On this tailored adventure, you will get a chance to uncover the lesser-known aspects of Mexico. The country is brimming with art and culture, being third in the world for the number of cities recognized as UNESCO World Heritage sites, and home to over 50 distinct indigenous ethnic groups. Your journey begins in Mexico City, a bustling metropolis that blends historical significance with cultural diversity. Next, you will visit the charming colonial city of Puebla to sample the local cuisine. Finally, you will explore the unique state of Oaxaca, steeped in tradition and flavor. This is where you'll have a truly authentic and off-the-beaten-path experience, interacting with the locals and immersing yourself in nature. Welcome to Mexico!
Right for You?
One of our local experts in Mexico will make this the perfect trip for you!
Base Price:
$5,750/person
Speaks: English and Spanish
Details
Itinerary
Historical Center Tour with Street Food Tasting
¡Bienvenidos a México! Upon arriving at Mexico City's International Airport, your private transportation will be waiting for you to take you to your charming hotel in downtown (approx. 45 minutes).
In the afternoon, your local guide will be waiting for you in the lobby to enjoy a walking tour where you will learn about the history and treasures of the historic center of the Mexican capital. You will start with the visit of the majestic Palacio de Bellas Artes, the symbol of Porfirio Díaz's rule, continue through Madero's pedestrian street until you reach Plaza de la Constitución or better known as Zócalo, one of the largest squares in the world and home to important historical buildings and monuments such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, the ruins of the Templo Mayor or Palacio Nacional. During your tour, you will visit a local market and taste the best of the street food, feel like a local while enjoying some delicious tacos. Finally, you will return to your hotel and rest.
● Accommodation: Hotel Histórico Central or similar in Mexico City.
● Activities: Guided walking tour in the Historic Center with Street Food.
● Transportation: Private Transfer from Mexico City’s airport to your hotel
After enjoying a delicious breakfast, your private transportation will pick you up and take you to Xochimilco, which in the Nahuatl language means "Place of the Flowers". Once arrived, you will enjoy a trip on the canals in a traditional trajinera (a wooden boat painted and decorated with multiple colors) accompanied by a community guide. You will continue with a visit to a project for the conservation of corn and the axolotl, an endemic species of Xochimilco in danger of extinction. In addition, you will learn about the ancestral technique of chinampas and enjoy a delicious pre-Hispanic meal in a restaurant specializing in recipes with corn.
In the afternoon you will visit Coyoacán and take a walk through the central gardens, accompanied by your guide, who will explain to you the historical processes of Mexico through the history of this neighborhood. Your tour continues in a local restaurant to learn about the development of mezcal and the importance of this drink in the producing communities, followed by a guided tasting of 3 artisanal mezcals. Finally, you will enjoy a delicious Oaxacan dinner before returning to your hotel to rest.
● Accommodation: Hotel Histórico Central or similar in Mexico City.
● Activities: Route of the Corn in Xochimilco, a tour of Coyoacán, and mezcal tasting.
● Transportation: Private Transfer to the mentioned activities.
After a delicious breakfast, your private guide will pick you up and take you to Chapultepec, a green lung in the middle of the Mexican capital. You will walk through "La Puerta de Los Leones" to get into the lush forest while your guide tells you a little bit of the history of this emblematic place. You will continue walking for a few minutes until you reach the famous Castle of Chapultepec. In the middle of the 19th century, it was the residence of the Second Mexican Empire of Maximilian and Charlotte. In 1883, thanks to the presidency of General Porfirio Díaz, both the Castle and the Alcazar reached their greatest splendor and later became the National Museum of History. At the end of the tour, you will have free time for lunch.
In the afternoon your guide will take you to the National Museum of Anthropology considered the most famous in Mexico City and one of the most important in the Americas. During the following hours, you will discover the impressive rooms with a large collection of pre-Hispanic pieces, such as the Piedra del Sol and the Tlaloc monolith.
● Accommodation: Hotel Histórico Central or similar in Mexico City.
