Mexico – Oaxaca
First Impressions
Oaxaca, as you will notice further below, is the food capital of Mexico.
But it also has some nice Holy Week traditions, so we thought it would perfect to visit around Easter.
The first evening in Oaxaca we just walked a bit around the city and ate at @boulencpan. Later, we observed the Process of Silence as it was Good Friday.
Day 1 – City center and Jalatlaco
The next day walked again around the city in the famous neighborhoods of Centro, Jalatlaco and Xochimilco.
We had breakfast at maritoandmoglie_ cafe. Then we walked through the beautiful cobblestone streets of Jalatlaco ane discovered nice cafes like
cocuchecafeneveria
or cafeblason.
On the way we saw many incredible pieces of Street Art.
Later in the afternoon we sat in the herbs market @lacosechaoaxaca, ate a tlayuda and memelas and tried some agua fresca and pozonte.
In the evening we ate at a restaurant with local specialities, like mole negro and ponzole, @cabucheoaxaca.
Day 2 – City center: Enjoying the food
The next day we had breakfast at @tierradelsolrestaurante, trying local specialities. This is a funny story as we were just searching for atole to drink and we somehow ended up to the fancy brunch terrace above the atole shop.
It was totally not our plan, but we had a nice brunch. We did not manage, though, to drink atole in the end.
We walked again around the city and stopped for a coffee at the beautiful terrace of @muss_cafe.
In the evening we ate again local tlaydas at @casataviche.
Day 3 – Day Trip
The following day, we did one of the recommended day trips in the area with @lescastoursoaxaca.
First we visited the Thule Tree, the largest tree in the world. Then the ancient town of Mitla and the Hierve del Agua waterfalls, which are solid waterfalls formed but the minerals in the water.
We then visited a local farm where they dye cotton with natural colors to make carpets and clothes and also make their own chocolate.
Finally we visited a mezcal destilery, @elreydematatlan, where we learned how agave is transformed to mezcal.
Day 4 – Honoring the food capital
We spent our last day in Oaxaca by trying local specialities like chocolate drink from
chocolatemayordomo
and pan de yema and pan de casuela from the local market.
Next stop… Zipolite!
The informative stuff:
Accomodation
The city is walkable but it is conveninet to stay no more than 6 blocks away from Zocalo or Calle Macedonio Alcala.
Also, the southwest part of the city further away from Mercado 20 de Noviembre is not very safe according to our local guide.
We found a very beautiful and clean room for approx. 35 usd per night at Casa de Alicia. It included a common kitchen, which we could use.
Transportation
There is no Uber in Oaxaca, but you might find through Uber some local taxis.
The only advantage to use uber in this case is the security that uber provides.
Forvnormal taxi, 7 minutes ride costed us about 50 pesos.
The city is not very small but definately walkable so you will probably not need it.
There are 3 diffrent bus stations. Note that the ADO bus station is on the north side of Centro, close to the Jalatlaco neighborhood.
To come from the airport to the city you shall take acollectivo minibus. You will definately see it as you exit the airport. It costs approx. 140 pesos per person and takes 15-20 minutes depending on if you are dropped off first or last.
Just tell the driver where you stay and he will drive you there.
The ride to the pacific coast takes several hours, but this will be reduced soon due to the new highway built between Oaxaca and Puerto Escondido.
Activities
- Food
- Mezcal
- Visit Jalatlaco and Xochimilco neighborhoods
- Drink chocolate and atole
- Visit Hierve el Agua
- Visit el Tule – the largest tree in the world
- Visit the ancient ruins of Mitla and Monte Alban
- Visit a Mezcal destilery
Food
Oaxaca is the food capital of Mexico and the state where Mezcal is produced. We didnt manage to try many good restaurants.
From what we tried we liked the following
- La Cosecha Oaxaca food market
- Cabuche – @cabucheoaxaca
- Casa Taviche – @casataviche
- La Popular – @la_popular_oaxaca
Other rcommended options are:
- Jazz Cafe – @
jazzcoffeeoax
- Sabina Sabe –
@sabinasabeoaxaca
- Cocina Herba –
@cocinaherba
- Oooa studio
- Onnno Loncheria
and many many others from streetfood to very expensive restaurants.
Other
The city of Oaxaca and capital of the Oaxaca state is called Oaxaca de Juarez, dedicted to the former president Benito Juarez.
The city center is designed is very easy to orientate as it is completely squared.
Earthquaqes are common so you might hear an alarm every now and then.
