Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Mexico: Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca for three generations
8 days from Mexico City to Oaxaca for grandparents, parents and children 6 and up: pyramids and a Xochimilco boat, two nights in Puebla with Cholula and tile painting, then three nights in Oaxaca with Monte Albán and alebrijes.
8 days · Mexico City to Oaxaca · up to 12 guests
Teotihuacan, north-east of Mexico City Photo: Syced, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:June_2007_Teotihuacan_21.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Mexico City to Oaxaca
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 4.5 h on day 5
- Activity level
Easy
Mostly 2 to 4 km on foot on touring days, in short stretches with sit-down stops, on city paving, cobbles and uneven archaeological stone. Teotihuacan (about 2 to 4 km at about 2,300 m, little shade) and Monte Albán (steep platform stairs) are the longest walks; both have a short, flat option. Mexico City and Puebla sit above 2,100 m, Oaxaca at about 1,550 m. Anyone can sit any part out in the vehicle, a café or the hotel.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 515 (estimated price)
- Season
- October to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- The Sun Stone and the giant Olmec head at the Anthropology Museum, at 9 am before the school groups
- A flower-painted trajinera boat along the canals of Xochimilco, with lunch first and music on the water
- Teotihuacan at opening, then on to Puebla the same day, so nobody drives back and forth
- Painting your own Talavera tile in Puebla and walking into the tunnels of the Great Pyramid of Cholula
- Monte Albán in the cool of the morning, then painting a wooden alebrije in San Martín Tilcajete
- The vast Árbol del Tule, red cochineal dye on a child's palm in Teotitlán and the stone fretwork of Mitla
- A family cooking class with tortillas on the comal and hot chocolate before an afternoon flight home
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 4.5 h, on day 5.
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 515 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 4.5 h, on day 5.
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 near Chapultepec
- Welcome dinner at about 6 pm
- 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 with tired children. Booster seats are ready if you asked for them. The drive to the hotel takes 30 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic. We stay in a quieter neighbourhood near Chapultepec Park rather than the busy old centre, with leafy streets for a first walk.
Afternoon
Mexico City sits at about 2,240 m, so the afternoon is for settling in, a nap, plenty of water and a stroll to a park. At about 5:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets everyone in the lobby for a short briefing: how the days are paced, where the easy options are and what to eat.
Evening
Then we walk to an early welcome dinner at about 6 pm, with tacos, quesadillas and mild dishes for younger guests, and everyone is back at the hotel for a sensible bedtime.
Included
- Pick-up at Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Early welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the 5:30 pm briefing
Activity: Mexico City is at about 2,240 m. Plan to land by about 3 pm to join the briefing; the latest arrival is confirmed with your final itinerary.
Anthropology Museum and the Xochimilco boats
Chapultepec Park to Xochimilco, then back to the hotel
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 2.5 h
We are at the National Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park when it opens at 9 am, before the school groups. Your guide keeps it to the rooms children remember and grandparents enjoy: the Mexica (Aztec) hall with the Sun Stone, the giant carved Olmec head, the Teotihuacan room as a preview of tomorrow, and the Oaxaca rooms for later in the week. There are benches throughout and a courtyard with a great carved umbrella fountain for a break.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal near the park. In the early afternoon we drive about 45 minutes south to Xochimilco, where the canals of the old lake survive among chinampa gardens, part of a UNESCO listing with the historic centre. We board a trajinera, a flat, flower-painted boat with a table down the middle, for about an hour and a half on the water, passing floating food sellers and mariachi boats. It is steady and seated, with life jackets for children.
Evening
We are back at the hotel by about 5 pm and the evening is free.
Included
- National Museum of Anthropology at opening with your guide
- Sit-down lunch near Chapultepec Park
- Private trajinera boat on the Xochimilco canals, about 1.5 hours
Easier option: See only the Mexica hall and rest in the museum courtyard; the boat is seated throughout.
