Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Mexico: Day of the Dead in Mexico City and Oaxaca
7 days timed to the festival, from Mexico City to Oaxaca: marigold markets, Xochimilco and Mixquic, a short flight south, then Oaxaca's markets, comparsas and a night in a village cemetery with a local host.
7 days · Mexico City to Oaxaca · up to 12 guests
Tláhuac, on the south-east edge of Mexico City, from the air Photo: Gobierno CDMX, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sobrevuelos_CDMX_Tlahuac_(25513654937).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Mexico City to Oaxaca
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 3 h on day 3No drive day is longer than 4 hours.
- Activity level
Easy
Easy walking, 4 to 8 km a day on city streets, crowded market floors and uneven cemetery paths, some of it after dark. The effort is the hours rather than the distance: two evenings end around 11:30 pm, and Mexico City sits at about 2,240 m. Every evening outing is optional, and you can head back to the hotel at any point.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 665 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late October to 2 November (fixed festival dates)
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Mercado de Jamaica flower market banked with orange marigolds in the week before 1 November
- A trajinera to a working chinampa in Xochimilco, and lunch among the fields
- Helping a host family in San Pedro Tláhuac finish their ofrenda, then Mixquic at dusk as its cemetery is dressed
- The Mexico City Day of the Dead parade when its date falls on our days in the city
- Oaxaca's markets for the dead: marigolds, pan de muerto, chocolate, sugar skulls and candles
- A cooking class on the dishes families set on the ofrenda
- Comparsas and brass bands in Oaxaca's barrios on the night of 31 October
- An evening with a family in a valley village and a night in its cemetery, as their guests
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day, and none is longer than 4 hours.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 665 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 3 h, on day 3.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Mexico City
Mexico City International Airport to your hotel, then a short walk to the Palacio de Bellas Artes
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 45 min
Fly into Mexico City International Airport (MEX), where a driver meets you in the arrivals hall with your name and your tracked flight time, so nobody waits at the kerb. The drive to our central hotel takes 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic. Plan to land by about 3 pm. In the last week of October the city is already dressing for its dead: marigold garlands on shop fronts, papel picado strung across streets and pan de muerto in the bakery windows.
Afternoon
Mexico City sits at about 2,240 m, so take the afternoon slowly.
Evening
At about 5 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short walk along pedestrian Madero street to the white marble Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Alameda, then a briefing on the week: how the festival unfolds day by day, what to wear at night, and how we behave as guests at altars and in cemeteries. Dinner together follows at a local restaurant.
Included
- Pick-up at Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
- Evening walk to the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Alameda with your guide
- Briefing on the festival and on conduct at altars and cemeteries
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 5 pm walk
Activity: Mexico City is at about 2,240 m: drink water and go easy on alcohol the first evening.
Marigolds at Jamaica, ofrendas in the Centro
Mercado de Jamaica, then the Centro Histórico on foot
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
We leave the hotel at 7:30 am for the Mercado de Jamaica, the city's great flower market, before the morning rush. In the days before 1 November its aisles are banked with orange cempasúchil marigolds and purple cockscomb, the flowers families carry home for their altars, and your guide explains what goes on an ofrenda and why: water for the thirst of the journey, salt, candles to light the way, a photograph of the person remembered and the food they liked. From there it is a short drive to the Centro Histórico. On foot we cross the Zócalo, where in most years the city sets up large Day of the Dead installations, see the Metropolitan Cathedral and visit the Templo Mayor, the excavated great temple of the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a traditional fonda near the square.
Evening
The afternoon and evening are free: Coyoacán and the Roma and Condesa neighbourhoods fill with altars this week. If the city's Day of the Dead parade falls today, we plan the afternoon around it.
Included
- The Mercado de Jamaica flower market with your guide
- The Zócalo and the Metropolitan Cathedral
- The Templo Mayor (entry included)
- Lunch at a fonda in the Centro Histórico
- The Mexico City Day of the Dead parade, if it falls today
Optional experiences
- The Frida Kahlo Museum (Casa Azul) in Coyoacán, timed tickets booked ahead and priced at booking
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 5 km on foot, much of it in crowded market aisles and on stone paving.
