What to Do in Oaxaca City – The Home of the Delicious 7 Moles

Oaxaca City is the capital of the namesake federal state in the south of Mexico. Its official name is Oaxaca de Juárez, but it’s often simply called Oaxaca, and is loved by local and foreign tourists alike for what it has to offer. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987, the city invites to take a stroll along its cobbled streets and colonial houses, enjoy its many museums, or just indulge in the famous Oaxacan cuisine: Tlayudas (corn-based Mexican pizza), quesillo (string cheese), chocolate, and of course the 7 moles (pronounced MO-le), a variety of thick sauces with many ingredients, among them often chili peppers and chocolate.

The nearby archaeological site of Monte Albán shows the past before the Spanish conquerors arrived in Mexico, and the Guelaguetza and Day of the Dead festivals attract many tourists each year. Oaxaca has much to offer, so let’s take a closer look at it!

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1. Taste the 7 Moles of Oaxaca
2. Stroll Along Cobbled Streets with Colonial Architecture
3. Admire Colorful Murals
4. Eat or Buy Groceries at a Bustling Market
5. Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of Oaxaca
6. Enjoy Music at the Zócalo and Its Portales
7. Visit the Santo Domingo Temple
8. Admire the Treasure Found in Monte Albán
9. Visit the Ethnobotanical Garden
10. Stroll Along the Alacrá Pedestrian Street
11. Drink Hot Chocolate at a Chocolatería
12. Admire Art at the Museum of Oaxacan Painters
13. Eat Mexican Ice Cream at the Socrates Garden
14. Wander Along the Old Aquaduct
15. Visit at the Guelaguetza Festival
16. Enjoy the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca

1. Taste the Seven Moles of Oaxaca

Oaxaca is known for its great cuisine, and especially for its seven moles (pronounced “MO-les”). Mole is a rich and thick sauce made from a complex mix of many ingredients, such as chiles, spices, nuts, seeds, and even chocolate. The traditional seven types of mole (and yes, there are even more!) include mole negro (black mole), mole rojo (red mole), mole coloradito (colored mole), mole amarillo (yellow mole), mole verde (green mole), mole chichilo (charred chile mole), and mole manchamanteles (“tablecloth-stainer mole”). However, every restaurant has its own variation of moles, and its recipes are based on family tradition. This gives you the perfect excuse to visit many different restaurants to see which recipe you like best!

For a tip on where to eat mole, see my post about Oaxacan food.

2. Stroll Along Cobbled Streets with Colonial Architecture

The city center of Oaxaca has its unique flair: Along its cobbled streets, you find many colorful colonial houses with iron-barred windows. Many of them house small shops, chocolate shops, galleries, or banks, and you can walk for quite a while as a lot of the old city center has been preserved.

3. Admire Colorful Murals

If you love murals like I do, you’ll love wandering through the streets of the city and spotting colorful and sometimes contemporary social themes all over the city. Sometimes the mural takes up all the space on the wall, sometimes it’s just a small anecdote that waits to be discovered. You can find out more about Oaxaca’s history of murals here.

4. Visit a Bustling Market

No visit to Oaxaca is complete without visiting the bustling indoor markets of the city. At the markets, you can buy local groceries like quesillo (string cheese from Oaxaca), the typical pan de yema and pan de cazuela bread (although I prefer buying these in a bakery where they’re probably fresher), and artisanal products. The biggest, Mercado 20 de Noviembre, is just 3 blocks south of the zócalo with groceries and food stalls; directly next to it lies the Mercado Benito Juárez which has lots of artisanal products; the smaller Mercado de la Merced Market lies in the east of the city. At the markets, you can also eat breakfast or lunch at the food stalls that offer traditional Oaxacan dishes at an affordable price. Many food stalls close around 3-5 PM, so don’t come too late if you’re looking for food.

Opening hours: 7 AM – 7 PM at Mercado 20 de Noviembre, 6 AM – 6 PM at Mercado de la Merced

Address: Mercado 20 de Noviembre, 20 de Noviembre 512; Mercado de la Merced, Av. José María Morelos 1522A

5. Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of Oaxaca

A landmark on the north side of the city’s main square, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption was built from 1553-18th century. The main entrance faces west, but you can also enter from the sides; however, the neoclassical interior is rather simple. The green Cantera stone used for the Cathedral’s facade is common in Oaxaca’s buildings. The towers of the Cathedral are not the originals, which were destroyed in an earthquake in 1931.

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10 AM – 2 PM, and 4-6 PM

Address: Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Av. de la Independencia 700, Centro

6. Enjoy Music at the Zócalo and Its Portales

At the weekends, live music is often played at the zócalo (main square). Sit down on one of its benches or the stairs around the Cathedral square, take in the atmosphere, and enjoy the music. Before or after, have a drink at one of the restaurants in the arched terraces (portales) on its west side.

