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Two days in Oaxaca, from Monte Albán to Teotitlán and Mitla

A realistic 2-day Oaxaca itinerary

A balanced first visit split into the historic center and the hilltop ruins of Monte Albán on Day 1, and a day through the Central Valleys on Day 2, to the great Tule tree, the weaving village of Teotitlán del Valle, and the Zapotec ruins of Mitla.

Destination
Oaxaca, Mexico
Length
2 days
Pace
balanced
Stepped stone walls at Mitla covered in geometric mosaic fretwork, with desert cacti in front and mountains beyond under a blue sky
Photo: LBM1948 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Day-by-day plan

A paced plan, not an endless list.

Day1

Monte Albán, Santo Domingo, the Ethnobotanical Garden, and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre

Start early at the hilltop ruins of Monte Albán, then come down for a visit to the Church of Santo Domingo before its reported midday closing and a guided tour of the Ethnobotanical Garden. After lunch at the smoky grills of the 20 de Noviembre market and a rest, stroll the pedestrian Andador and have dinner in the center.

  1. 30 min

    Breakfast in the historic center

  2. 30 min

    Taxi up to Monte Albán (about 30 minutes; a tourist shuttle also runs, so check its times)

  3. 2 hours

    Monte Albán Archaeological Zone

    Walk the Zapotec ceremonial center on a hilltop above the city (ticketed; go early before the heat).

    Monte Albán is the great Zapotec ceremonial center, built on a leveled mountaintop above Oaxaca, with plazas, platforms, a ball court, and carved stones, and sweeping views over the valleys. It is worth the morning for one of Mexico’s most impressive pre-Hispanic sites, which was inhabited for more than a thousand years. Expect a ticketed visit with steps and little shade, so go early, bring water and a hat, and plan a taxi or a shuttle bus up and back.

  4. 30 min

    Taxi or bus back to the center (about 30 minutes)

  5. 25 min

    Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán

    Visit the gilded Baroque church, a landmark of the city center (it may close around 13:00 and reopen in the late afternoon, so confirm locally and visit in the morning).

    The Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán is Oaxaca’s finest Baroque church, a landmark of carved stone outside and a golden, heavily ornamented interior with a famous gilded ceiling. It is worth a short visit for the architecture and for its place at the heart of the old city, next to the former convent that now holds a cultural center and museum. Expect a working church that may close around 13:00 and reopen in the late afternoon, with modest dress expected, so check the current hours.

    The carved Baroque facade and twin bell towers with tiled domes of the Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán under a blue sky with large clouds
    Photo: Nanahuatl · CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 1 hour

    Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden (Jardín Etnobiológico)

    Join a guided tour of the garden of native plants beside Santo Domingo (tours run at set times on weekdays and Saturday mornings, and may not run on Sundays; check the current schedule and price).

    The Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden, now officially the Jardín Etnobiológico de Oaxaca, is a garden of plants native to the region, laid out beside the Santo Domingo cultural center, with a collection of cacti, agaves, and other plants used in crafts, food, and medicine. It is worth a guided hour for a gentle, educational break and a view of the city’s landscape. Expect to visit only on a guided tour at a set time, with morning tours on weekdays and Saturdays and an afternoon tour on weekdays, so check the current schedule, arrive a few minutes early, and skip it on a Sunday.

    Cacti and desert plants in the Oaxaca Ethnobotanical Garden, with hills and the city in the distance
    Photo: El Ágora · Public domain
  7. 30 min

    Coffee near Santo Domingo

  8. 45 min

    Mercado 20 de Noviembre

    Browse the covered market and its “smoke aisle” of grills, where you choose your meat and have it cooked.

    The Mercado 20 de Noviembre is a covered market in the center of Oaxaca, famous for its Pasillo de Humo, or smoke aisle, where butchers sell cuts of meat, tasajo, and chorizo that you take to a grill and eat at long tables with tortillas and salsa. It is worth a visit for the sights and smells and an authentic taste of Oaxacan cooking. Expect crowds at lunch, smoke, and stalls that press you to sit down, so look around first and keep your bag in front of you.

    A crowded aisle of the Mercado 20 de Noviembre under a high roof, with vendors in aprons and smoke from the grills
    Photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0
  9. 1 hour 15 min

    Lunch at the Pasillo de Humo or a nearby restaurant

  10. 1 hour 30 min

    Rest at the hotel

  11. 1 hour 15 min

    Andador Turístico

    Stroll the pedestrian avenue of galleries, shops, and cafes between the main sights.

    The Andador Turístico, or Macedonio Alcalá street, is a pedestrian avenue that runs between the Zócalo and Santo Domingo, lined with colonial buildings, craft shops, galleries, and cafes. It is worth an easy evening stroll for the atmosphere and window-shopping. Expect street musicians and vendors, and a busy, lively street that is at its best in the early evening.

