Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Women-only Mexico: Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca
8 days for women only from Mexico City to Oaxaca, led by a See Sight Tours woman guide: Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul, Teotihuacan at opening, a night in Puebla, then three nights in Oaxaca with Monte Albán, women weavers and a cooking class.
8 days · Mexico City to Oaxaca · up to 12 guests
Teotihuacan, north-east of Mexico City, which we reach at opening on day 3 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
Moderate
Mostly city walking, 6 to 9 km on the busiest days on cobbles and stone paving. Teotihuacan (about 4 km on uneven stone with little shade, at about 2,300 m) and Monte Albán (steep platform stairs) are the most demanding mornings. The altitude is the main effort: Mexico City sits at about 2,240 m. The first evening is kept slow, every climb is optional and you can sit out any part of a day.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 555 (estimated price)
- Season
- October to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- A slow first evening: a frank briefing on dress and conduct from your woman guide over a light supper near the hotel, then an early night
- The National Museum of Anthropology at opening, then Frida Kahlo's Casa Azul on a timed entry and lunch in Coyoacán market
- Teotihuacan at opening with a local site guide, before the coaches and the midday heat
- The Great Pyramid of Cholula, then mole poblano and the old convent kitchen of Santa Rosa in Puebla, where the city's nuns cooked
- Monte Albán early, then a black pottery workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec
- A women's weaving cooperative in Teotitlán del Valle, a mezcal palenque in Santiago Matatlán and the stone fretwork of Mitla
- A last-morning market visit and cooking class with a Oaxacan cocinera before your flight home
- Single rooms or roommate matching with another woman on request, shown before you book
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 555 (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, an easy first evening
Mexico City International Airport to your hotel in the centre
- Light welcome supper
- 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.
Afternoon
Nothing is planned for the afternoon: check in, rest, or take a slow walk near the hotel. Mexico City sits at about 2,240 m, higher than most visitors expect, so drink plenty of water and go easy. At about 6:30 pm your See Sight Tours guide, who is a woman, meets the group for a short, frank briefing on the week: what local women wear in town and in churches, how to handle street comments, which taxis to use, how rooms are shared and how the days are paced. We stay for a light welcome supper of tacos and regional dishes at a restaurant a short walk from the hotel and finish early, so the first full day starts rested. Plan to land by about 3 pm; later arrivals are met and briefed in the morning.
Included
- Pick-up at Mexico City International Airport (MEX)
- Welcome briefing with your guide on dress, conduct and getting around
- Light welcome supper near the hotel
Free time: Free until the 6:30 pm briefing
Activity: Mexico City is at about 2,240 m. Drink water, take it slowly today and go easy on alcohol at supper.
Anthropology at opening, Frida's Casa Azul
Chapultepec Park to Coyoacán, then the centre
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 1.5 h
We start at the National Museum of Anthropology in Chapultepec Park when it opens at 9 am, before the school groups arrive. Your guide takes you straight to the rooms that matter for the week: Teotihuacan, the Mexica (Aztec) hall with the Sun Stone, and the Oaxaca rooms on the Zapotec and Mixtec cultures, so the sites you see later already have a story.
Afternoon
Late morning we drive about 30 to 45 minutes south to Coyoacán for lunch at the stalls of its covered market: tostadas, quesadillas and fresh juices at the counters. In the early afternoon we enter the Casa Azul, the blue house where the painter Frida Kahlo was born, worked and died, on a timed ticket booked ahead: her studio, her bedroom and the exhibition of the dresses she wore. Afterwards there is time to walk the plazas and the Jardín Centenario before we drive back to the centre at about 4 pm.
Evening
The evening is free, with the hotel close by.
Included
- National Museum of Anthropology at opening with your guide
- Lunch at Coyoacán market
- The Casa Azul (Museo Frida Kahlo) on a timed entry, with the camera permit for phone photos where it is sold
- A walk through Coyoacán's plazas
Optional experiences
- Lucha libre at Arena México on the evenings it runs (ticket price shown when you book; we go as a group with the guide)
Easier option: Rest in a café on the Jardín Centenario instead of the Coyoacán walk.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About 6 km on foot over the day, on flat paving; the Casa Azul has stairs to the studio.