7. Visit the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Church

This beautiful church can be found along Alacrá Street about blocks from the main square. Built between 1570 and 1608, the church had been part of a Dominican monastery. On the baroque facade, you’ll find two figures holding a church in their hands; the right figure represents the founder of the Dominican order, Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

Opening hours: 9.30 AM-1 PM and 4.30-7 PM (except when there’s a mass)

Address: Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, C. Macedonio Alcalá s/n

8. Admire the Treasure Found in Monte Albán (Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca)

Directly next to the Santo Domingo Church is the Museum of Cultures of Oaxaca. It lies in the former monastery of the church. But it’s mostly known for the treasure found in Tomb 7 at the Monte Albán archaeological site which is now exhibited on the second floor to the right. You’ll see beautiful masks, jewelry, and small statues. In the other rooms, you can find more exhibits of pre-Hispanic times. If you follow the pathway on the second floor to its end, you’ll also get to exhibits of the colonial era. From the arched windows on the north side, you have a great view of the Ethnobotanical Garden and the surrounding mountains.

There’s also a library of ancient books and contemporary artisanal exhibits.

Opening hours: Tues-Sun 10 AM – 5.30 PM, Sundays until 3.30 PM. The entrance fee is 95 pesos (5 USD).

Address: Directly next to the Santo Domingo de Guzmán Tempel on its left

9. Visit the Ethnobotanical Garden

A great way to learn about the Oaxacan flora is by taking a 1-hour guided tour through the ethnobotanical garden. Once part of the monastery, thankfully it wasn’t converted into a parking lot as was originally planned but instead became home to many cacti, agaves, and trees.

Opening hours: You can only visit as part of a guided tour. Currently, these are only in Spanish (download your translation app) and take place Mon-Fri at 10 AM, 11 AM, and noon, and on Saturdays at 10 AM, 11 AM, and noon. Make sure to arrive 15 minutes early. The entrance fee is 50 pesos (2.50 USD), and you can borrow a sombrero against the sun.

Address: Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca, at the corner of Reforma Sur and Calle de la Constitución Streets

10. Stroll Along the Alcalá Pedestrian Street

This pedestrian street (Andador Turístico) stretches north of the zócalo all the way to the Santo Domingo Temple. Along it, you find the typical colonial buildings, and around the square with the Santo Domingo Temple, various restaurants, cafes, and shops.

Address: Andador Turístico, in Calle Macedonio Alcalá

11. Drink Oaxacan Chocolate at a Chocolatería

Oaxaca is known for producing cocoa, and the traditional form of enjoying it is as a hot beverage. The cocoa is mixed with hot water or milk, and the Oaxacan version adds cinnamon and sugar. You can enjoy it at small shops called chocolatería (pronounced tsho-ko-la-teh-REE-a) where you can also buy other products such as chocolate bars, vanilla syrup, and the famous moles. At some chocolaterías, you can see how the chocolate beans are being ground into a paste. Along with your hot chocolate, have a “pan de yema” (egg-yolk bread) and dip it into the “chocolate” (pronounced tsho-ko-LA-teh in Spanish).

12. Admire Art at the Museum of Oaxacan Painters

While there are various museums and galleries in Oaxaca, this small museum emphasizes modern art made by local artists. In a 17th-century colonial building, you can find paintings and sculptures on two floors. The exhibitions change regularly.

Opening hours: Tue-Sun 10 AM – 6 PM. The entrance is free, but a donation is welcome.

Address: Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños, Av. de la Independencia 607

13. Eat Mexican Ice Cream at the Socrates Garden

The Socrates Garden (Jardín Socrates) lies about 4 blocks northwest of the zócalo and is known for its neverías (ice cream parlors). The typical Mexican ice cream is often made with water, sometimes with milk depending on the flavor. Try the “nieve de leche quemada con tuna”, which is burnt milk with tuna, a cactus fruit.

14. Wander Along the Old Aqueduct

The remains of this aqueduct, built between 1727 and 1751 in the typical green Cantera stone, start just three blocks northwest of the Santo Domingo Tempel. Until 1940, the aqueduct was used to bring fresh water from the Cerro de San Felipe mountain to the city center.

If you have 13 minutes, follow the aqueduct north to the Arcos Acueducto de Xochimilco, where it’s in its most impressive state.

Address: From the Acueducto de Oaxaca in Calle de Manuel García Vigil 817, to the more impressive Arcos Acueducto de Xochimilco in Calle José López Alavez 1416

15. Visit the Guelaguetza Festival

The last 2 Mondays in July are reserved for the Guelaguetza festival, a celebration of traditional folk dance in Oaxaca. Dancers in colorful costumes from all over the federal state of Oaxaca show their traditions in the Auditorio Guelaguetza on the Cerro del Fortín hill. The dances take place twice a day and usually last 3 hours. They culminate in the pineapple dance and the feather dance which symbolizes the Spanish conquest.

Throughout the rest of the year, you can get an impression of the Guelaguetza dances by visiting the Hotel Monte Albán at the zócalo; every day at 8.30 PM you can enjoy the show.

16. Enjoy the Day of the Dead in Oaxaca

One of the most famous places for celebrating the Day of the Dead is certainly Oaxaca. This festivity on November 1 and 2 (and the week before) is one of the holidays that Mexico is known for worldwide. Make sure to book months in advance to get a central location to stay. Already before the festivities start, the streets are being decorated in the typical Day of the Dead theme.