  12. 45 min

    Aperitif or a mezcal tasting near the Zócalo

  13. 1 hour 30 min

    Dinner in the historic center

Day2

A day through the Central Valleys: El Tule, Teotitlán del Valle, and Mitla

Head east through the valley to see the enormous Tule tree, visit the weaving workshops of Teotitlán del Valle, and finish at the carved stonework of the Zapotec ruins of Mitla, with lunch in the valley before the drive back to the city for dinner in Jalatlaco.

  1. 30 min

    Breakfast at the hotel

  2. 25 min

    Taxi, colectivo, or tour van to El Tule (about 20 minutes)

  3. 45 min

    Árbol del Tule

    See a Montezuma cypress with one of the widest trunks in the world, beside a colonial church (a small fee may apply for the fenced enclosure).

    The Árbol del Tule is a huge Montezuma cypress in the churchyard of Santa María del Tule, a few kilometers east of Oaxaca, with one of the widest tree trunks in the world and an age estimated at well over a thousand years. It is worth a short stop for the scale of the tree and the church beside it, on the way into the valley. Expect a small fee for the enclosure (the tree is also visible from the plaza), local children offering to point out shapes in the trunk for tips, and a visit of about half an hour.

    The enormous Árbol del Tule towering over a garden, beside a white church with blue and red trim and tiled domes
    Photo: Alan Rockefeller · CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. 1 hour 30 min

    Teotitlán del Valle

    Visit the Zapotec village known for hand-woven wool rugs dyed with natural pigments such as cochineal.

    Teotitlán del Valle is a Zapotec village in the Tlacolula valley where families weave wool rugs on foot looms and dye the yarn with natural pigments such as cochineal and indigo. It is worth a visit to see a weaving demonstration and meet the makers. Expect to be invited into family workshops, prices that are higher than at roadside stalls but for genuine hand-woven work, and the chance to buy directly from the weaver.

  5. 1 hour 30 min

    Mitla Archaeological Zone

    Walk the Zapotec and Mixtec ceremonial site known for mosaic stone fretwork (ticketed; check hours).

    Mitla is a Zapotec and Mixtec ceremonial center in the valley east of Oaxaca, famous for its mosaic stone fretwork, geometric patterns assembled from thousands of cut stones, set into the walls of its palaces and tombs. It is worth the drive for a different kind of archaeological site from Monte Albán, small and intricately decorated. Expect a ticketed site with little shade and midday heat, a town market beside it, and a trip of about an hour each way from the city by car.

    The corner of a Mitla palace with stepped stone walls decorated in mosaic fretwork and hills in the distance
    Photo: LBM1948 · CC BY-SA 4.0
  6. 1 hour 15 min

    Lunch in Mitla

  7. 1 hour 15 min

    Return to Oaxaca (about 1 hour)

  8. 1 hour 45 min

    Rest at the hotel

  9. 1 hour 30 min

    Dinner in Barrio de Jalatlaco

Itinerary decisions

What makes the cut, what can wait, and what is less worth it.

Essential

  • Monte Albán early in the morning
  • Mercado 20 de Noviembre and Oaxacan food
  • Mitla and the mosaic fretwork
  • Teotitlán del Valle and its rugs

Optional

  • The Ethnobotanical Garden (a timed guided tour)
  • The Árbol del Tule
  • The Andador Turístico in the evening

Not prioritized

  • Hierve el Agua, which adds another half day to the valley trip
  • Adding a mezcal distillery stop to Day 2

Before you use this plan

  • Hours, closures, prices, and conditions can change.
  • Monte Albán and Mitla are open-air sites with little shade, so go early, bring water, sun protection, and sturdy shoes, and expect midday heat. Oaxaca sits at about 1,550 meters, so the sun is strong.
  • The Ethnobotanical Garden is visited only on a guided tour at set times (reportedly mornings Monday to Saturday and an afternoon tour on weekdays, with Sunday tours uncertain), so check the current schedule and treat it as optional. On Saturdays tours run only between roughly 10:30 and 12:00, so arrive early. Santo Domingo church is reported to close around 13:00 and reopen in the late afternoon (confirm locally), and its cultural center and museum have their own days and hours.
  • The valley day is best by private driver, a small-group tour, or a combination of colectivos and taxis. On Sundays the big Tlacolula market fills the road to Mitla, so allow more time.
  • Road blockades and protests occasionally affect Oaxaca’s highways, so check local news and keep the valley day flexible. Use official taxis or ride apps in the evening.
  • This is a public example; Dayworthy adapts it to your dates, pace, hotel, and interests inside the app.

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