● Activities: Private guided tour to the Castle of Chapultepec & the Anthropology Museum.
● Transportation: Private Transfer to the mentioned activities.
Cycling through Teotihuacan & pre-Hispanic gastronomy
Enjoy a delicious breakfast to start the morning, your private guide will pick you up to visit one of the most impressive archaeological sites in Mexico and you will get to know it in a unique way.
You will ride for an hour (depending on the traffic) to the outskirts of the city. Upon arrival, you will get a bike to tour around the Valley of Teotihuacan that surrounds the archaeological site, passing through the route of the Murals. Now you have a first perspective of the place to start your guided tour of Teotihuacan, which means City of the Gods. As you walk along the Causeway of the Dead, your guide will tell you all the mysteries of this ancient Aztec city, where you will find buildings such as the Temple of the Feathered Serpent and the impressive Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon.
At the end of your tour, you will have a pulque tasting and visit a workshop of local products made from Tuna, Nopal, and Xoconostle. Finally, you will participate in a workshop to prepare and taste pre-Hispanic dishes made from escamoles, chapulines, etc. Return to Mexico City where you will have a free afternoon to continue enjoying the city. Rest in the evening.
● Accommodation: Hotel Histórico Central or similar in Mexico City.
● Activities: Bike Tour in Teotihuacán & pre-hispanic cooking workshop.
● Transportation: Private Transfer to the mentioned activities.
Today enjoy your breakfast, your private transportation will pick you up to take you to Puebla (approx. 2 h drive). If it is a clear day, you can enjoy beautiful views of the valley of Mexico and the volcanoes.
Once arrived, your local guide will pick you up for a walking tour that combines culture with the best of Puebla's cuisine. You will start your tour in the historical center of Puebla, declared as World Heritage by UNESCO. Here you will visit the impressive cathedral of the city with a Herrerian style and, which was built between the XVI and XVII centuries. You will continue with the visit to the chapel of the Rosary, without doubt, one of the most splendid examples of the baroque Novo-Hispanic.
Besides, you will visit the famous Gallery of the Talavera and the alley of the toads. During this tour your local guide will take you to the best places in the city center to taste the gastronomy of the city, you will be able to taste tamales, chalupas, molotes, cemitas and choose from a great variety of traditional sweets. You will have a free night to continue touring this beautiful colonial city on your own. We will give you our best restaurant recommendations for dinner.
● Accommodation: Casa Rosa Hotel Boutique or similar in Puebla.
● Activities: Cultural and Gastronomical Tour in Puebla.
● Transportation: Private Transfer from Mexico City to Puebla.
After your delicious breakfast, you will have a free day to continue discovering the culture and gastronomy of this colonial city. You can visit the Amparo Museum with a rich collection of colonial pieces or the Palafoxian Library, the first public library in America.
Indeed, our recommendation is to visit the wonderful magic town of Cholula, also known as the city of churches has according to legend more than 365 churches, one for each day of the year, the most famous being the sanctuary of Our Lady of Remedies built on a pyramid dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl. From here you have a breathtaking view of the town and on a clear day, you can see the majestic volcanoes of the valley of Mexico.
Cholula is also famous for its delicious gastronomy. That's why we suggest experiencing the different varieties of food that this city offers from the famous chalupas to the delicious cocoa. Rest at night in your hotel.
● Accommodation: Casa Rosa Hotel Boutique or similar in Puebla.
● Activities: None included for today.
● Transportation: None included for today.
After breakfast, your private transportation will pick you up and take you to the colonial city of Oaxaca (approx. 2h 50 minutes). On the way, you will stop to enjoy one of the country's little-known natural jewels: the Tehuacán-Cuicuitlán Biosphere Reserve (approx. 1h 45 minutes).
Tehuacán means in Nahuatl place of gods and Cuicatlán means land that sings. This reserve was cataloged by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and is home to numerous species of fauna and flora, especially cactus, which offers a unique landscape in the world. Your local guide will take you on a tour where he will explain the importance of this ecosystem and all the peculiarities of this type of formation.
