guide to oaxaca

Welcome to Oaxaca, Mexico where you will delight your senses with the many artisanal and flavorful offerings that this beautiful city has to offer.

This is my 5 day and 4 night itinerary for an authentic Oaxacan experience.

Casa Antioneta

Day 1

Arrive into Xoxocotlán International Airport. The airport is small so you will be unloading from the plane directly onto the tarmac. Once you pick up your luggage the best way to get into town is to head straight to the taxi line. I also take this opportunity to pull out cash from the ATM. You will prepay for your taxi which will cost you anywhere from $8-$11 per person depending on where in the city center you will be dropped off. The taxi’s are shared so there is a possibility that other people will be in the same van as you. We booked our first half of the stay at the beautiful Casa Antioneta. The building was owned by the late Antionetta and is now owned and run by her daughter and grandson. It feels like your staying at somebody’s home but with the rooms and management run like a boutique hotel. For coffee, tea and light bites head downstairs to Muss cafe. Don’t miss happy hour sunset at the rooftop! We made dinner reservations at Los Danzantes. It was the perfect spot for our first official meal in Oaxaca. It’s a beautiful open air restaurant, sexy jungle vibes and amazing food!

Teocintle restaurant

Day 2

We decided to explore with no specific agenda and started with coffee at Kiyo Cafe a cute concept coffee shop. For those of you who are oat milk people this was the only coffee shop we found in town that had it! The next stop was to Dona Vale for her famous “Memelas”. She was featured on Netflix and has been causing quite a buzz ever since. Don’t forget to get the cafe de olla which is a sweet cinnamon coffee to go with the Memelas. Her food stall is nestled in a huge open market with rows and rows of vendors. Make sure to look up because that was how we saw the sign pointing in the direction of her business. Next, we stopped at the botanical garden, Jardin Etnobotanico de Oaxaca and ended up having lunch around the corner at a rooftop restaurant called Tierra del Sol where they do a custom tableside salsa that was delicious! Don’t leave with out stopping by the bakery downstairs called Masea Trigo y Maiz. It’s one of the best in town. After a long day of walking and a siesta we made our way to dinner at Teocintle, a contemporary restaurant focused on a multi-course, indigenous Oaxaca experience. It is a cash only restaurant so don’t forget!

Natural dyed fabrics

Day 3

We booked a private tour with a local travel guide by the name of Lily the Zapotec Traveler. Lily collaborates with different indigenous communities, families and artisans to offer one-of-a kind authentic Oaxacan experiences. The duration of our tour was 9hrs from 9am-6pm. Pick up at our hotel was promptly at 9am. Our itinerary included stopping by two different communities called Matatlan & Teotitlan and our activities for the day; a traditional Temazcal and massage session, light brunch, mezcal distillery tour & tasting, visit to textile market to buy directly from artisans and native cooking class. This was probably hands down our favorite part of the trip.

Native cooking class

Hotel Escondido Oaxaca

Day 4

After having a light breakfast and coffee at Muss Cafe we checked out of Casa Antonieta and headed to Hotel Escondido a Design Hotel from Mexico’s own Grupo Habita. Tucked away in one of the most culturally-rich places in the city. A mix of old and new. You’ll find a pool and bar at the top floor, a co-working area known as the “Culture Room”, and it is more that just a hotel, it is a work of art. We loved the hotel robes so much that we purchased them just for our home. For lunch we ventured over to what our favorite restaurant of the trip Levadura de Olla. This place is not to be missed. The meal literally brought my boyfriend to tears! After lunch, we left the rest of this day to sourcing the best pottery in town. We found ourselves at shop Collective 1050. They have some of the best local ceramics. After picking up a couple pieces there we scored big time at Aqueducto de Oaxaca a museum and artisan store. There we discovered a complete 29 piece dining set. But, I should warn you if you plan on coming to Oxacaca to purchase pottery. Plan on bringing it on the plane with you or you’ll be taking a bigger risk packing in your suit case. Shipping it back to the states can cost almost double or more than what you spend on the pottery itself. Luckily, the staff wrapped our pieces really well and we were able to find big bag at a local shop. Between the two of us our hands were full but everything it safely home. For our last night in Oaxaca we booked dinner reservations at Criollo from chef Enrique Olvera of Mexico City’s famous Pujol. Expect a multi-course meal along with the beverage pairing if you choose to go that route. For a night cap, go to cocktail bar Selva. An Art deco inspired bar with a very impressive menu and some of the best cocktails in town.

Levadura de Olla

Los Danzantes

Day 5

Before heading to the airport we stopped at Boulenc, an airy bakery cafe that serves artisan bread, pastries and brunch dishes. Don’t forget to pick up a few of their handmade goods in the cafe that would be great to give for gifts. It took us approximately 30mins from the center of town to get to the airport and they suggest that you arrive 2hrs before your flight. There were two restaurants on our lists that we didn’t get a chance to check out because they weren’t open when we where there. So if you end up coming to Oaxaca I would suggest trying to go to Waje a pop-up speakeasy restaurant and Crudo a Oaxacan Omakase.

As I’m sitting here writing this, it already feels as if it were all a dream. A dream full of so many magical, mystical, unexpected, beautiful moments. We ate, we drank, we laughed, we cried, we engaged all five senses, we got lost and completely immersed in the all the wonders and rich culture that Oaxaca has to offer…now go see it for yourselves! Salud!