Embark on a Mexican food adventure, round-trip from Mexico City, with an 9-day journey through Mexico’s richest culinary regions. After touring the gastronomic and historical delights of Mexico City, wind through the streets of Puebla to sample local specialties and the markets of UNESCO World Heritage–listed Oaxaca. After a whirlwind week of sightseeing, relax in the quiet beach town of Zipolite.

You’ll fly one-way into Mexico City and take a flight back from Zipolite. Get a real taste of Mexico in four fantastic places with seven overnight stays and an overnight bus ride to Zipolite.

Taste traditional dishes cooked at street stalls, taco stands, food markets, cantinas and other vibrant local eateries. Discover where ancient cultures and modern gastronomy meet as you experience Mexico’s culinary heritage that goes back thousands of years. This tour offers a perfect mix of food tasting, sightseeing and free time to further explore places on your own. See Itinerary below for details of each day.

Itinerary

Day 1: Mexico City (D)
Arrive at your hotel any time during the day and check with reception for the location of your 6pm welcome orientation.

That evening your guide takes you on a taco crawl around town for a taste of Mexico City’s street food staples, including tacos al pastor (slow-roasted marinated pork). Eat at some of the best taco stands in the city, stopping at one of the many mezcal bars for a sip of this tequila-related alcoholic beverage.

Overnight: Hotel Metropol or similar hotel in Mexico City

Day 2: Mexico City
In the morning, begin a culinary walking tour of Mexico City’s Centro Historico. Follow your guide down the Paseo de la Reforma, the city's main avenue, to some of the city’s most iconic sites, including the Bellas Artes Palace.

Along the way, stop for a traditional desayuno (breakfast) of café de olla (sweetened spiced coffee) and pan dulce (sweet rolls). Explore the vibrant Mercado San Juan, Mexico City’s main food market, and roam the surrounding streets for hidden culinary treasures.

Watch tortillas as they are freshly pressed on the comal, and try them warm and sprinkled with salt before lunching at a charming food stall that specializes in ceviche and seafood cocktails. End up in the impressive Zocalo, the main square located in the heart of the Mexico City’s historical center and the largest city plaza in Latin America.

Spend the rest of the day at your leisure. Relax in Chapultepec Park with a spice-kissed sorbet or visit some of the Mexico City’s notable museums, including the renowned Museo Nacional de Antropologia (Anthropology Museum), considered one of the best in the world. Your evening is free for you to explore more of Mexico City’s vibrant dining scene. Make a reservation in one of the city’s top dining establishments or delve into another local venue around town (own expense).

Overnight: Hotel Metropol or similar hotel in Mexico City

Day 3: Mexico City – Puebla (B, L)
For breakfast, head over to a longstanding Mexico City bakery and enjoy cakes, breads and biscuits. Then, step aboard a private car with your guide for a 2-hour ride to Puebla.

When you reach Puebla, Mexico’s mouthwatering culinary capital and fourth-largest city, enjoy a food tour including stunning architecture and historical sites. See a wealth of colonial buildings and churches as you explore the city center on foot, including the traditional Mercado de Sabores Poblanos. This great introduction to Pueblan street food offers a multitude of stalls with local dishes cooked up by different chefs.

Here, sample local specialties for lunch like cemitas (stuffed egg-rich rolls) and tacos arabes, Arab-style tacos filled with meat cooked on a large spit, served with salsas and fresh lime. Then make a beeline for Calle de los Dulces (Sweets Street) to sample tortitas de Santa Clara — round, shortbread cookies topped with a sugary pumpkinseed glaze — and camotes, yam-based candies flavored with fruit.

That evening, check out a lucha libre match (included) and join fans to watch this national sport that’s part wrestling, part theater.

Overnight: Hotel Puebla Plaza or similar hotel in Puebla

Day 4: Puebla – Oaxaca (L)
In the morning, enjoy a hands-on cooking class. Learn the secrets to some of the city’s most prized dishes, such as sumptuous mole poblano (spicy, chocolate-tinged sauce), tinga (spicy, shredded chicken tostadas) and chiles en nogada (stuffed chilies covered in walnut sauce). Afterward, feast on your creations for lunch.