Xochimilco, a Tláhuac ofrenda and Mixquic
Mexico City to Xochimilco, San Pedro Tláhuac and San Andrés Mixquic, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 3 h
We drive south about an hour to Xochimilco and board a trajinera at a quieter landing near Cuemanco, away from the party boats.
Afternoon
A boatman poles us along the canals to a working chinampa, one of the raised fields built on the old lake bed that farmers still plant, and we have lunch among the beds of vegetables and flowers. In the afternoon we continue to San Pedro Tláhuac, where a host family invites us in to help finish their ofrenda: arranging marigolds, candles, bread and fruit, and hearing about the relatives it honours.
Evening
At dusk we go on to San Andrés Mixquic, a town known across Mexico for its Day of the Dead, before the crowds arrive. Its cemetery wraps around the church of San Andrés, and this week families are cleaning and dressing the graves while stalls sell sugar skulls and bread. The biggest candle-lit nights come on 1 and 2 November, after we leave; tonight is a quieter visit, not the festival peak, which makes it easier to talk with people. We are back at the hotel by about 9 pm.
Included
- Trajinera on the Xochimilco canals to a working chinampa
- Lunch at the chinampa
- An afternoon with a host family at their ofrenda in San Pedro Tláhuac
- San Andrés Mixquic and its cemetery at dusk with your guide
Easier option: Skip Mixquic and ride back to the hotel after the Tláhuac visit; your guide arranges the car.
Activity: A long day, about 8:30 am to 9 pm, with about 3 hours in the vehicle in city traffic, broken into four legs of under an hour each. If traffic or a parade on day 2 runs late, we shorten the Mixquic stop first, then the Tláhuac visit; the Xochimilco lunch stays.
Fly to Oaxaca, into the markets
Mexico City to Oaxaca by air, then the markets of central Oaxaca
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After breakfast, about 7:30 am, we leave the hotel for the airport for the flight to Oaxaca, about an hour and a quarter in the air. By road it is about 460 km and six hours or more, so the flight gives you back most of a day; it is included, with a checked bag. Oaxaca sits lower, at about 1,550 m, and feels warmer.
Afternoon
We drop bags at our central hotel and walk to the Mercado 20 de Noviembre for lunch in the Pasillo de Humo, the smoky grill aisle, where you choose your meat and eat it at long tables with tortillas and salsa. Next door, the Benito Juárez market and the streets around it turn into a market for the dead at this time of year: marigolds and cockscomb by the armful, pan de muerto stamped with little faces, slabs of chocolate, sugar skulls, candles and papel picado. Your guide shows how a Oaxacan altar differs from the ones you saw in Mexico City.
Evening
The late afternoon and evening are free; the Zócalo and the Andador Macedonio Alcalá are a short walk away.
Included
- Flight from Mexico City (MEX) to Oaxaca (OAX), with a checked bag
- Transfers to and from both airports
- Lunch in the Pasillo de Humo at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre
- The Benito Juárez market and the market for the dead with your guide
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: We leave the hotel about 7:30 am for a mid-morning flight; the exact time is confirmed with your final itinerary.
Cooking for the ofrenda, comparsas at night
Oaxaca: a market and cooking class, then a barrio comparsa
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 30 min
A slow start, then a cooking class in Oaxaca.
Afternoon
We shop with the cook at a local market and prepare the dishes families place on the ofrenda: a mole, tamales wrapped in leaves, and hot chocolate whisked by hand, then sit down to eat them for lunch. The afternoon is free to rest, which we recommend, because the next two evenings run late.
Evening
Around dusk the city's comparsas come out: costumed groups dressed as devils, skeletons and characters from village stories, dancing behind brass bands through the neighbourhoods. Your guide takes the group to one of the barrio comparsas and keeps everyone together in the crowd. The night of 31 October is also the great vigil at the old and new cemeteries of Santa Cruz Xoxocotlán, south of the centre, which fill with candles, flowers and thousands of visitors. It is very crowded, so it is an option, not the plan: those who want to go travel there with the guide in our vehicle, and anyone can head back to the hotel at any point.
Included
- Market shopping and a cooking class: mole, tamales and hot chocolate
- Lunch at the cooking class
- A barrio comparsa with your guide in the evening
Easier option: Watch the comparsa for an hour and take a taxi back to the hotel, which the guide arranges, or skip the evening altogether.