More active option: Walk up Chapultepec hill to the castle with your guide after lunch, about 20 minutes, instead of an hour's rest before the boat.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About 2 to 3 km on foot over the day, on flat paving inside the museum and park. Boarding the boat is one step down from the dock.
Teotihuacan at opening, on to Puebla
Mexico City to Teotihuacan, then Puebla
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Puebla
- Drive about 3.5 h
Afternoon
Today is the one early start: bags in the vehicle and away at about 7:45 am, so we reach Teotihuacan, about 50 km north-east, at opening while the air is cool and before the coaches and the midday sun. The city was built centuries before the Aztecs, who found it in ruins; UNESCO listed it in 1987. With a local site guide we walk from the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, with its carved serpent heads that children like to count, along the Avenue of the Dead past the Pyramid of the Sun to the Plaza of the Moon. The full walk is about 4 km on uneven stone with little shade; the easy version is about 2 km, with the vehicle meeting the group at the far gate. The Pyramid of the Sun has been closed to climbers since about 2020. Lunch is a sit-down meal near the site. Then we drive on to Puebla, about two hours, arriving by about 3:30 pm.
Evening
The rest of the day is for the pool, where the hotel has one, and a short evening stroll to the Zócalo with your guide.
Included
- Teotihuacan at opening with a local site guide: the Temple of the Feathered Serpent, the Avenue of the Dead, the Pyramid of the Sun and the Plaza of the Moon
- Sit-down lunch near the site
- Evening stroll to the Zócalo of Puebla with your guide
Easier option: Walk the central part of the Avenue of the Dead only, about 2 km, and meet the vehicle at the gate near the Pyramid of the Moon.
More active option: Climb the front platform of the Pyramid of the Moon if it is open on the day.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Puebla
Activity: Teotihuacan is at about 2,300 m with little shade: hats, sunscreen and water for everyone. Two drives today, about 1 hour 15 and about 2 hours, with lunch between.
Talavera tiles, sweets and the Cholula pyramid
Puebla historic centre, then Cholula and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Puebla
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A slow start, with breakfast at the hotel and nothing before 9 am. Your guide walks the group through Puebla's historic centre, listed by UNESCO in 1987: the cathedral on the Zócalo, the gilded Rosary Chapel inside the church of Santo Domingo, and the Palafoxiana Library, founded in 1646, with its old wooden shelves. Then comes the part children wait for: a Talavera pottery workshop, where you see the blue-and-white tiles shaped and glazed, and each guest paints a tile of their own, collected or posted after firing. Calle de los Dulces, the street of sweet shops, comes next, with camotes and tortitas de Santa Clara to taste.
Afternoon
Lunch is mole poblano, Puebla's dark sauce of chiles, spices and a little chocolate, with milder dishes for anyone who prefers them. In the afternoon we drive 20 minutes to Cholula, where the Great Pyramid is so buried it looks like a hill topped by a yellow church. We walk into the excavated tunnels when they are open and up to the church for views of Popocatépetl on a clear day. Back by about 4:30 pm.
Included
- Puebla historic centre walk: the cathedral, the Rosary Chapel and the Palafoxiana Library
- Talavera pottery workshop with a tile-painting session
- Calle de los Dulces tasting
- Mole poblano lunch
- The Great Pyramid of Cholula, its tunnels and the Santuario de los Remedios
Optional experiences
- Africam Safari, a drive-through wildlife park about 40 minutes south of Puebla, as a half day in place of the Cholula afternoon (price and second vehicle confirmed when you book)
Easier option: Stay at the foot of the pyramid with a drink while others walk the tunnels and climb the path to the church.
More active option: Climb the path to the church on top of the pyramid, about 15 minutes up a steep slope.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 3 km on foot over the day on flat paving, plus the optional pyramid path. The tunnels are narrow and low in places.
