Oaxaca City Walking Tour - Markets, Textile museum & Lunch
Description
All conversations about Oaxaca revolve around 3 things: culture, crafts and food. Join us on an exploration of vibrant Oaxaca through the streets, markets and celebrated landmarks of the city center. Taking in plazas, historic buildings, local legends, exquisite architecture and of course the fascinating world of Oaxaca’s markets, this tour will give you an excellent intro to life in the city as well as help you navigate the downtown area during your stay. HIGHLIGHTS - City Markets - Santo Domingo Church - Zocalo (Main Square) - Textile Museum - Botanical Gardens (7hours option) - Delicious Lunch (7hours option)
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour will begin in the main square or Zocalo, exploring the modern foundations of the city, the cathedral and its colonial past. From here we will move onto the markets before they get too busy. An integral part of life in Mexico, we will explore both the Benito Juarez food market and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre craft market, where you can find all manner of produce and wares. We will sample some typical food & drinks, have a look at how chocolate is made, visit a Mezcal superstore, checkout the world famous ‘pasillo de humo’ (corridor of smoke) as well as help you understand the layout of the markets for future reference and shopping. Believe us, you can get lost among the plethora of textiles, leather goods, shoemakers, ceramics, fried crickets & foodstalls! A tour of the market is a must on any trip to Mexico for both the local insight and tips on where to eat & acquire interesting local crafts & souvenirs.
After the bustle of the market you will be delighted to enter the oasis of calm and biodiversity that is the Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca. Considered a gem among botanical gardens, although relatively small in size it houses a huge variety of cacti & agave, amny among them endemic to the region. This is an eye opening walk among the representative vegetation of the state and an amazing spot for photo opportunities.
Next up, a welcome break for refreshments and light lunch at La Cosecha Market. This market is relatively small, open air and very clean and as opposed to the main city markets and was setup to showcase the food from different regions of the state, which you can choose from the different vendors that surround a common eating area. A very pleasant & necessary break en route to our next stop.
We finish our afternoon by heading down to Santo Domingo Church and then the Textile museum, a beautifully restored colonial mansion that houses a fascinating collection of Textiles from around the state. Oaxaca is known specifically for its textiles and this museum is a hidden gem
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(16)
Our tour guide Jorge was so great. He is originally from Oaxaca city and had lots of history to share. He had many ‘life changing’ flavors and ingredients to show us, and by the end of the tour we realized he was right. We did the shorter, 2 hour tour and it was a good length. 3 hours would be even more fun to maybe taste more items and squeeze in more stories, but the city is small and walkable so we covered a lot of ground. Bring money to purchase snacks at the places you stop, cash is best because they are small purchases.
Thank you for sharing your experience! We love hearing that Jorge's passion for Oaxaca, its history, and its incredible food culture left such an impression on you. One of the best parts of these tours is discovering flavors and traditions that many visitors might otherwise miss. We also appreciate your helpful advice for future travelers. Thank you for joining us, and we're glad the tour gave you a deeper taste of Oaxaca in more ways than one!
My guide was wonderful, taking my me to some interesting places and great food. I learned so much ch about the city
Thank you for your kind words! We're so happy to hear that your guide made the experience memorable with interesting stops and delicious food. It’s always our goal to help you connect with the city on a deeper level — through its stories, flavors, and hidden gems!
Fabulous tour with Bruno. He is kind, friendly and very knowledgeable. I learned a lot about Oaxaca, it's people and culture. We hit all the highpoints of the central district. And he shared his recommendations for additional must see spots outside of the city.
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so happy to hear that Bruno made your tour of Oaxaca both insightful and enjoyable. We appreciate your kind words and hope you have a chance to explore even more of this beautiful region!
Pablo was an excellent tour guide very knowledgeable about the history of the city and was very lively. Had great knowledge of food and places and recommendations for places for later in our trip.
Thank you for your great review! We're glad that Pablo's excellent knowledge, lively personality, and great recommendations made your city tour in Oaxaca enjoyable and informative.
I had a wonderful tour with Jorge. His knowledge of the city coupled with his warm personality made the walk of Central Oaxaca City really come alive. Jorge tailor made the walk specific to my wishes (I wanted to visit and photograph the cathedrals) and was knowledgeable about each church - the history, the architecture and the politics. We also visited several markets and museums and took the time to really explore each of them. Again, I can highly recommend the tour and if you’re interested in really learning about the unique character and culture of Oaxaca City, this is definitely the tour to take - I can recommend it emphatically.
We're delighted to hear that you had a wonderful tour with Jorge! It's great to know that his knowledge of the city and warm personality made the walk of Central Oaxaca City come alive for you. We're glad that he tailored the tour to your wishes and provided insightful information about the cathedrals, markets, and museums. Thank you for your high recommendation and for sharing your positive experience with us. We hope to see you again in Oaxaca soon !
Jorge was an excellent guide, with tremendous knowledge of Oaxaca and the surrounding areas. I learned a lot talking with him and really appreciated his to me as much as he could in a short time. The textile museum was amazing and a note to be missed visit.
Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us! We're delighted to hear that Jorge was an excellent guide and that he had tremendous knowledge of Oaxaca and the surrounding areas. It's great to hear that you learned a lot talking with him and that he was able to show you as much as he could in a short time. We're also glad to hear that you enjoyed the textile museum and found it to be amazing. We agree that it's a must-visit destination, and we're happy to hear that you appreciated the experience. Thank you for choosing Mexico Kan Tours Oaxaca, and we hope to serve you again in the future.
Excellent personalized tour of the city center. It happened that it was just my spouse and I so our guide, Jorge, was able to adjust our activities. He was incredibly knowledgeable and shared his love of the city, the history, and area. We were able to shift our schedule and were able to see a neighborhood we would have otherwise missed. Jorge let us know when the English tour of the Botanical Garden was so we could work that into our schedule.
Thank you very much for your 5 stars review ! It sounds like you had a wonderful experience with Jorge on our Oaxaca city tour! We're delighted to hear that Jorge provided such insightful knowledge and made adjustments to tailor the tour to your preferences. Thank you for choosing our city tour, and we hope to welcome you back in Oaxaca soon !
Great tour. Jorge was great. Be prepared to eat…there is a good sampling of foods. The garden portion of the tour is 2 hours so be prepared for that part.
Thank you Erin for sharing your feedback! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tour, and we appreciate your shout-out to Jorge for his excellence. We understand that the Botanical garden portion of the tour may be longer than some expect, and we appreciate your note to future guests to be prepared for this part of the experience. As always, we aim to provide a well-rounded and delightful adventure. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for another memorable tour soon.
Very nice walking through Oaxaca for the “dia de muertos”. Carlos was our guide - passionate, very sympathetic and interesting! Highly recommended.
Hi Samuel, Thank you for recommending us! Thank you fro joining us.
My friend and I wanted to explore Oaxaca in an efficient and pleasant way, we are delighted because we were able to take advantage of the good addresses from our first visit with Mexico Kan Tours! We had the opportunity to visit a good part of the city, essential addresses, the markets, the botanical garden and the Santo Domingo church while walking and listening to the in-depth explanations and anecdotes from Axel who told us about them. learned more about the history of the city. The route chosen was relevant; we felt like we discovered a good part of Oaxaca in less than a day and the meal was absolutely delicious! Thank you for everything :)
