Self-Launched Discover Mexico: Mexico City to Oaxaca
9 days · Mexico
G Adventures charges £2,490
No-markup version: ~£548 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched 9-day version of G Adventures' "Journeys: Discover Mexico" (Mexico City → Puebla → Oaxaca), rebuilt with hostels and budget guesthouses, local buses (ADO), and self-bookable tours instead of a private vehicle and Expedition Leader. You'll still see Xochimilco at sunrise, Teotihuacán, the Frida Kahlo Museum, Puebla's Talavera workshops, Monte Albán, an alebrijes artisan village, a mezcal palenque and a hands-on Oaxacan cooking class — at roughly a third of the tour price. All costs are approximate per-person estimates in GBP.
Day-by-day
Arrive Mexico City — street-food crash course
Mexico City
Land at MEX and take an authorised airport taxi (¥220–280 MXN / ~£10–13) or the Metrobús Line 4 if you're travelling light. Check into a hostel in Roma Norte or Centro Histórico. In the late afternoon, join a small-group street food walk or a market-based cooking class in Roma/Condesa (book via GetYourGuide, ~£30–45) instead of the tour's private chef intro. Evening: tacos al pastor and a michelada in Centro.
🚌Airport taxi ~£10–13; walking + Metro (~£0.30/ride)
🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Roma Norte / Centro Histórico (~£12–20)
- →Airport transfer to hostel
- →Street food or market cooking class
- →Evening wander in Roma Norte
Sunrise Xochimilco, axolotl canals & Centro walk
Mexico City
Pre-book a sunrise Xochimilco tour with a community operator (GetYourGuide/Airbnb Experiences, ~£25–35) — you get a shared trajinera punt through the chinampas at dawn, the axolotl conservation story, and breakfast at a local chinampa farm. Back in town by early afternoon, do a self-led orientation walk: Zócalo, Templo Mayor exterior, Palacio Nacional's Diego Rivera murals (free), and the Bellas Artes facade. Optional: National Museum of Anthropology (210 MXN / ~£9).
🚌Metro + shared taxi to Xochimilco (~£2–4), Uber back (~£6–8)
🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Roma Norte / Centro Histórico (~£12–20)
- →Sunrise Xochimilco trajinera tour
- →Chinampa farm breakfast
- →Self-led Centro Histórico walk
- →Optional: Museo Nacional de Antropología
Teotihuacán — pyramids of the sun and moon
Teotihuacán / Mexico City
Get to the Norte bus terminal by 7am and take a Teotihuacán-bound bus (~£4, 1 hr). Enter at Puerta 1 and walk the Calzada de los Muertos to the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon; climb if open and add the Templo de la Serpiente Emplumada. Skip the private guide — either self-explore with an audio guide (~£5) or a shared English tour at the gate (~£20). Lunch at a roadside cocina near the site (~£6). Return to the city mid-afternoon and rest.
🚌Public bus Mexico City–Teotihuacán return ~£8
🛏Hostel dorm or private room, Roma Norte / Centro Histórico (~£12–20)
- →Teotihuacán archaeological site
- →Pyramid of the Sun & Moon
- →Audio guide or shared site tour
Casa Azul & Coyoacán, then bus to Puebla
Mexico City → Puebla
Book a timed Frida Kahlo Museum ticket online in advance (250 MXN / ~£11 — sells out days ahead). Visit Coyoacán's cobbled plazas and the Mercado de Coyoacán for tostadas afterwards. Then head to TAPO terminal and take an ADO bus to Puebla (~£14–18, 2 hrs). Evening orientation walk of Puebla's UNESCO centro: Zócalo, Catedral, and a first mole poblano dinner.