Through the cactus valleys to Oaxaca
Puebla to Tehuacán, Yanhuitlán, then Oaxaca
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 4.5 h
Today is the trip's one long road day: about 360 km and four and a half hours of driving on the toll highway from Puebla to Oaxaca, over our usual four-hour cap because no passenger train or practical flight links the two cities. We split it into three legs, none longer than about 1 hour 45. We leave at about 8:30 am and stop after about an hour and a half at Tehuacán, in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley, for a stretch, toilets and a snack among the tall columnar cacti of this UNESCO-listed landscape. The second leg climbs through the dry Mixteca hills to Yanhuitlán, where the 16th-century Dominican church and convent of Santo Domingo rises over a small town.
Afternoon
Your guide shows you round, there is space for children to run in the atrium, and we have a sit-down lunch nearby. The last leg is about 1 hour 15. We reach Oaxaca at about 3:30 pm, lower and warmer at about 1,550 m, with time for the pool where the hotel has one and a short walk to the Zócalo.
Included
- Drive from Puebla to Oaxaca with your guide, in three legs
- Stop at Tehuacán in the Tehuacán–Cuicatlán Valley
- The church and convent of Santo Domingo in Yanhuitlán
- Sit-down lunch near Yanhuitlán
- Short walk to the Zócalo of Oaxaca
Easier option: Rest at the hotel on arrival instead of the evening walk.
Free time: Evening free in Oaxaca
Activity: About four and a half hours of driving, the only day over four hours, in three legs of about 1 hour 30, 1 hour 45 and 1 hour 15. The vehicle has more seats than guests; bring games or downloads for the children.
Monte Albán and alebrijes
Oaxaca to Monte Albán and San Martín Tilcajete, then back to Oaxaca
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 1.5 h
Monte Albán is a 20-minute drive from the centre, on a levelled ridge about 400 m above the valley, and we are there at opening, before the sun is high on its open plaza. Founded around 500 BC, it was the Zapotec capital for more than a thousand years and shares its UNESCO listing with Oaxaca's historic centre. With a local site guide we walk the Great Plaza, the ball court, where children can picture the game, and the carved Danzantes stones, and those who want to climb the South Platform for the view across three valleys.
Morning
Late morning we drive about 45 minutes south to San Martín Tilcajete, a village known for alebrijes, the brightly painted wooden animals of Oaxaca. A carving family shows how the figures are cut from copal wood, and everyone paints one of their own to take home.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down Oaxacan meal in or near the village, with mild dishes for children. We are back in Oaxaca by about 3 pm, and the afternoon is free for the pool, a nap or ice cream in the plaza.
Included
- Monte Albán at opening with a local site guide
- Alebrije workshop in San Martín Tilcajete, with a painting session
- Sit-down Oaxacan lunch
Easier option: Stay on the Great Plaza and skip the platform stairs; there is shade at the site museum by the entrance.
More active option: Climb both the North and the South Platform for views over the whole site.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free
Activity: About 2 to 3 km on foot at Monte Albán, with steep stone stairs on the platforms and little shade.
The Tule tree, weavers and Mitla
Oaxaca through the Tlacolula Valley to Santa María del Tule, Teotitlán del Valle and Mitla
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 2.5 h
We head east into the Tlacolula Valley at about 9 am. The first stop, 20 minutes away, is Santa María del Tule and its Montezuma cypress, the Árbol del Tule, whose trunk is among the widest of any tree; local children often show visitors the animal shapes in the bark. In Teotitlán del Valle a Zapotec weaving family shows how they card and spin wool, crush cochineal insects into a deep red on the palm of a child's hand, dye with indigo and plants, and weave rugs on foot looms.
Afternoon
Lunch is a long sit-down meal in the valley. In the early afternoon we visit Mitla, the Zapotec religious centre whose walls are covered in geometric fretwork made from thousands of small cut stones. The courtyards are mostly flat; the steps down into the cross-shaped tombs are narrow and optional.
Evening
We are back in Oaxaca by about 4 pm, with time to rest before an early farewell dinner together at about 6 pm, with Oaxacan dishes for the adults and simpler plates for the children.
