Top Oaxaca Private Sightseeing Tours

We took Diego’s walking tour on our very first day in Oaxaca, running on little sleep after an early flight, and it ended up being the perfect introduction to the city. Starting in the Zócalo, where a large teachers’ protest was taking place, Diego did an excellent job explaining not only the history of Oaxaca but also the different perspectives surrounding the protest. Rather than offering a one-sided narrative, he thoughtfully explained both the benefits and challenges of the movement, helping us better understand the city, its people, and its politics. From there, we explored many of Oaxaca’s most iconic sites, including the Cathedral, Teatro Macedonio Alcalá, Andador de Macedonio Alcalá, Centro Cultural San Pablo, Iglesia del Carmen Alto, Mercado Benito Juárez, and Mercado 20 de Noviembre. Navigating the city center and the maze of protest tents would have been intimidating on our own, but Diego guided us through it with ease. One of the highlights was learning about Oaxaca's vibrant street culture. Diego explained the meaning behind the murals, protest posters, stickers, and graffiti that cover many of the city's walls. What initially looked like random street art became a fascinating window into Oaxaca's history, social movements, and community identity. The markets were another standout. Diego introduced us to local vendors, explained the significance of many regional foods and products, and even helped us order fresh juice and a traditional Oaxacan breakfast when we were absolutely starving from our flight. That small gesture made us feel less like tourists and more like welcomed guests. To top it all off, we finished at a fantastic local coffee shop, the perfect ending to a morning packed with history, culture, food, and local insight. By the end of the tour, we felt oriented, informed, caffeinated, and genuinely connected to Oaxaca. If you're visiting the city, especially for the first time, I can't imagine a better way to begin your trip than spending a few hours exploring it with Diego.

This was an exceptional tour! My friend and I were the only people who booked on so we ended up getting a private tour (we were very impressed that they didn’t cancel!) Francisco was an incredible and very attentive guide! He answered all of our questions, offered to adapt the tour to best suit our preferences and gave us time to explore each of the workshops ourselves. We really appreciated the time he spent in the market with us highlighting different local foods - my friend loved the enchilada he recommended! All of the workshops we visited were amazing, and we were grateful to all of the artisans for sharing their skills and expertise with us. We’re backpacking for a few months with limited bag space/budget so we took the tour to learn more about the local artistic traditions rather than to buy souvenirs from the workshops (as much as we would have loved to!). We were initially a little nervous when we were the only two who showed up that we might seem rude if we didn’t make purchases, but we needn’t have worried as there was absolutely no pressure to buy from any of the workshops. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone!

Do not hesitate to book this tour early in your stay in Oaxaca! I was quite overwhelmed when I first walked around Oaxaca on my own. There were so many food options, and quite a few vendors selling the same things. This walking tour definitely gave me the confidence to know what and where to find foods I wanted to try (and didn't even know i wanted to try! I was introduced to things I've never even heard of). The 6 hour time span may seem a little daunting, but it flies by so quick and you won't even notice the time. We were able to try different drinks, snacks, fruits, types of meals, and dessert. Definitely don't eat before hand so you can experience the tour to it's fullest!

Nice. Quetzale, our teacher helped us learn about many new fruits and had us do the cooking with little lessons. I had always wanted to learn how to make tomatillo salsa and that happens to be what we made. I’d highly recommend the class. I eat most meats etc but it didn’t matter. I wanted to learn about sauces and we got a good basic Mole and the Tomatillo salsa in one evening and then got to eat the food we made.

An extraordinary experience. Make sure you wear sunblock and if you forget a hat, they have some there you can use. Make sure you pack water and snacks because none is provided. Be aware that if you dye your hair and you dip your head in the water it does strip your color. It also tarnishes some silver. My stainless steel & gold did fine tho.

I truly found this food tour was excellent! Perhaps the best of this type I ever participated in. Papi was terrific - knowledgeable, interesting accessible and patient. He brought me to many wonderful food stations and I sampled a wide variety of delicious Mexican food. He also shared important information about the history, culture and trends in Oaxaca throughout our time together. I highly recommend him and this tour to all travelers seeking Oaxaca culinary experiences (and much more…)

We had arranged private transfer from the airport to our hotel. When we exited the airport, the driver was waiting for us with a named sign and a very big grin on his face to welcome us. The driver was personable and friendly. This experience was a great start to an incredible holiday. Would highly recommend.

Lovely, informative tour that makes a great day trip from Oaxaca. We left promptly at 8:30 and returned to Oaxaca City a bit after 5 pm. We particularly loved Monte Alban and the pottery demonstration. Lunch was ~300 pesos apiece (buffet + one beer) + Monte Alban/monastery entrances (175 pesos apiece) + tip.