If you want to know more about the Day of the Dead in general, see my post about celebrating it in Puebla.

…What Else Can You Do in Oaxaca?

Visit the Archaeological Sites of Monte Albán and Mitla

Monte Albán and Mitla are two popular archaeological sites in Oaxaca. Monte Albán is only a half-hour drive from Oaxaca’s city center. It was the political and cultural center of the Zapotec civilization. Mitla lies one hour east of Oaxaca City; it’s smaller and used to be a sacred Zapotec religious site.

Visit the Tree of Tule (Árbol del Tule)

This Montezuma cypress in the neighboring town of Santa María del Tule is the widest tree in the world and is supposedly over 1,400 years old. The best time to visit is on the second Monday of October, when there’s the “Fiestas del Árbol del Tule” festival with traditional dances to celebrate the tree. To get closer to the tree, you have to pay a small fee of 20 pesos (1 USD).

On your way to Tule, make a stop at the Restaurant Caldo de Piedra to eat Caldo de Piedra (stone soup), a famous dish that was traditionally cooked by placing hot stones inside the soup.

Relax at the Beach at the Oaxacan Coastline

The state of Oaxaca is also known for its beautiful beaches on the Pacific coast: From the popular surfer paradise Puerto Escondido and the small Mazunte loved by hippies and backpackers all the way to the nudists’ dream Zipolite. Thanks to the recently opened highway, it takes you only 3 hours to reach the coast. Be aware of the higher waves and currents of the Pacific Ocean, however, to make your beach trip a safe adventure.

Where to Eat in Oaxaca

Apart from the economic market stalls at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre or Mercado de la Merced, for example, I have the following recommendations for you.

Comedor Familiar La Biche

This small family restaurant in the east of the city is my favorite place to get good food at an affordable price. The menu is not as extensive as in other restaurants, but their mole estofado is delicious! They also offer two other types of mole, tasajo, sandwiches, and more. A great place to go!

Restaurant Los Pacos

If you prefer a nicer atmosphere than the typical plastic chairs and loud music, this restaurant in the north of the city provides exactly that. The prices are a bit higher, but the good thing is that you can try the restaurant’s 7 moles for free before you decide which one you want to have as a main dish. You can also combine up to 3 moles in one dish if you have a hard time deciding like me. My favorites were the mole negro and the moles estofado, by the way.

Chili Guajili

This restaurant at the zócalo is the Mexican way of combining the concepts of a fast food restaurant with traditional dishes. And it really gets the best of both worlds: The food is served in time at a reasonable price and all is cooked fresh. The extensive menu will make you come back for more to try out the various Oaxacan dishes. A great place to go if you don’t want to spend too much time or money on food, but still enjoy it!

Tlayudas Doña Luchita

For the traditional tlayudas (Mexican-style pizza on a thin corn dough), I recommend going to one of the small street vendors or low-key stalls you can find all over the city. It’s cheaper and tastier than eating this dish in a normal restaurant. Tlayudas Doña Luchita in the east of the city lets you choose the meat for your charcoal-grilled tlayuda. You’ll be sitting on plastic chairs on a roofed terrace, but it’s the better option than paying at least double in a fancy restaurant.

Where to Stay in Oaxaca

Hotel Marques Del Valle

This hotel lies directly at the zócalo next to the Cathedral, so be prepared to hear music and the business of the surrounding area. The benefit is that you’re close to it all and your hotel is a great starting point for any trip or restaurant visit. Make sure to book a room with air conditioning if it’s summer time. The hotel has its own restaurant, but you’ll also be close to the Chili Guajili restaurant I mentioned before. Check availability now.

Hotel Materia

If you still want a central but a bit quieter location, then this hotel only 4 blocks from the zócalo is a great choice. The rooms are beautifully decorated and the breakfast is great. Benefit is you also have a desk in your room and good Wifi for those that need to work while traveling. Make sure to book a room with terrace and hammock! Check availability now.

Hotel Parador de Alcalá

3 blocks from the zócalo and at the pedestrian street Alcalá you find this hotel with a rooftop pool. They have a bar, restaurant, parking, small gym, and a great breakfast. The service is great and includes shuttle service to the airport. If you stay here during the Day of the Dead, chances of getting a view of the parades from the hotel are pretty good. Check availability now.

So…Is It Worth It?

Oaxaca is on many Mexico travelers’ pocket lists, and for a good reason: Culture, cuisine, and history all come together in this city. The city center is a paradise for those who like to walk along cobbled streets hunting for murals, and the culturally interested enjoy the museums, churches, and archaeological sites. And not to forget the foodies: The seven moles alone make a good excuse to stay longer in this city. If you’re lucky to come at the time of the Guelaguetza festival or the Day of the Dead, you’re in for a special treat. And after all the sightseeing, eating, and celebrating, a relaxing break at the beach at the Oaxacan coastline only 3 hours by car to the south rounds off your vacation. I hope you enjoy Oaxaca as much as I did!

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