One Week in Mexico: The Perfect 7-Day Itinerary

Mexico is one of the world’s great travel destinations — a country of extraordinary depth, where ancient civilisations, Spanish colonial architecture, extraordinary cuisine, and some of the world’s most vibrant cities all coexist. Seven days is enough to understand why people become obsessed with Mexico. It’s enough to fall in love with it.

Days 1–3 – Mexico City (CDMX)

Arrive in Mexico City — one of the world’s great metropolises, a city of 22 million people that has more UNESCO World Heritage monuments than almost any other, an extraordinary restaurant scene, and a cultural vitality that constantly surprises.

Day 1: Start at the Zócalo — the main plaza, one of the largest in the world, surrounded by the Metropolitan Cathedral (built over 250 years, 1573–1813) and the Palacio Nacional, which contains Diego Rivera’s stunning murals depicting the entire history of Mexico. Walk to the adjacent ruins of Templo Mayor — the ceremonial centre of the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, excavated below the modern city since 1978.

Afternoon: the Historic Centre (Centro Histórico) — walk the streets around the Zócalo, filled with colonial buildings, street food vendors (tlayudas, tortas, tacos al pastor from vertical spits), and the famous Mercado San Juan for local produce and food stalls.

Day 2: A full morning at the Museo Nacional de Antropología — widely considered one of the world’s greatest museums. Twelve halls cover Mexico’s pre-Columbian civilisations: the Olmec, Toltec, Aztec, and Maya among others. The Aztec Sun Stone (the “Aztec Calendar”) is here. Allow 3–4 hours minimum. Located in Chapultepec Park, Latin America’s largest urban park.

Afternoon: the Museo Frida Kahlo (Casa Azul) in Coyoacán — the blue house where Frida Kahlo was born, lived, and died. The most visited museum in Mexico for good reason — her paintings, personal objects, and the house itself are extraordinary.

Evening: dinner in Roma or Condesa — the city’s most celebrated restaurant neighbourhoods. Street tacos at El Califa de León (Michelin-starred), or a proper sit-down meal at one of the many excellent restaurants in this area.

Day 3: Day trip to Teotihuacán — the ancient city 50km northeast of Mexico City, built between the 1st and 7th centuries CE. The Pyramid of the Sun (the world’s third-largest pyramid by volume) and Pyramid of the Moon dominate the Avenue of the Dead. Climb both. Arrive early (before 9am) to beat the heat and crowds.

Return to Mexico City for evening. The Bellas Artes Palace (Art Nouveau exterior, Diego Rivera murals inside, opera and ballet performances) is worth a walk-around if time allows.

Day 4 – Fly to Oaxaca

One-hour flight from Mexico City to Oaxaca — one of Mexico’s most celebrated cities, known for its remarkably well-preserved colonial centro, its indigenous Zapotec culture, and its extraordinary cuisine (often described as the country’s finest).

Afternoon: walk the Zócalo and the streets of the historic centre — colourful facades, mezcal bars, chocolate workshops (Oaxaca’s famous chocolate is processed from cacao with cinnamon and sugar into thick drinking chocolate or tablets).

Mercado 20 de Noviembre: Oaxaca’s main food market. The BBQ corridor — rows of women grilling Oaxacan sausage (tasajo, chorizo, cecina) over charcoal — is one of Mexico’s great food experiences.

Evening: mezcal tasting at a mezcalería. Oaxaca is the spiritual home of mezcal — try single-variety agave spirits (espadín, tobalá, tepeztate) with an informed guide.

Day 5 – Oaxaca: Monte Albán & Craft Villages

Morning: Monte Albán — the extraordinary Zapotec capital perched on a levelled hilltop above the Oaxaca valley, occupied from 500 BCE to 700 CE. The views of the surrounding valleys are spectacular; the architectural scale is humbling. 30 minutes from Oaxaca by taxi.

Afternoon: Drive through the craft villages of the Oaxacan valleys — Teotitlán del Valle (Zapotec weaving using natural dyes), San Bartolo Coyotepec (black clay pottery, a pre-Columbian tradition), or Tlacolula Market (one of Mexico’s great traditional markets, held Sunday — check the day).

Day 6 – Oaxaca to Mexico City / Puebla

Option A: return to Mexico City and take a 2-hour bus to Puebla — a UNESCO-listed colonial city famous for its talavera tiles (hand-painted blue-and-white ceramics covering buildings and churches), mole poblano (the complex chile-chocolate-spice sauce), and chiles en nogada (in season August–September).

Walk the historic centre: Puebla Cathedral, the Barrio del Artista, and the streets lined with talavera-tiled facades. Dinner: try mole negro or mole coloradito at a traditional Oaxacan-Pueblan restaurant.

Option B: spend the full day in Oaxaca visiting the Tule Tree (2,000-year-old ahuehuete cypress, possibly the world’s largest tree by circumference), the Mitla ruins (Zapotec-Mixtec ceremonial centre), and the dramatic Hierve el Agua petrified waterfalls.

Day 7 – Departure from Mexico City

Return to Mexico City by bus or short flight, and depart from Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX).

If time before departure: the Coyoacán neighbourhood (Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’s stomping ground — a bohemian, tree-lined area with weekend craft markets, fantastic cafés, and the León Trotsky Museum), or a final morning in the Centro Histórico.

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Practical Notes

Getting around: Mexico City’s Metro is excellent, cheap (€0.30 per trip), and covers all the main areas. Uber and InDriver are safe and essential for non-Metro trips. For intercity travel: ADO buses (first-class, comfortable, reliable) for Oaxaca (6 hours from CDMX) or Puebla (2 hours); or domestic flights.

Safety: Mexico City and Oaxaca are both generally safe for tourists who exercise standard urban awareness. Avoid flashing valuables, use Uber rather than hailing street taxis, and stay in the established tourist areas of both cities.

Best time: October–April. Summer brings rain (July–September — heavy afternoon downpours in CDMX). Oaxaca has its best weather October–May.

Food rule: Eat at the markets and street stands. Mexico’s Michelin-starred chefs frequently cite street food as their biggest influence — because it’s genuinely extraordinary.