Guide to Oaxaca

Boulenc - best bakery in Oaxaca (like Gjelina Take Away, but better and less pricey!), get a coffee and pain au chocolat to takeaway or dine in for brunch or lunch; so good I went here for coffee and pastries every day
Muss Cafe @ Casa Antonieta
Hierba Dulce - vegan and local with a nice patio
Itanoni, tortelleria y antojeria - traditional Mexican food made with creole corn
La Cosecha Mercado Organico - little courtyard market offering prepared food, smoothies & produce. Meet friends for coffee. All organic.
Cabuche - a hidden gem, delicious breakfast!

Selva - elegant art deco bar with superb mezcal cocktails; this place can be hard to find (nondescript entrance at ground level, which opens onto a courtyard, then take the staircase to your left to the first floor)
Criollo - farm-to-table organic tasting menu - best resto in Oaxaca (according to Bill)
El Destilado - best restaurant in Oaxaca (according to me), excellent for mezcal and snacks as well as dinner; go early and try to get a table at the rooftop restaurant for drinks and a la carte dining, or make a reservation and try their exceptional tasting menu (or both, it’s so good you’ll want to go back more than once!!)
Casa Oaxaca or Ancestral Oaxaca - both are amazing.
Hotel Sin Nombre - super chic restaurant in a converted colonial mansion with Tulum vibes. Fine dining and fancy wine list. Great for a special occasion.
La Quince Letras - authentic Oaxacan cuisine (no modern vibes here)

Walk - It’s a small city and you can walk everywhere, the Zocalo, the mercado etc
Visit the markets - Mercado 20 de Noviembre (for handicrafts), Mercado la Merced (great for breakfast or lunch), or Mercado Benito Juárez
Mezcaleria Cuish or In Situ Mezcaleria for mezcal tasting… better yet, book a private tasting at De Ella Mezcal and visit the exquisite tasting rooms inside Casa De Ella
Drive to the Rey de Matatlan mezcal distillery and see how it’s done
Visit the ruins at Mont Alban
On Sunday, drive out to Tlacolula de Matamoros, where they have a huge amazing market (Sundays only)! You can buy meat here and BBQ it on site, which is how the locals do it. Can be combined with a visit to the ruins at Yagul, and the Church San Jeronimo Tlacochahuaya, both of which are en route.

There are so many great apartments, guesthouses, and hotels in Oaxaca. Here’s a few to start:

Casa Colonial- charming colonial guest house
Grana B&B - sweet guest house in a converted 18th century mansion
Hotel Sin Nombre - an ode to art, design, and gastronomy set in yet another converted 18th century mansion (think Habitas Tulum, but Oaxacan style)

Refugio Terraza de la Tierra

Drive 3 hours down Rt 175 to the sacred Refugio Terraza de la Tierra (make a reservation so you can get your own cabin)
Go on spectacular hikes, take a yoga class, meditate, eat in the farm to table vegan restaurant, and spend cosy nights by the fire in your very own log cabin
This is a great place to escape for a few day and be in nature

The coast (Zipolite, San Agustinillo, Mazunte)

If you don’t want to drive, you can take a short but stunning flight from Oaxaca City to Huatulco International Airport (~45km from Zipolite)
Base yourself at Zipolite, San Agustinillo, or Mazunte, which all great places to explore this stretch of coast (or spend a few days in each)
Each beach has its own personality and vibe -- personally I preferred staying in San Agustinillo, which had the nicest beach, good surfing, and fewer people than Zipolite and Mazunte; it’s also a short walk or scooter ride to Mazunte where there are lots of restaurants, shops, and more beaches!

Zipolite

Hold up the bar at Mezcaleria Gota Gorda (try the Pulque), this was my favourite place to sit and sip mezcal in the whole of Oaxaca!
Stay at Soiree or Hotel Noga (across the street)
Have dinner on the beach at El Alquimista - great food and romantic vibe (although I often ate there alone and was perfectly happy!)

San Agustinillo

Want to see a suggested 10 day itinerary from my dear friend, the world famous composer Bill Barclay?

Download the guide here