🚌Metro to Coyoacán (~£0.60); ADO bus Mexico City–Puebla ~£14–18
🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Puebla centro (~£12–20)
- →Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul)
- →Coyoacán market lunch
- →Puebla centro orientation walk
Talavera pottery, markets & Cholula
Puebla
Book a Talavera pottery workshop/demonstration directly with a studio such as Uriarte Talavera or a smaller barrio workshop (~£10–15, email ahead). Spend the afternoon at the Mercado El Parián and Barrio del Artista, or take a local bus to Cholula (~£1) for the Great Pyramid and the Nuestra Señora de los Remedios church on top. Optional: Cholula ruins entry 85 MXN (~£4).
🚌Local buses to Cholula ~£2 return
🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Puebla centro (~£12–20)
- →Talavera pottery workshop
- →Mercado El Parián
- →Cholula pyramid & church
- →Barrio del Artista
Bus to Oaxaca — zócalo, Santo Domingo & markets
Oaxaca de Juárez
Morning ADO bus Puebla–Oaxaca (~£22–28, ~4.5 hrs, comfortable reclining seats). Check into a hostel or guesthouse in Oaxaca centro — Centro and Jalatlaco are both walkable. Do a self-led orientation loop: Templo de Santo Domingo, the zócalo, and Mercado 20 de Noviembre for tlayudas and tejate. Free evening choosing among Oaxaca's famous terraces.
🚌ADO bus Puebla–Oaxaca ~£22–28
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Oaxaca centro (~£14–22)
- →Santo Domingo church
- →Zócalo people-watching
- →Mercado 20 de Noviembre food crawl
Monte Albán, alebrijes & mezcal palenque
Oaxaca de Juárez
Take a shared colectivo or local bus to Monte Albán (~£2–3; entry 95 MXN ~£4) and explore the Zapotec platforms and ball court yourself, or hire a licensed site guide at the gate (~£20 shared). In the afternoon, take a local bus to San Martín Tilcajete to visit an alebrijes carving family (small tip/donation ~£5) and then to Santiago Matatlán for a mezcal palenque tasting — Real Minero and smaller family palenques welcome drop-ins (~£5–10 tasting, produce purchases extra). Return by shared taxi (~£6–8).
🚌Colectivos/buses to Monte Albán and valley villages ~£10–14 total
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Oaxaca centro (~£14–22)
- →Monte Albán archaeological site
- →Alebrijes workshop in San Martín Tilcajete
- →Mezcal palenque tasting
- →Valley village bus-hopping
Hierve el Agua & Oaxacan cooking class
Oaxaca de Juárez
Early shared tour/colectivo to Hierve el Agua's petrified waterfall (~£15–20 round trip with a community tour operator; entry ~£5). Swim in the mineral pools, then return to the city by early afternoon. In the evening, join a hands-on tortilla-making and Oaxacan cuisine class with a local family — book via GetYourGuide or directly with operators like Casa Crespo/Alma de Mi Tierra (~£35–45) and learn mole, tlayudas and hand-pressed tortillas.
🚌Shared van to Hierve el Agua ~£15–20
🛏Hostel or guesthouse, Oaxaca centro (~£14–22)
- →Hierve el Agua petrified waterfall
- →Oaxacan cooking class with a local family
- →Tortilla-making workshop
Depart Oaxaca
Oaxaca de Juárez
Coffee and pan dulce, last minute market shopping for mezcal, chocolate and textiles, then transfer to Oaxaca airport (taxi ~£6–8) or take an overnight ADO bus back to Mexico City (~£30–35) if you're connecting onward. Note the ~$35 USD departure tax may apply depending on your airline ticket.
🚌Airport taxi ~£7; optional ADO bus to Mexico City ~£32
🛏—
- →Mercado Benito Juárez souvenir shopping
- →Departure transfer
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£548 | £2,490 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,942 per person (78%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£548
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Discover Mexico: Mexico City to Oaxaca cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £548 per person for 9 days in Mexico. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £2,490 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £548 — a saving of roughly £1,942 (78%) per person.
How long is the Mexico trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Mexico.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, foodie, budget trip through Mexico, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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