Orientation
Arriving By Plane -- The airport is a 20-minute cab ride south of town. Buy a ticket at the window on your left as you exit the airport. A private cab is 150 pesos; an airport van is 48 pesos per person for downtown locations, more for other areas.
The same company provides service from the town to the airport. Transportes Terrestres Aeropuerto Oaxaca (tel. 951/514-4350), is on the Alameda, in the building facing the cathedral. It doesn't accept phone reservations, so drop by Monday through Saturday from 9am to 2pm or 5 to 8pm to buy your ticket and arrange hotel pickup. The cost is 48 pesos from downtown hotels, 90 pesos and up from outlying hotels, and more if you have extra luggage.
Arriving By Bus -- The ADO first-class bus station is a mile north of the center of town. The taxi ride to the city center is 30 pesos. If you're coming from the Pacific coast, you may arrive at the Central Camionera de Segunda Clase (second-class bus terminal), next to the Abastos Market. It's 10 long blocks southwest of the zócalo.
Visitor Information
A tourist information office (tel./fax 951/516-0123) is at Calle Independencia 607, corner of García Vigil, in front of the Alameda. It shares the building with the Museo de los Pintores, and shares the same hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 8pm.
City Layout
Oaxaca's east-west axis is Independencia. When streets cross Independencia or the north-south axis, Alcalá/Bustamante, their names change. The city's center is the zócalo, a large square surrounded by stone archways, and the Alameda, a smaller plaza attached to the northwest part of the zócalo. Oaxaca's cathedral faces the Alameda; its Palacio del Gobierno faces the zócalo. A few blocks to the north is Plaza de Santo Domingo. The area between these open spaces holds most of the historic district's shops, hotels, and restaurants. Two streets that run from Santo Domingo toward the zócalo -- Alcalá and Cinco de Mayo -- are partly closed to traffic.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