More active option: Join the guide for the late vigil at the Xoxocotlán cemeteries, back at the hotel after midnight.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Comparsas move on foot through narrow, crowded streets with loud bands; keep valuables to a minimum.
A village cemetery night with a local host
Oaxaca to a village in the Tlacolula valley and back
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
The morning is free: walk to the church of Santo Domingo, sit in the Zócalo or sleep in after the comparsas.
Evening
In the mid-afternoon we drive about an hour east into the Tlacolula valley to a Zapotec village, where our local host has arranged for us to spend the evening with a family. We are their guests, not an audience. We help light candles at the family ofrenda, share a meal of the dishes cooked for the dead, often a mole with tamales, chocolate and bread, and hear who is being remembered. As night falls we walk with the family to the village cemetery, where graves are dressed with marigolds, candles and the favourite foods of those buried there, and families sit with them into the night, some with music. It is a quiet, personal evening, so we keep together, ask before taking photos and follow our hosts' lead. We leave around 10 pm and are back at the hotel by about 11:30 pm. The village is chosen each year with our host so that its cemetery night falls on 1 November.
Included
- An evening with a host family in a Zapotec village in the Tlacolula valley
- Dinner at the family's home
- The village cemetery at night with the family and your guide
- Return transfer to Oaxaca
Easier option: Return to Oaxaca after dinner, before the cemetery; a second car takes early leavers back.
Free time: Morning and early afternoon free
Activity: Cemetery paths are uneven and dark: wear closed shoes, bring a warm layer and a small torch.
The Panteón General and home
Oaxaca's Panteón General de San Miguel, then Oaxaca International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
On 2 November, the day for the adult dead, families across Oaxaca spend time at their graves.
Morning
After a late breakfast, those who want walk with the guide to the Panteón General de San Miguel, the city's old main cemetery, whose walls are lined with arched burial niches. Today its paths are full of families cleaning and decorating graves, with flower sellers at the gate and, in most years, music during the day. We stay about an hour, quietly, then walk back for checkout. Transfers to Oaxaca International Airport (OAX), about 10 km south of the centre, run from late morning; book a flight leaving after about 1 pm to join the cemetery walk, or take an earlier transfer if you need to. Oaxaca has limited international routes, so most travellers connect through Mexico City, so leave at least two hours for the connection. If you have more time, ask us about extra nights in Oaxaca, or about Monte Albán and the valley villages from our Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca trip.
Included
- Morning walk to the Panteón General de San Miguel with your guide
- Drop-off at Oaxaca International Airport (OAX)
Easier option: Stay at the hotel for the morning and go straight to the airport.
Activity: Book a flight leaving Oaxaca after about 1 pm to join the cemetery walk.
- Mexico City3 nights
- Oaxaca3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Late October is the start of the dry season in central Mexico: mostly clear, mild days, cool nights at altitude and a small chance of a late-season shower. The cemetery nights get cold, so bring a warm layer.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want to see Day of the Dead as guests of families, not from a grandstand
- Food and market lovers: the flower market, the Oaxaca markets and a cooking class are in the price
- Travellers happy with two late nights in exchange for slow mornings
- First-time visitors to Mexico who want the festival hotels, the flight and the evenings handled
Not for you if you want
- Anyone expecting a costume party: the cemetery nights are family remembrance, not a show
- Travellers who need flexible dates: the trip runs once a year on fixed dates
- Archaeology-focused travellers: there are no ruins in the plan (see our Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca trip)
- Step-free access: crowded streets, market floors and uneven cemetery paths at night
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Mexico City3 nights
- Oaxaca3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights in central hotels: 3 in Mexico City, 3 in Oaxaca
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Mexico City International Airport (MEX) and drop-off at Oaxaca International Airport (OAX)
- The flight from Mexico City to Oaxaca, with a checked bag, and transfers to and from both airports
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group in each city, with more seats than guests
- A trajinera on the Xochimilco canals
- Transport to and from the village on the cemetery night, and to Xoxocotlán for the option on 31 October
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, on every evening outing
- A local host for the Tláhuac family visit and the village cemetery night
Activities
- Mexico City: the Mercado de Jamaica flower market, the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Templo Mayor and a walk to the Palacio de Bellas Artes
