All the possible ways to get to Oaxaca: complete guide to flights, busses, rental cars, and more!

There are many ways how to get to Oaxaca from Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, and nearby small towns in Oaxaca state. In this transportation guide, we will give you all the information that you need.

Oaxaca City is one of the most beautiful cities in Mexico and is one of the most visited cities in southern Mexico. Oaxaca is full of culture, great cuisine, and it is still way cheaper than any other destinations in Mexico.

We do a Oaxaca road trip once a year and in this guide, we will share you everything you need to know on getting to Oaxaca City from Mexico City, Puerto Escondido, Huatulco, and many more!

You might also like:

• Mexico Insider’s Oaxaca Itinerary: 1, 3, 5 days in detail
• How to celebrate day of the dead (dia de los muertos) in Oaxaca City
• 10 Oaxaca City hostels that we love [best for solo travel]
• Hierve El Agua Oaxaca is open again after closing for 2.5 years
• Spending a day with a local family-owned mezcal distillery in Oaxaca

🚌 In a hurry? Find the best transportation options to Oaxaca here, from $39 USD.

🛫 How to fly to Oaxaca Mexico: direct flights from the US, Canada, and the UK

The airport that serves Oaxaca City is Oaxaca International Airport. At the moment, you can fly directly to Oaxaca from Los Angeles, CA (LAX) via Volaris. The flight time is 4h 6m.

If you are coming from other cities in the US, Canada, and the UK, the best way to fly to Oaxaca Mexico is through Mexico City International Airport. You can spend a few days there and then get a domestic flight.

Domestic flights from Mexico City to Oaxaca City run up to 12 flights a day (on different airlines). The estimated flight cost is US$100 (2-way) in low season.

For the day of the dead in Oaxaca or other major festivals, prices can go up to US$300.

🚐 How to get to Oaxaca from Oaxaca Airport

via Uber or ride-sharing app

Uber is not allowed in Oaxaca International Airport nor does Oaxaca City use the famous taxi ride app. In Oaxaca, the app that is commonly used for taxis is Didi. However, Didi is also not allowed to do Oaxaca airport transfers.

If you don’t want to pay expensive taxi rates, the best way to take an Uber is to walk outside the airport. It is quite a walk so not many tourists and travelers do it.

Once you are outside Oaxaca Airport, take out your Didi app and order the taxi from that spot.

via VIP taxi service

Only authorized taxi services are allowed to operate in Oaxaca. Here at Mexico Insider, we have a lot of drivers who can take you to and from Oaxaca Airport from US$150.

Mexico Insider’s local drivers can also take you to different parts of Oaxaca – just get in touch with us or use the code MXINSIDER10 upon checkout on our website to get a 10% discount.

🚗 How to get to Oaxaca from Mexico City

Flights to Oaxaca from Mexico City

The most common way on how to get to Oaxaca from Mexico City is by flying. The flight is less than an hour and a 2-way fare starts at US$100 during low season.

Popular domestic airlines that fly to Oaxaca from Mexico City are Volaris, Aeromexico, and Viva Aerobus. Make sure to check these three airlines to compare rates but we always go for Aeromexico (sister company of Delta).

Aeromexico flies from Oaxaca to Mexico City daily. See flight frequency below together with departure time from Mexico City and arrival time in Oaxaca. Note that all these flights are direct/non-stop:

• 9:30 AM – 10:44 AM
• 12:55 PM – 2:08 PM
• 1:30 PM – 2:41 PM
• 3:20 PM – 4:36 PM
• 4:05 PM – 5:21 PM
• 6:15 PM – 7:30 PM
• 8:20 PM – 9:35 PM

Bus to Oaxaca from Mexico City

If you don’t want to fly, the cheapest and most convenient way to get to Oaxaca from Mexico City is by bus. Travel time is about 6-7 hours and the busses doing this route are very comfortable.

Some people prefer overnight busses (leave Mexico City at 10:00 PM) and arrive at 5:00 AM. If you choose to take the bus from Mexico City to Oaxaca this way, you can save on accommodations with the overnight sleeper bus.