Included
- The Árbol del Tule in Santa María del Tule
- A weaving family's workshop and dye demonstration in Teotitlán del Valle
- Sit-down lunch in the Tlacolula Valley
- Mitla with your guide
- Early farewell dinner in Oaxaca
Easier option: Every stop is short and mostly flat; sit any of them out in the vehicle or the shade.
More active option: Add Hierve el Agua after Mitla: about 40 minutes further on mountain roads to mineral springs and rock formations like frozen waterfalls, with a steep path down and back of about an hour (price and second vehicle confirmed when you book; back about 7 pm).
Free time: Late afternoon free before dinner
Activity: About 2 km on foot over the day, mostly flat. The Mitla tombs are reached by narrow steps.
Family cooking class and home
A Oaxaca kitchen, then Oaxaca International Airport
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
The last morning is in a kitchen, with a Oaxacan cook who is used to children at the counter. We start with a short visit to a city market to buy what the class needs: dried chiles, fresh masa, tomatoes and quesillo, the local string cheese. Back in the kitchen the children press and cook tortillas on a clay comal and fill quesadillas, grandparents and parents toast chiles for a simple salsa in a molcajete, a stone mortar, and everyone grinds cacao with sugar and cinnamon to whisk into Oaxacan hot chocolate.
Afternoon
Lunch is what you have cooked, with the recipes to take home. Your bags wait at the hotel, and after lunch we drive you about 10 km south to Oaxaca International Airport (OAX), around 20 to 30 minutes, and your guide checks your flight before saying goodbye. If your flight leaves before about 4:30 pm, skip the class and we take you to the airport at the time you need. Many routes home connect through Mexico City; ask us about extra nights there or a beach extension.
Included
- Market visit with a Oaxacan cook
- Family cooking class with tortillas, salsa and hot chocolate, and the lunch you cook
- Drop-off at Oaxaca International Airport (OAX)
Easier option: Grandparents can sit at the table for the class; for a morning flight, skip the class and we drive you to the airport.
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm to join the class.
- Mexico City2 nights
- Puebla2 nights
- Oaxaca3 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: October to April is the dry season, with sunny days and cool mornings in Mexico City and Puebla, chilly in December and January, and warmer afternoons in Oaxaca where a hotel pool is welcome. From June to September afternoon rain is common, so the early site visits stay dry. Christmas, March break and Easter fill hotels; Day of the Dead and the Guelaguetza in July make Oaxaca very busy.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Grandparents, parents and children 6 and up travelling together who want one plan that works for everyone
- Families who want pyramids, boats and hands-on workshops rather than long museum days
- Travellers who prefer two- and three-night stays, early dinners and free afternoons at the hotel
- First-time visitors to Mexico who want transfers, entries and the long drive handled
Not for you if you want
- Children under 6: the minimum age is 6
- Beach holidays: there is no beach on this route, though we can quote a Oaxaca coast extension
- Step-free access: the archaeological sites mean uneven stone, steep stairs and little shade
- Travellers who struggle at altitude: Mexico City and Puebla sit above 2,100 m
Minimum age: 6
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Mexico City2 nights
- Puebla2 nights
- Oaxaca3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights in central hotels: 2 in Mexico City, 2 in Puebla, 3 in Oaxaca
- Family, triple or connecting rooms on request, with lifts or ground-floor rooms for those who need them
- 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)
- A private air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group, with more seats than guests and booster seats on request
- Every transfer in our vehicle, including Puebla to Oaxaca: no public buses
- A private trajinera boat at Xochimilco
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, with local site guides at Teotihuacan and Monte Albán
Activities
- Mexico City: the National Museum of Anthropology and a trajinera boat on the Xochimilco canals
- Teotihuacan
- Puebla: historic centre walk, the Rosary Chapel, the Palafoxiana Library, a Talavera workshop with tile painting and Calle de los Dulces
- Cholula: the Great Pyramid, its tunnels and the Santuario de los Remedios
- Tehuacán stop and the church and convent of Santo Domingo in Yanhuitlán
- Monte Albán
- Alebrije workshop with painting in San Martín Tilcajete
- The Árbol del Tule, a weaving family in Teotitlán del Valle, and Mitla
- Market visit and family cooking class in Oaxaca
Meals
- Breakfast daily (7)
- 7 lunches: near Chapultepec, near Teotihuacan, mole in Puebla, near Yanhuitlán, after Tilcajete, in the Tlacolula Valley and the cooking class
- Early welcome dinner in Mexico City and farewell dinner in Oaxaca
- Children's choices at every included meal
Not included
- International flights to Mexico City and home from Oaxaca
- Travel insurance
- Dinners not listed (5)
- Drinks with meals
- Tips, including the trajinera crew and mariachi on the canals
- Optional activities: Africam Safari and the Hierve el Agua extension
- Camera or video fees at sites that charge them
- Personal expenses and shopping
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 515 (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?