Next, take a 3-hour private car ride to Oaxaca .... a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to more than fourteen ethnic groups, including the Zapotecs and the Mixtecs. The culturally diverse city of Oaxaca is renowned for its pre-Columbian archaeological ruins, beautifully preserved colonial architecture and, of course, exquisite cuisine.

In the evening, search out your own food adventure for an authentic taste of the area's specialties, include mole. Your guide will tell you about a range of Oaxaca's best kept dining secrets to help you decide on a range of options.

Overnight: Oaxaca Real Hotel or similar hotel in Oaxaca

Day 5: Oaxaca (B)
Start the day right with some of the best quesadillas you’ll ever taste at a unique street-side restaurant, where you’ll find tortillas made daily with three different types of corn gathered from farmers’ cooperatives throughout the state.

Then, follow your guide to Abastos Market, one of Mexico’s most vibrant markets, where vendors hawk their crafts, flowers and fresh produce as they sing out among the crowds. Get a tour of the Saturday market and an introduction to Oaxacan cuisine as you sample distinct regional specialties. Enjoy a taste of queso Oaxaca (Oaxacan cheese) and sweet cactus fruit, and perhaps try the local specialty, chapulines (grasshoppers).

Complete your morning tour at the less crowded, but equally fascinating Mercado 20 de Noviembre, where you can relish lunch at the pasillo de carnes asadas (grilled meats hall) or try the scrumptious yellow mole empanadas sold just outside.

Spend a free afternoon exploring more Oaxacan markets and culinary delights. Check out the local crafts at Benito Juarez Market or chase down the region’s best chocolateria for authentic Oaxacan chocolate among several shops on Calle Mina (just south of Mercado 20 de Noviembre).

Alternatively, visit the impressive archaeological site of Monte Alban, inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of Mesoamerican cultures. See the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds carved out of the mountain at this pre-Columbian ceremonial center (own expense).

Overnight: Oaxaca Real Hotel or similar hotel in Oaxaca

Day 6: Oaxaca – Zipolite (L)
In the morning, visit Mercado Tlacolula to see one of the oldest markets in Mesoamerica come alive with Zapotec cultural traditions and language. Watch the Sunday market erupt with colorful dress and cuisine as the community gathers from neighboring villages.

Enjoy lunch at an authentic old-world Oaxacan restaurant; despite having no electricity and no menu, it serves outstanding traditional Oaxacan fare. Then, spend your afternoon exploring the impressive ruins of Mitla, an important archaeological site that once served as the main religious center for the Zapotec people. Built as a gateway between the world of the living and the dead, Mitla comes from the Nahuatl word meaning ‘underworld.’

On your return to Oaxaca, your guide will make a stop at a mezcaleria (mezcal distillery) for another taste of this locally produced spirit whose history traces back to ancient times. Enjoy the distinctive smoky flavor as you make another toast — salud!

In the evening, hop aboard an overnight bus (approx. 9 hours) toward the Pacific coast to Zipolite.

Overnight: Bus ride to Zipolite

Day 7: Zipolite
Arrive in Zipolite in the early morning and discover a gorgeous stretch of pale sand. Widely regarded as one of the most picturesque beaches along Mexico’s Pacific coast, Zipolite, which sports a bohemian vibe, is an ideal place to unwind after your whirlwind week of sightseeing.

Check in at your accommodation and luxuriate in a low-key, easy-groove kind of day. Lounge on a hammock, and check out eateries in town or the seafood market at nearby Puerto Angel. Or, simply dig your toes in the sand and work on your tan. (Please note that while nude bathing in Zipolite is usually limited to an area away from the main beach, there is a possibility of being exposed to some nudity.)

Overnight: Accommodation in Zipolite

Day 8: Zipolite (B, D)
Join local fishermen on an early morning fishing trip and haul back to shore your catch of the day. Right on the beach, watch as your fish is whipped up into ceviche (raw fish cooked in citrus juice). (If sea conditions are not favorable, your guide will take you on another activity.)

After your delicious breakfast, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy. That night, regroup with your guide and commemorate the end of your culinary adventure with dinner and a glass of mescal, against the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean.

Overnight: Accommodation in Zipolite

Day 9: Zipolite – Mexico City (B)
Pack your bags and after breakfast, take a morning flight back to Mexico City. Your tour ends at 2pm on arrival at Benito Juárez International Airport in Mexico City.

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