Rental cars from Mexico City to Oaxaca

Should you be up for driving around Mexico, you can rent a car in Mexico City and return it in Oaxaca City. When renting a car in Mexico, please note that you need a credit card.

Another thing you have to know is that there is a charge/fee if you are not returning the car in the same airport/location. For example, if you pick-up the car in Mexico City and drop it off in Oaxaca, expect to pay at least US$150 extra.

The road from Mexico City to Oaxaca City is an easy drive. We’ve done it a lot and the roads are safe. In the next few years, the government of Oaxaca is building a highway to make this trip shorter. We will update this post once that is official!

🚘 How to get to Oaxaca from Puerto Escondido

Flights to Oaxaca from Puerto Escondido

Travelers who spend a week on the coast of Oaxaca (particularly Puerto Escondido), always make Oaxaca City their next destination.

FYI, this is not a direct flight. The flight from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca stops in Mexico City for 2 hours. Sometimes, it’s better to do a road trip from these two areas as they are just 6 hours away from each other.

Private car transfer from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca

For those who don’t want to do a layover in Mexico City and go straight to Oaxaca comfortably, you can get private taxi driver to take you. This drive can last up to 8 hours and the drivers can charge up to US$300 for a 5-person van.

You can get in touch with us if you want us to arrange your private car transfer from your hotel in Puerto Escondido to your hotel in Oaxaca City.

Bus from Puerto Escondido to Oaxaca

You can also easily hop on a bus in Puerto Escondido bus station to get to Oaxaca. The normal price for this route is US$33 and the ride is up to 8 hours.

Our best tip is to take the night bus from Puerto Escondido and arrive in Oaxaca at sunrise (around 6:00 AM). This way, you can save in accommodations for the night.

Busses in this route are comfortable and in Mexico, we call the overnight busses “bus cama.” Cama is bed in Spanish but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a bed.

It’s just a spacious normal bus seats that you can recline – they are really comfortable! Extras include a TV, earphones, and USB charging ports.

Rental cars to Oaxaca from Puerto Escondido

We did this drive quite often and this is our favorite road trips in Mexico! You can rent a car at Puerto Escondido International Airport for as low as US$20 per day.

Please remember that if you are picking up the car in Puerto Escondido and dropping it off in Oaxaca City, there is an extra charge for a different drop-off point. Expect to pay up to US$150 for the drop-off fee.

If you will return the car in the same pick-up point, you don’t have to pay extra.

🚕 How to get to Oaxaca from Huatulco, Mazunte, and Puerto Angel

Huatulco, Mazunte, Zipolite, and Puerto Angel are the four famous destinations in the Oaxacan coast. Travelers usually combine all these as they are an hour apart (or less) from each other.

However, the only place that has an airport and a bus terminal is the city of Huatulco. The airport that serves this area is Huatulco International Airport and there are flights to Oaxaca.

Like Puerto Escondido, flights from Huatulco to Oaxaca stop in Mexico City for 45 minutes to 2 hours. If you don’t want to have a layover in Mexico City, check out these other ways to get to Oaxaca from Huatulco.

Bus to Oaxaca from Huatulco

The bus ride from Huatulco to Oaxaca takes 7 hours. You can go straight to the Huatulco bus station to get tickets but we don’t really recommend this. It’s still better to pre-book online especially during the high season (November to April).

Rental cars from Huatulco to Oaxaca

We did this 10-day Oaxaca road trip and Huatulco was included in the itinerary. You can rent a car at Huatulco International Airport for as low as US$35 per day.

Like most airports and car rentals in this post, you have to separately pay for a drop-off fee if you are not returning the car in the same pick-up point. The usual fee is US$150 but it all depends on the number of days of your rental.

⁉️ How to get to Oaxaca Mexico FAQ

✈️ Ready for your trip to Oaxaca? If you need more information about how to get to Oaxaca Mexico, we’d be happy to update this post – just leave your questions in the comment box below or join our communities where we answer questions for FREE.