In the end, you will enjoy a delicious traditional meal before heading to Oaxaca, where you will spend the night. Rest in your hotel.
● Accommodation: Hotel Los Pilares or similar in Oaxaca.
● Activities: Biosphere Reserve of Tehuacán-Cuicuitlán.
● Transportation: Private Transportation to Oaxaca
After enjoying your breakfast, your local guide will pick you up for a walking tour through Oaxaca's historic center.
Antequera was the first name of this city which is considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and which has a great wealth of culture, history, gastronomy, and traditions, making its visitors fall in love with it. You will be able to admire the ex-convent of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, home of the museum of cultures and the site that guards the treasure of the 7th tomb of Monte Albán. You will also visit the temple of Santo Domingo with its impressive baroque decoration, Alcalá street, the cathedral and the Plaza de la Constitución with its beautiful markets full of colors, aromas, and flavors. You will enjoy a free afternoon, where we will give you our best recommendations for restaurants to enjoy the variety and delight of Oaxacan food. Rest in your hotel at night.
● Accommodation: Hotel Los Pilares or similar in Oaxaca.
● Activities: Walking City Tour Oaxaca.
● Transportation: None included for today.
After breakfast, you will have a day off to continue enjoying the city. We suggest you visit one of the city's museums such as the Museo Textil de Oaxaca or the Museo de las Culturas, both of them have interesting exhibitions that will allow you to get a deeper insight into Mexican culture. You can also visit the beautiful Ethnobotanical Garden of Oaxaca, enjoy the markets and gastronomy of the place, or simply have a cup of coffee watching the day to day life of this beautiful city. Rest in your hotel.
● Accommodation: Hotel Los Pilares or similar in Oaxaca.
● Activities: None included for today.
● Transportation: None included for today.
Enjoy a delicious breakfast to start your morning. Today you will participate in a cooking workshop in Oaxaca. Oaxaca is one of the main gastronomic centers of Mexico; the stone, the clay coma, and the firewood give a unique and artisan flavor to its dishes made with corn, beans, and chilies.
You will leave Oaxaca to visit a Zapotec community in the Valley of Oaxaca. Here you will visit the traditional wood-burning stove of a farmer's family to take part in a rural cooking workshop given by a Comidera, a title given to ladies who enjoy prestige for their culinary knowledge and expertise. You will prepare 3 dishes in a rural environment and discover the authentic flavors of traditional country cooking, always using local products and harvested from the family's plots or patios.
On the way back to Oaxaca, you will visit the archaeological site of Monte Alban. Built on top of a hill in the heart of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca. This former Zapotec capital was named as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. Together with your guide, you will tour the Grand Plaza with special attention to the Galería de Los Danzantes, the J building, and the Ball Game. In the end, you will return to Oaxaca City. Rest at night.
● Accommodation: Hotel Los Pilares or similar in Oaxaca.
● Activities: Rural cooking workshop and tour to Monte Albán.
● Transportation: Private Transfer to the mentioned activities.
After breakfast, your local guide will pick you up for today's tour.
You will start their tour with a visit to the millenary Tule Tree. With its more than 45 meters of circumference and 2000 years of life, it is one of the biggest and oldest trees in the world. The tour continues to Hierve el Agua, a series of impressive petrified waterfalls that are characterized by their white color and height, with the option of bathing in its warm water and turquoise pools with the arid landscape of this mountainous area in the background.
Your next stop will be Mitla, where the most important ceremonial center of the Zapotecs is located, its buildings were richly decorated with geometric shapes and are a clear example of the splendor and development of this ancient civilization. Today it also has a large craft market.
Your day will end with a visit to a wool rug weaver's workshop in Teotitlán del Valle. They will show you the traditional making of these garments and the techniques of dyeing wool with natural dyes. Return to your hotel in Oaxaca.
● Accommodation: Hotel Los Pilares or similar in Oaxaca.
