Last updated August 7, 2026 · Editorial policy
Things to Do in Oaxaca: 12 Experiences You Can’t Miss: What Is Actually Worth Your Time
Quick answer: This is an honest look at Oaxaca: 12 Experiences You Can’t Miss: which popular attraction to think twice about, what to do with that time instead, and the spot most visitors never reach.
Hierve el Agua is the photo everyone chases and the day trip I would think twice about. By late morning the petrified-waterfall pools turn into tour-bus soup, the water barely changes, and you have given up a full day for it. If you want Zapotec history, Monte Alban delivers more for less effort: it sits about 9 km west of the city, roughly a 25-minute drive, and you can be back for lunch. Note the gate price jumped in January 2026 to around 210 MXN for foreign visitors (about 105 MXN for Mexican nationals and residents), so carry pesos.
The pick most visitors skip is Teotitlan del Valle, a weaving village about 30 km east where only a dozen-odd families still dye wool with cochineal, anil, and walnut on home looms. Skip the packaged workshop stop and go independently.
One move that saves both time and money:
- Take a colectivo from the second-class terminal near Central de Abastos to Teotitlan (around 40 minutes, roughly 25 to 35 MXN), then continue to El Tule in Santa Maria del Tule, whose Montezuma cypress has a trunk circumference near 42 meters and costs about 10 MXN to see. Time it for a Sunday and you can fold in the Tlacolula market on the same axis for around 20 to 40 MXN each way.
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
