Highlights
- Cycle across Oaxaca, stopping at markets to taste street food
- Join a rural cooking workshop to discover the ingredients of Oaxacan gastronomy
- Visit Oaxaca's vibrant markets and meet local characters that bring life to the city
- Paint your own carved wooden sculpture during an alebrije folk art workshop
- Explore Monte Albán with a private guide and learn about the Zapotec civilization
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Oaxaca, Foodie Bike Tour | Oaxaca |
| Day 2 | Oaxacan Markets: A Culinary Journey of Colors & Flavors | Oaxaca |
| Day 3 | Rural Cooking Workshop, Free Time in Oaxaca | Oaxaca |
| Day 4 | Monte Albán Visit & Alebrijes Workshop | Oaxaca |
| Day 5 | Huautli Experience in San Pablo Etla, Depart Oaxaca |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Oaxaca, Foodie Bike Tour
Welcome to Mexico! You've landed in Oaxaca de Juárez, known simply as Oaxaca, the capital city of the Mexican state of the same name. It's a place famous for its rich cultural heritage, colonial architecture, colorful markets, mezcalerías, and warm, welcoming atmosphere. On arrival at the airport, meet a private driver for the transfer to your boutique hotel, El Callejón. This luxurious guesthouse has just 12 spacious rooms set across four towers. Settle in and change ahead of your private bike tour through the UNESCO-listed city this afternoon.
The best way to experience the grid-pattern streets of Oaxaca is on two wheels, and your private cycling guide will meet you at the hotel, ready to take you on a food tour. You'll pedal over to the Mercado Benito Juarez to taste the fruit waters of Doña Casilda, then visit the Mercado 20 de Noviembre to see the famous smoke alley and try carne asada. Visit a chocolate factory to discover the art of Mexican chocolate, then continue exploring the charming, colorful neighborhoods of Jalatlaco and Xochimilco.
You have four nights in Oaxaca, one of Mexico's great culinary destinations, so your guide will recommend some of the city's top restaurants worth making reservations at. Favorites include Teocintle, a small and contemporary Oaxacan restaurant serving a changed six-course menu daily, and Las Quince Letras, a classic specializing in traditional Oaxacan dishes from across the state. Casa Oaxaca works directly with local producers to source chili, corn, insects, seeds, and Oaxacan ingredients for its traditional menu, while Hierba Dulce serves traditional cuisine, vegetarian-style.
Day 2: Oaxacan Markets: A Culinary Journey of Colors & Flavors
The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda famously said: "Mexico is in its markets..." and today you'll discover what he meant! Meet your private food-obsessed guide and venture to the popular local food and produce market, the Mercado de Abastos, where you'll try the popular Doña Vale memelas (grilled corn takes with various toppings). After, change neighborhoods and drop by the Mercado de la Merced to taste empanadas prepared on a charcoal stove, accompanied by different salsas.
Next, you'll try an Oaxacan specialty—a grasshopper omelet with pennyroyal tea. Continue to the Trinidad de las Huertas neighborhood, where you'll enjoy piedrazos, which is bread soaked in vinegar. The food and market tour keeps going into the Reforma neighborhood for tacos de guisados, or homely stewed tacos. Then try the tetelas or tacos from Comal del Carmen. Finally, snack on the best tortas in Oaxaca, and taste empanadas de amarillo. This is one big day of eating—so wear your stretchiest pants and comfortable shoes!
Day 3: Rural Cooking Workshop, Free Time in Oaxaca
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
After breakfast, a private guide will take you out of the city to meet a rural Zapotec community in the Oaxaca Valley for a special private cooking workshop. During your visit, you'll meet with the "comideras" in the local market. These women are recognized for their culinary knowledge and skills and are responsible for preparing feasts for community celebrations. They have earned prestige for their Oaxacan cooking expertise, and today, you'll learn from them. Starting in the market, together you'll shop and select local products needed for today's dishes.
After, you'll enter their home and help prepare some of the most traditional dishes for a multicourse lunch. Your menu will always include a soup (pumpkin leaf or chickpea are common flavors), a green mole with pumpkin seed, a dessert (apples or tejocotes in sweet, chocolate tamale), and a drink (coffee or chocolate). Together, you'll make everything by hand, using the firewood stove, metate (grinding stone), and a molcajete (mortar and pestle). Finally, you'll sit down together and enjoy a flavorful feast.
If you return to Oaxaca with free time in the afternoon, set out on foot to explore. You could visit the Textile Museum of Oaxaca or the Museum of Cultures, stop by the Ethnobotanical Garden, taste local spirits at a mezcalería, warm up with traditional hot chocolate, and visit the famous Santo Domingo de Guzmán church.
Day 4: Monte Albán Visit & Alebrijes Workshop
Today is all about this region's archaeology, history, and crafts. After breakfast, a private English-speaking guide will take you to Monte Albán, an ancient Zapotec city more than 2,5000 years old with an impressive layout of terraces, pyramids, and ceremonial structures, including the North Platform and the Grand Plaza. Monte Albán had a significant influence on the development of Mesoamerica and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the hilltop plateau to discover valuable insights into its advanced urban planning and architectural achievements.
After, you'll visit an alebrijes workshop in the community of Arrazola. Don Mario Jiménez, a renowned artisan, will invite you into his home, where the family crafts these colorful Mexican folk art sculptures of fantasy creatures. His son, Isaías, will share the history of the family workshop, then you'll get to paint your own carved wooden souvenir. This intimate and unique experience is a hands-on way to discover this rich Oaxacan tradition. When your masterpiece is complete, you'll return to the city.
Day 5: Huautli Experience in San Pablo Etla, Depart Oaxaca
Your food-focused luxe Oaxacan adventure ends today. If you have time, squeeze in one last adventure to the nearby town San Pablo Etla, where you'll meet Margarita Barrita, a member of Alegria de la Vida. This collective of local women was created to preserve the culture and use of huautli (amaranth), an ancient grain native to Mexico. With your two-hour private visit, you'll learn about the grain, from the cultivation process through to harvest and then into flour. You'll create a batch of tzoalli, a pre-Hispanic dessert considered a food of the ancient gods, which you can take home.
When it's time to depart, your private driver will transfer you to the airport, a 40-minute drive, where you'll catch your flight home or onward. Adiós and safe travels!
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