● Actividades: Tour Tule, Hierve el Agua, Mitla & Valley of Teotitlán.
● Transportation: Private Transfer to the mentioned activities.
The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda once said: "Mexico is in its markets"
Today we recommend you have a light breakfast because at mid-morning your local guide will pick you up for a gastronomic tour. Your first stop will be the El Pochote Organic Market located in downtown Oaxaca, where you will taste a freshly prepared cup of java before sampling several regional delicacies including roasted grasshoppers. From there you will continue to the Barrio de la Merced to explore its market and try one of its empanadas prepared with a variety of sauces of all colors and flavors.
Afterward, you will return to La Reforma, a neighborhood that emerged in the mid-20th century, to find a restaurant with the most delicious dishes prepared with tortillas. You will continue with a hot chocolate tasting, before trying some traditional tacos from the Oaxaca Valley. As we say in Mexico with a full stomach and a happy heart you can return to your hotel to rest. In the evening we will suggest a restaurant with a terrace for dinner (not included) under the starry sky of Oaxaca. Rest at night in your hotel.
● Accommodation: Hotel Los Pilares or similar in Oaxaca.
● Activities: Gastronomical Tour in Oaxaca.
● Transportation: Private Transfer to the mentioned activities.
Artisan gastronomic factories in the communities of Sierra de Oaxaca
After your traditional breakfast, your private transportation will pick you up and take you to the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca to visit an ecotourism project of intercommunity cooperation that promotes the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the towns through the promotion of responsible tourism.
Once arriving at the community of Latuvi you will leave your things in your cabin and start this beautiful experience. First, you will participate in a Bread Workshop, where you will learn the traditional way to prepare it by using the wood ovens. In the end you will enjoy a delicious local meal with organic ingredients harvested in one of the surrounding communities.
In the afternoon, you will participate in a jam workshop given by a group of Shiga-laa women who help support their families with this initiative. With them, you will learn everything from selecting and collecting fruit in the community's plots, to preparing it and having the opportunity to taste it. Before dinner you will participate in the last workshop of the day to learn more about Pulque, a drink of pre-Hispanic origin and very characteristic of Mexico, by then it will be night so you will enjoy a night with legends on a campfire. Rest in your cabin at night.
● Accommodation: Private Cabin in Latuvi.
● Activities: Workshops of Pan Serrano, Jams & Pulque. Campfire with legends at night time.
● Transportation: Private Transfer from Oaxaca to the community of Latuvi.
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Community of Benito Juarez (approx. 30 minutes drive), where you will enjoy a walk to a viewpoint and hanging bridge (approx. 3 hours of walking). From here you will have a spectacular view of the Central Valleys of Oaxaca and if the day is clear you will be able to see the Pico de Orizaba, the highest volcano in Mexico. Finally, you will enjoy a delicious meal with a local family before heading to Oaxaca's airport (approx. 1h 35 minutes drive) -it is important to have a flight after 18:00 h. After two weeks you will carry the flavors and traditions of Mexico in your heart, with renewed energy you will start your journey back home. We hope to count on you again to continue enjoying our beautiful Mexico ¡Hasta Pronto!
● Accommodation: None included for today.
● Activities: Walking in Benito Juárez.
● Transportation: Private Transfer from Benito Juárez to the Airport of Oaxaca.
- Accommodation
With breakfast included in a double occupancy room at mentioned hotels or similar
- Activities
Mentioned as included
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Transportation
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Certified local guides
In Spanish/English language
- Entrance fees
To archaeological sites and activities mentioned as included in the itinerary
● Meals
As mentioned in the itinerary, please check day by day
What's Included
Your Local Host
Rutopia
Locally Owned Social Enterprise
Rutopía: Pioneers of Sustainable and Immersive Travel Experiences in Mexico Rutopía stands as a beacon of innovation and social responsibility in the travel industry, crafting unique journeys that connect adventurous souls with the heart and spirit of Mexico's
Getting There