Teotihuacan at opening
Mexico City to Teotihuacan, then the Centro Histórico
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Mexico City
- Drive about 2 h
Afternoon
We leave the hotel at about 7:45 am and drive about 50 km north-east, an hour or a little more in morning traffic, to reach Teotihuacan at opening, while the air is cool and before the tour coaches and the midday sun. The city was built centuries before the Aztecs, who found it already in ruins and gave it the name it still carries; UNESCO listed it in 1987. With a local site guide, a woman where one is available, we walk the Avenue of the Dead from the Ciudadela and the Temple of the Feathered Serpent past the Pyramid of the Sun to the Plaza of the Moon, about 4 km on uneven stone with little shade. The Pyramid of the Sun has been closed to climbers since about 2020 and Moon access varies, so we confirm before you travel. After a sit-down lunch near the site we drive back to the Centro Histórico for a short walk at about 3 pm: the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the excavated Templo Mayor of Aztec Tenochtitlan with its museum.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Teotihuacan at opening with a local site guide: the Ciudadela, 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
- The Zócalo and the Metropolitan Cathedral
- Templo Mayor ruins and museum
Optional experiences
- A sunrise hot-air balloon flight over Teotihuacan, weather permitting, with an earlier pick-up (price shown when you book)
Easier option: Walk the central part of the Avenue of the Dead only, about 2 km, and go back to the hotel after lunch instead of the Centro walk.
More active option: Climb the front platform of the Pyramid of the Moon if it is open on the day; the Pyramid of the Sun is not climbable.
Free time: Evening free; Diego Rivera's murals at the Palacio Nacional are a short walk from the Zócalo when it is open to visitors
Activity: Teotihuacan is at about 2,300 m with little shade: bring a hat, sunscreen and water. About 8 km on foot over the day.
Cholula and a night in Puebla
Mexico City over the Río Frío pass to Cholula, then Puebla
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Puebla
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive east over the Río Frío pass, about two hours and a little over 120 km, to Cholula. On a clear morning Popocatépetl, an active volcano, and Iztaccíhuatl stand to the south as we come down into the valley. The Great Pyramid of Cholula looks like a hill because most of it is buried, with the yellow church of the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios on top. We walk up to the church for the view and through the tunnels when they are open.
Afternoon
Lunch in Puebla is mole poblano, the dark sauce of chiles, spices and chocolate. Afterwards we visit the former convent of Santa Rosa, now a museum of Puebla folk art, whose tiled kitchen is where tradition says the nuns created mole. Your guide then walks you through the historic centre, listed by UNESCO in 1987: the cathedral, the gilded Rosary Chapel, the Palafoxiana Library founded in 1646, a Talavera pottery workshop and Calle de los Dulces.
Evening
The evening is free among the tiled facades.
Included
- The Great Pyramid of Cholula and the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de los Remedios
- Mole poblano lunch in Puebla
- The former convent of Santa Rosa and its tiled kitchen (Museo de Arte Popular Poblano)
- Puebla historic centre walk: the cathedral, the Rosary Chapel and the Palafoxiana Library
- Talavera pottery workshop visit
- Calle de los Dulces
Easier option: Stay at the foot of the pyramid instead of climbing the path to the church.
Free time: Evening free in Puebla
Activity: The path up to the church on the pyramid is steep and about 15 minutes' walk. Puebla sits at about 2,150 m.
South to Oaxaca and the grill aisle
Puebla to Oaxaca on the toll highway
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 4.5 h
Today is the trip's one longer drive: about 340 km and four and a half hours on the toll highway from Puebla to Oaxaca, just over our usual four-hour cap. There is no passenger train and no practical flight between the two cities, so we leave at about 8 am and break the drive with a coffee and stretch stop around the Cuacnopalan junction, where the Oaxaca highway leaves the road to Veracruz, and a second short stop in the Mixteca hills, where the road climbs through cactus country. Stops are at service areas with clean toilets where the road allows.
Afternoon
We reach Oaxaca at about 1:30 to 2 pm and go straight to the Mercado 20 de Noviembre for a late lunch in the Pasillo de Humo, the smoky grill aisle: choose your meat, have it grilled in front of you and eat at long tables with tortillas and salsa. After checking in, an easy walk takes in the Zócalo, the cathedral, the pedestrian Andador Macedonio Alcalá and the church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán. Oaxaca sits lower, at about 1,550 m.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Drive from Puebla to Oaxaca with your guide, with two stops
- Late lunch in the Pasillo de Humo at the Mercado 20 de Noviembre
- Orientation walk: the Zócalo, the cathedral, the Andador Macedonio Alcalá and Santo Domingo de Guzmán
Easier option: Skip the orientation walk and rest at the hotel after lunch.
Free time: Evening free in Oaxaca
Activity: About four and a half hours of driving, the only day over four hours, broken by two stops. The vehicle has more seats than guests.
Monte Albán and black pottery
Oaxaca to Monte Albán and San Bartolo Coyotepec, then back to Oaxaca
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Oaxaca
- Drive about 1 h
Monte Albán is a 20-minute drive from the centre, on a levelled ridge about 400 m above the valley floor, and we are there at opening, before the sun is high on its open plaza where shade is scarce. Founded around 500 BC, it was the Zapotec capital for more than a thousand years and shares its UNESCO listing (1987) with Oaxaca's historic centre. With a local site guide, a woman where one is available, we walk the Great Plaza, the ball court, the arrow-shaped Building J and the carved stones of the Danzantes, and climb the North or South Platform for the view across the valleys. On the way back we stop at San Bartolo Coyotepec, where a family workshop shows how barro negro, the black pottery of the valley, is shaped by hand, polished with quartz and fired to its dark sheen; it was a woman potter of the village who developed the polished finish now sold worldwide.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down Oaxacan meal before we return at about 2 pm. The afternoon is free: the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, a café in Jalatlaco or a rest.
