Mexico · top picks
Best hotels in Oaxaca
The highest-rated, best-reviewed places to stay in Oaxaca, Mexico. We surface Expedia properties scoring 8+ out of 10 from real travelers, sorted by review density.
- ✓Only properties scoring 8.0+ in real Oaxaca guest reviews
- ✓Sorted by review density — the more reviews, the more reliable the score
- ✓Refundable rates labelled per stay — book now, decide later
- ✓No booking fees · Powered by Expedia
What first-timers get wrong in Oaxaca
Mezcal tastings are advertised as free and stay free only until the bottle you feel obliged to buy. Colectivo taxis to Mitla, Teotitlan and Tlacolula leave from fixed corners for a fraction of a tour price, though they depart only once full. Each valley village keeps its own market day, Tlacolula on Sunday and Etla on Wednesday, so the wrong day finds a shut village.
What's actually worth your time in Oaxaca
Monte Alban, the Zapotec capital levelled off a ridge some 400 metres above the valley floor, now costs 210 pesos after INAH more than doubled its fees in January 2026, and the ticket covers the site museum. Santo Domingo's gilded interior costs nothing and repays a slow look at the Rosary Chapel ceiling. Hierve el Agua's mineral terraces sit far enough out that the day is mostly driving. The Zocalo bandstand is where you sit, not photograph.
What to eat in Oaxaca
Seven moles is the local boast and negro is the one to order. The pasillo de humo inside Mercado 20 de Noviembre works on one system: buy meat by weight from a grill, take tortillas and salsa from the women walking the aisle, eat standing in smoke. Tlayudas come out after dark from street carts. Chapulines, toasted grasshoppers with lime and chilli, are sold by the scoop at Mercado Benito Juarez.
When the weather turns in Oaxaca
Rain arrives as an afternoon burst between June and September and rarely lasts. Wait it out inside the Santo Domingo complex, which includes the ethnobotanical garden's covered cloister and the Burgoa library. The Textile Museum and the contemporary art museum sit a few blocks away on Alcala. Failing that, Mercado 20 de Noviembre is roofed end to end, and mezcal tasting rooms have no windows anyway.
What things cost in Oaxaca
A comida corrida in the markets runs 80 to 120 pesos and a tlayuda from a night cart around 100. Monte Alban costs 210 pesos for foreign visitors since the January 2026 increase, the Santo Domingo museum carries its own INAH ticket, and the Textile Museum charges nothing. A colectivo out to Teotitlan del Valle stays under 50 pesos. Mezcal by the copita starts near 60.
When to go to Oaxaca
| Best months for best-hotels | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| February | 28°C / 82°F | 0 days |
| December | 26°C / 79°F | 0 days |
| January | 26°C / 79°F | 1 days |
The month to avoid is August — around 25°C (77°F) with roughly 22 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: February is the sweet spot, August the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Oaxaca
- Centro Histórico — Walled colonial centre — Santo Domingo, the zócalo, mole restaurants.
- Jalatlaco — Quieter cobble-stone neighborhood — boutique hotels, murals, fewer tour buses.
- Xochimilco — Hillside artisan quarter — weavers, ceramic studios, mezcalerias.