Seven nights in central hotels with family rooms on request, breakfast daily, seven lunches, an early welcome and farewell dinner, airport transfers at both ends, a private vehicle and driver for every transfer, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local site guides, and every visit in the day plan, including the Xochimilco boat, tile and alebrije painting and the cooking class.
How big is the group, and do children count?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests, and children count as guests, so a family of six might share the trip with one or two other families. The vehicle has more seats than guests and booster seats on request, so nobody is squeezed on the road to Oaxaca.
What is the minimum age, and is there a child price?
The minimum age is 6. Every day is planned so a 6-to-12-year-old can manage it, with seated boat time, painting sessions and short walks. Child prices are confirmed when you request to book; the price shown is per person sharing a room.
Is it suitable for grandparents in their seventies?
Yes, if they can walk 2 to 4 km in a day with rests. Teotihuacan and Monte Albán have uneven stone and steep stairs, but each has a short, flat option, and anyone can sit a visit out in the vehicle or a café. Mexico City's altitude, about 2,240 m, is the main effort, so day 1 is kept light.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all eight days and paces each day for the youngest and oldest. At Teotihuacan and Monte Albán a licensed local site guide joins us, and in the workshops the Talavera painters, the alebrije carvers, the weaving family and the cook lead their own part.
I am a grandparent travelling with grandchildren but no partner. Do I pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room of your own, which is from CAD 515 more and shown before you book. Most families share triple, family or connecting rooms instead, which we request for you; solo adults happy to share can ask to be paired with a guest of the same gender.
How long is the drive from Puebla to Oaxaca?
About 360 km and four and a half hours of driving, the only day over our four-hour cap, because no train or practical flight links the cities. We split it into three legs of under two hours, with a stop at Tehuacán, lunch at Yanhuitlán and arrival in Oaxaca at about 3:30 pm.
When is the best time to go with children?
October to April is the dry season, with sunny days and cool mornings, and it covers Christmas, March break and Easter. June to September brings afternoon rain, which the morning site visits mostly avoid. Day of the Dead and the Guelaguetza in July make Oaxaca very busy and raise hotel prices.
Do we need visas, and what about children travelling without both parents?
Canadian and US citizens do not need a visa for a tourist stay; the immigration officer sets the days allowed on arrival. Children travelling with grandparents or one parent should carry a signed consent letter from the absent parents. We confirm current entry and consent advice for your passports when you book.
Will there be time to rest and swim?
Yes. Most days finish by mid-afternoon: late afternoons are free in Puebla on days 3 and 4, and in Oaxaca on days 5, 6 and 7. We ask for hotels with a pool in Puebla and Oaxaca where one exists, and dinners are early, so children are in bed at a normal time.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your family only, on a date you choose, from CAD 5,445 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, transfers and local guides.
How does booking work?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes. The small group starts from CAD 3,025 per person. Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request.
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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