Zocalo. Keep your lunch light. In the evening, the Oaxaca Streets Food Tour is a good first-night choice for visitors who eat everything. The listing states 4 hours, 14+ tastings at 7 to 8 family-owned stops, a mezcal tasting and bottled water, starting at Tacos Roy and finishing at the Zocalo, with groups of up to 8.
If you are vegetarian, vegan, have allergies or do not eat pork, skip this tour, as the listing states it is not suitable. The local chef tour offers a 6pm option instead, although its diet options are not stated in the listing.
Your first night in Oaxaca: 14+ tastings at family-owned stands and a mezcal tasting, finishing at the Zocalo.
Book thisDay 2: how do you spend a market morning and a cooking class?
Start with a market tour in the morning, then take a cooking class or rest and explore. Choose a short market tour if you also plan to cook.
The Food and Markets Tour is the shortest market option at 2.5 hours, with up to 6 people. It starts in front of the main entrance of the Metropolitan Cathedral and includes market tastings, traditional sweets as dessert, and breakfast or lunch depending on the start time. It is not suitable for children under 14 or people with mobility impairments. For a longer morning, the Oaxaca Markets Food Tour runs from 9:30 to about 13:30.
Alternatively, combine shopping and cooking in one block. The mole workshop and the vegetarian cooking class each last 3.5 hours and start with a market walk for ingredients. In the evening, stroll the centre and try a tlayuda at an evening stand.
A 2.5-hour market walk for up to 6 people, with traditional sweets for dessert and breakfast or lunch included depending on start time.
Book thisDay 3: should you go to Tlacolula or a mezcal distillery?
If day 3 is a Sunday, go to the Tlacolula market. On other days, a mezcal distillery trip is a good half-day outside the city.
The Tlacolula market tour runs on Sundays for 5 hours, with private air-conditioned transport, market tastings, a family-run mezcal distillery, and a visit to the church and plaza. Tlacolula de Matamoros is about 30 to 45 minutes by road east of the city.
On other days, the Sustainable Mezcal Sightseeing Tour lasts 5 hours with pickup at Plaza de la Danza. The listing states a stop at an agave plantation on the hill of Monte Alban with views, a three-generation family distillery with certified sustainable practices, a welcome mezcal cocktail and a tasting of 5 mezcals. A buffet lunch is not included, so plan a meal around it. Oaxaca produces the large majority of Mexico's mezcal, so a distillery visit is a natural part of a food trip.
An agave plantation on the hill of Monte Alban, a three-generation family distillery and a tasting of 5 mezcals.
Book thisWhat should you not miss in Oaxaca?
For food lovers: a tlayuda over charcoal, the pasillo de humo, tejate, hot chocolate, mole negro and a mezcal tasting. For sights: the historic centre, Monte Alban and a day in the valley.
- The pasillo de humo: the grilled-meat aisle in Mercado 20 de Noviembre. See the guide to Oaxaca's markets.
- Mole negro: the most complex of the seven moles, with roughly 30 ingredients.
- Tejate and hot chocolate: two very different drinks made with cacao.
- A tlayuda at night: cooked over charcoal at an evening stand.
- Monte Alban: the hilltop archaeological site, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing with the historic centre since 1987.
- The valley: Teotitlan del Valle, Mitla, Hierve el Agua and the El Tule tree are classic day trips.
When is the best time to visit Oaxaca for food?
The dry season, roughly November to May, has the most reliable weather. The rainy season, roughly June to September, brings afternoon and evening showers but a greener landscape.
Oaxaca's altitude keeps it mild all year. April is usually the hottest month, and spring afternoons can be hot for market walks, which is why the Etnofood listing recommends a morning start in spring. From about June to September, showers often arrive in the afternoon or evening. Food tours still run, and the evening street tour states it runs rain or shine, so pack a rain jacket.
| Period | Weather | Food and events |
|---|---|---|
| November to May | Dry season, mild | Comfortable for evening tours and markets |
| April | Usually the hottest month | Book market walks in the morning |
| June to September | Rainy season, afternoon and evening showers | Bring rain gear for evening tours |
| July | Rainy season | Guelaguetza festival |
| Late October to early November | End of the rains | Dia de Muertos, the busiest period |
| 23 December | Dry season | Noche de Rabanos, the night of the radishes |
Which festivals should food lovers plan around?
The Guelaguetza in July, Dia de Muertos from late October to early November, and Noche de Rabanos on 23 December. Dia de Muertos is the busiest period.
The Guelaguetza is Oaxaca's big July festival. Dia de Muertos, from late October to early November, is the busiest time of year in the city, so book tours and rooms early if you plan to travel then. Noche de Rabanos, the night of the radishes, takes place on 23 December. Festival periods bring crowds, so allow extra time for everything, including meals.
Most food tour listings state free cancellation up to 24 hours before, which helps if your plans change around a busy festival.
A Sunday out of the city with private air-conditioned transport, Tlacolula market tastings and a family-run mezcal distillery.
Book thisDo Monte Alban and Hierve el Agua fit into a food trip?
Yes, on a fourth or fifth day. Both are classic sights from Oaxaca City, and they fit well around the food plan.
Monte Alban, the hilltop archaeological site above the city, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing together with the historic centre. Hierve el Agua is a classic day trip into the valley, often combined with Mitla, Teotitlan del Valle or the El Tule tree. This site does not list tours for these sights, but they fit well around the food plan. The mezcal tour above stops at an agave plantation on the hill of Monte Alban, which gives a view of the area.
If you have a spare evening on these days, go back to the stands in the centre, or read the guide to eating street food safely before your next tasting.
Frequently asked questions
Is 2 days enough in Oaxaca City?
Two days are enough for an evening street tour and a market morning. Three days add a cooking class and the Tlacolula market or a mezcal trip.
What day is best for the Tlacolula market?
Sunday. The Tlacolula market tour on GetYourGuide runs on Sundays.
When is the rainy season in Oaxaca?
Roughly June to September, with afternoon and evening showers. The dry season runs roughly November to May.
When is Dia de Muertos in Oaxaca?
From late October to early November. It is the busiest period of the year in the city.
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Choose your tour
Booked on GetYourGuide; each listing states its own cancellation terms.
Oaxaca Food and Markets Tour
- Local guide in English
- Breakfast or lunch, depending on the start time
- Traditional market dishes, drinks and Oaxacan sweets as dessert
Oaxaca Evening Street Food Tour, 14+ Tastings
- 14+ tastings, among them campechano tacos, tetelas with huitlacoche, mole tamales and esquites with chapulines
- Champurrado, a mezcal tasting and bottled water
- Small group of up to 8, in English; runs rain or shine
Tlacolula Sunday Market & Mezcal
The Sunday market in Tlacolula, east of the city: street food tastings among Zapotec crafts, then a family-run mezcal distillery