Included
- Monte Albán at opening with a local site guide
- Black pottery (barro negro) workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec
- Sit-down Oaxacan lunch
Easier option: Stay on the Great Plaza and skip the platform stairs.
More active option: Climb both the North and the South Platform for views over the whole site.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free; your guide can point you to the Museo Textil de Oaxaca and the women's craft shops of the centre
Activity: About 3 km on foot at Monte Albán, with steep stone stairs on the platforms and little shade.
Tule, women weavers, mezcal and Mitla
Oaxaca through the Tlacolula Valley to Santa María del Tule, Teotitlán del Valle, Santiago Matatlán 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. First stop is Santa María del Tule and its Montezuma cypress, the Árbol del Tule, whose trunk is among the widest of any tree. In Teotitlán del Valle, a Zapotec weaving village where women have formed their own cooperatives to sell their rugs directly, the women of a cooperative show how they card and spin wool, dye it with cochineal, indigo and plants, and weave on foot looms; we confirm the cooperative with your dates.
Morning
Further on, in Santiago Matatlán, we spend the late morning at a family palenque, a small mezcal distillery, run or co-run by a woman mezcalera where we can confirm one: agave hearts roasted in an earth pit, crushed under a stone wheel and distilled in copper or clay.
Afternoon
A tasting comes with a long lunch at the palenque or in the village. In the afternoon we visit Mitla, the Zapotec religious centre whose walls are covered in geometric stone fretwork.
Evening
We are back in Oaxaca by about 5 pm, with time to rest before a farewell dinner together, and your guide walks the group back to the hotel.
Included
- The Árbol del Tule in Santa María del Tule
- A women's weaving cooperative in Teotitlán del Valle
- Mezcal palenque visit and tasting in Santiago Matatlán
- Lunch at the palenque or in the village
- Mitla with your guide
- Farewell dinner in Oaxaca
Optional experiences
- In place of this day: a guided village hike in the Sierra Norte (Pueblos Mancomunados) with a community guide, about 2 hours each way by road and 3 to 4 hours on forest trails at around 3,000 m (price shown when you book)
Easier option: Every stop is short and flat; sit any of them out in the vehicle or a café, and skip the tasting if you do not drink.
More active option: Add Hierve el Agua after Mitla: about 40 minutes further on mountain roads to mineral springs and rock formations that look like frozen waterfalls, with a steep path down and back of about an hour (price shown when you book; back in Oaxaca about 7 pm).
Free time: Late afternoon free before dinner
Activity: Mezcal tastings are small pours; non-alcoholic drinks are always offered.
Market, cooking class and home
A Oaxaca market and kitchen, then Oaxaca International Airport
- Breakfast and lunch
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
Your last morning is in the kitchen. A Oaxacan cocinera, a woman cook trained in her family's kitchen, meets the group at a city market to buy what the class needs: dried chiles, herbs such as hoja santa, fresh masa and quesillo, the local string cheese. We confirm the cook and her kitchen with your dates. Back in the kitchen you toast chiles and seeds for a mole, press and cook tortillas on a clay comal and grind salsa in a molcajete, a stone mortar, while she tells you how the dishes are made at home and for village fiestas.
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. 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 when you need to go. Many routes home connect through Mexico City; ask us about extra nights there when you book.
Included
- Market visit with a Oaxacan cocinera
- Cooking class, with the lunch you cook
- Drop-off at Oaxaca International Airport (OAX)
Easier option: For a morning flight, skip the class: we drive you to the airport when you need to go.
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm to join the class.
- Mexico City3 nights
- Puebla1 night
- 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 to cold mornings in Mexico City and Puebla in December and January. From June to September afternoon rain is common, so the early starts keep the sites dry. Day of the Dead (around 31 October to 2 November) and the Guelaguetza in July fill Oaxaca and raise hotel rates.
Want this plan in your inbox?
Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.
Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Women travelling solo who want company without being paired up by default
- Women who want time with Mexican women: weavers, a cocinera, Frida Kahlo's house, a woman mezcalera where we can confirm one
- Food-led travellers who want markets, mole and a cooking class included
- A steady pace with a soft first evening and free time in every city
Not for you if you want
- Mixed groups or couples: the dated small group is for women only
- Beach time: there is none on this trip (Puerto Escondido is an extension we can quote)
- Step-free access: archaeological sites mean uneven stone, steep stairs and little shade
- Travellers who struggle at altitude: Mexico City and Puebla sit above 2,100 m
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Mexico City3 nights
- Puebla1 night
- Oaxaca3 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights in central hotels: 3 in Mexico City, 1 in Puebla, 3 in Oaxaca
- Twin rooms shared with another woman, roommate matching on request, or your own room 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
- Every transfer in our vehicle, including Puebla to Oaxaca: no public buses or street taxis
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours woman guide for the whole trip
- Local site guides at Teotihuacan and Monte Albán, women where available
Activities
- Mexico City: the National Museum of Anthropology, the Casa Azul (Museo Frida Kahlo) with a timed entry, Coyoacán, the Zócalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Templo Mayor
- Teotihuacan
- Cholula: the Great Pyramid and the Santuario de los Remedios
- Puebla: the former convent of Santa Rosa, a historic centre walk, the Rosary Chapel, the Palafoxiana Library and a Talavera workshop
- Oaxaca: the Mercado 20 de Noviembre and an orientation walk
- Monte Albán
- Black pottery workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec
- The Árbol del Tule, a women's weaving cooperative in Teotitlán del Valle, a mezcal palenque with tasting in Santiago Matatlán, and Mitla
- Market visit and cooking class with a Oaxacan cocinera
Meals
- Breakfast daily (7)
- 7 lunches: Coyoacán market, Teotihuacan, mole in Puebla, the Pasillo de Humo, after Monte Albán, at the palenque and the cooking class
- A light welcome supper in Mexico City and a farewell dinner in Oaxaca (2)
Not included
- International flights to Mexico City and home from Oaxaca
- Travel insurance
- Dinners not listed (5)
- Drinks, except the mezcal tasting
- Tips
- Optional activities: the Teotihuacan balloon flight, lucha libre, the Hierve el Agua extension and the Sierra Norte hike
- Camera or video fees at sites that charge them, beyond the Casa Azul permit
- Purchases from the cooperative and workshops
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 555 (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, breakfast daily, seven lunches, a welcome supper and a farewell dinner, airport transfers at both ends, a private vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours woman guide throughout, local site guides, and every visit in the day plan, including the Casa Azul, Teotihuacan, Monte Albán, Mitla, the weaving cooperative, the mezcal palenque and the cooking class.
Who can join a women-only trip?
Any woman, travelling alone or with friends; the minimum age is confirmed when you book. The dated small group is for women only, guests and lead guide alike. Drivers and some site guides and hosts will be men, and your guide is with the group every day. For a mixed group, book our regular Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca trip.
How big is the group?
The small group runs with 7 to 12 women, small enough to hear the guide at the sites and fit around one table at lunch. The vehicle has more seats than guests, so nobody is squeezed on the drive to Oaxaca.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours woman guide travels with the group for all eight days. At Teotihuacan and Monte Albán a licensed local site guide joins us, a woman where one is available, and in the villages the weavers, the palenque and the cook lead their own part of the day. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
I'm travelling solo. Do I have to pay a single supplement?
Only if you want a room of your own, which is from CAD 555 more and shown before you book. If you would rather share, ask for roommate matching and we pair you with another woman on the same departure at the shared price. If no match is found, we tell you before you confirm.
What should I wear in Mexico City and Oaxaca as a woman?
Dress as local women do in town: jeans or light trousers, skirts or dresses to the knee and a light top. Shorts are rare in Mexico City and draw more attention. Cover shoulders in churches. Bring layers for cool mornings at altitude, a sun hat for the sites and flat shoes for cobbles.
Is Mexico safe for women travellers?
The places on this route are visited by many women travelling alone, and your guide and vehicle are with the group every day. Street comments from men are common and best ignored. Use taxis the hotel books or an app, watch your drink in bars, and read your government's state-by-state travel advice before you book.
How fit do I need to be, and will the altitude affect me?
Moderate fitness is enough. Expect 6 to 9 km of walking on the busiest days, with uneven stone at Teotihuacan and steep stairs at Monte Albán. Mexico City is at about 2,240 m, so some people feel breathless or get a mild headache at first; day 1 is kept light and every climb is optional.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The trip also comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 5,555 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.
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 keep your entry record with your passport. Other nationalities should check Mexico's current rules before booking.
When is the best time to go?
October to April is the dry season, with sunny days and cool mornings at altitude. June to September brings afternoon rain, which the early starts mostly avoid. Day of the Dead (around 1 and 2 November) and the Guelaguetza in July make Oaxaca busy and raise hotel prices.
How does booking work?
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. The small group starts from CAD 3,085 per person sharing a room, with taxes included.
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.
Book your Tour
Get in Touch
- Toll Free1-888-961-6584
- Local1-289-271-9767
© 2026 See Sight Tours. All rights reserved.