- The Mexico City Day of the Dead parade, when it falls during our Mexico City days
- Xochimilco: a trajinera to a working chinampa
- San Pedro Tláhuac: an afternoon with a host family at their ofrenda
- San Andrés Mixquic and its cemetery at dusk
- Oaxaca: the Mercado 20 de Noviembre, the Benito Juárez market and the market for the dead
- A market visit and cooking class on the dishes of the ofrenda
- A barrio comparsa in Oaxaca on 31 October
- An evening with a host family and a night in a village cemetery in the Tlacolula valley
- The Panteón General de San Miguel on 2 November
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6)
- 4 lunches: a fonda in the Centro Histórico, a Xochimilco chinampa, the Pasillo de Humo and the cooking class
- Welcome dinner in Mexico City and dinner with the host family on the village night
Not included
- International flights to Mexico City and home from Oaxaca
- Travel insurance
- Visa or entry fees, if your passport needs them
- Dinners not listed (4)
- Drinks
- Tips, including for boatmen and host families
- Optional activities in free time: the Frida Kahlo Museum, lucha libre, Monte Albán
- Flowers, candles or bread you choose to bring to a host family's altar
- Personal expenses and shopping
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 665 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
The price includes six nights in central hotels, the Mexico City to Oaxaca flight, your guide throughout and every visit in the day plan. It also covers breakfast daily, four lunches, a welcome dinner, a dinner with a host family, airport transfers at both ends, a private vehicle and driver, the Xochimilco trajinera, both family visits, the village cemetery night and the cooking class.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That matters more than usual on this trip: a family can welcome a dozen guests at their altar, and a small group can move through a comparsa or a cemetery without taking it over. The vehicle has more seats than guests.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all seven days and stays with you on every evening outing. In Tláhuac and in the Oaxaca village, a local host who knows the families introduces us, and the families lead their own part of the evening.
When is the best time to see Day of the Dead in Mexico?
The best time is the last days of October to 2 November, and this trip runs once a year on fixed dates to match: you arrive in Mexico City around 27 October and leave Oaxaca on 2 November. Late October is also the start of the dry season. Oaxaca hotels fill months ahead, so we confirm each year's dates about a year in advance.
Will we see the Mexico City Day of the Dead parade?
Yes, if it falls on our Mexico City days, and we rearrange days 2 and 3 around it. The city sets and announces the date each year, sometimes only weeks ahead, and in some years it falls on the weekend of 1 and 2 November, when we are in Oaxaca. The flower market, the ofrendas and Mixquic happen either way.
Is it respectful for visitors to go to cemeteries on Day of the Dead?
Yes, when you go as a guest. Families in many places welcome visitors who behave as they would at any remembrance. We go with a local host, ask before photographing people or graves, never use flash, keep voices low, stay off the graves and leave the altars untouched. Your guide briefs everyone on day 1.
How fit do I need to be?
Easy fitness is enough: 4 to 8 km of walking a day on streets, market floors and uneven cemetery paths. The real effort is the hours, with two late evenings back around 11:30 pm or later, and Mexico City's altitude of about 2,240 m. Every evening outing is optional, and mornings after late nights start slowly.
I am travelling solo. What does a room of my own cost?
A room of your own is from CAD 665 more, shown before you book, with no other surcharge. Oaxaca hotels charge festival rates for single rooms too, which is why it costs more than on our other Mexico trips. Solo guests join every meal, family visit and evening on the same footing as everyone else.
How does booking work?
Request to book on the trip page; we confirm your place within 24 hours and take no payment until then. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and the small group starts from CAD 3,915. Because Oaxaca hotels fill early for the festival, an early request gives the best chance of a place.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version, for your party only, is from CAD 7,045 per person, on the festival dates or any dates you choose, though Day of the Dead itself happens only once a year. If you would rather travel independently, ask us from the dates section and we will quote hotels, transfers and local hosts for you.
Do I need a visa for Mexico?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist stay. The immigration officer decides how many days you are given on arrival, so carry your return flight and hotel details. Other passports should check the current rules before booking; we can help with the details when you book.
What is the weather like at the end of October?
Mostly dry and mild, with a small chance of a late-season shower. Days in Mexico City are mild and the nights cool at altitude; Oaxaca is warmer by day. The cemetery nights get cold, so pack a warm layer, closed shoes and a light rain jacket.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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