🇲🇽💀 Día de los Muertos:
Mexico City + Oaxaca 2028
A week of marigolds, candlelit cemeteries, parades and mezcal: Mexico City for the big parade, then Oaxaca for the real thing.
Oct 27 – Nov 3, 2028
Mexico City → Oaxaca
🇲🇽 Mexico City · Oct 27–30 (3 nights)
| Date | What | Details | Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Oct 27 | ✈️ Land in Mexico City (MEX) |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Sat Oct 28 | 💀 Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Sun Oct 29 | Coyoacán + Xochimilco |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Mon Oct 30 | ✈️ Mexico City → Oaxaca |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
🇲🇽 Oaxaca · Oct 30 – Nov 3 (4 nights)
| Date | What | Details | Cost | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 30 | Oaxaca arrival |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Tue Oct 31 | 🌼 Markets + the first night of vigils |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Wed Nov 1 | 💀 Día de los Muertos (Todos Santos) |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Thu Nov 2 | 💀 Día de los Fieles Difuntos |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Fri Nov 3 | ✈️ Fly home from Oaxaca (OAX) |
| TBD | 💡 Proposed |
Getting there · Fri Oct 27
| Date | Flight / Train | Route | Traveler(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Oct 27 | ✈️ Flight to Mexico City | Home → Mexico City (MEX) | Courtney ❓ others TBD | 💡 Proposed |
Within Mexico
| Date | Flight / Train | Route | Traveler(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 30 | ✈️ Flight (or ADO bus) ~1 hr flight · ~6.5 hr bus | Mexico City → Oaxaca (OAX) | Courtney ❓ others TBD | 💡 Proposed |
| Wed Nov 1 | 🚗 Driver / tour Hierve el Agua + Mitla + mezcal day trip Book with a local guide | Oaxaca → Valley → Oaxaca | Courtney ❓ others TBD | 💡 Proposed |
Getting home · Fri Nov 3
| Date | Flight / Train | Route | Traveler(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Nov 3 | ✈️ Flight home usually via Mexico City | Oaxaca (OAX) → Home | Courtney ❓ others TBD | 💡 Proposed |
💀 Your Día de los Muertos Route
Open in Google Maps →🇲🇽 Mexico City
Oct 27–30 · 3 nights
The spectacle: the big parade, a giant Zócalo altar, Catrinas everywhere.
- Gran Desfile (verify date)
- Coyoacán altars + Xochimilco
Where to stay & more info →
🏨 Where to stay
- TBD: Roma Norte or Condesa (walkable, great food)
🍽️ Eat & drink
- Contramar (seafood lunch)
- Tacos al pastor in Roma
- Pujol (book well ahead)
ℹ️ Good to know
- Book the parade day early. Crowds are huge
🌼 Oaxaca
Oct 30 – Nov 3 · 4 nights
The heart of it: candlelit cemeteries, comparsas and family altars.
- Xoxocotlán cemetery vigil (Oct 31)
- Village comparsas
Where to stay & more info →
🏨 Where to stay
- TBD: Centro or Jalatlaco. Book 6+ months ahead; this is Oaxaca's busiest week
🍽️ Eat & drink
- Mole + tlayudas
- Mercado 20 de Noviembre's grilled-meat hall
- Mezcal bars around Santo Domingo
ℹ️ Good to know
- Cemeteries are family spaces. Go with a local guide, ask before photographing, bring marigolds or a candle
⛰️ Oaxaca Valley
Wed Nov 1 · day trip
Petrified waterfalls, ruins and mezcal country.
- Hierve el Agua
- Mitla + a mezcal palenque
Where to stay & more info →
🥾 Things to do
- Hierve el Agua's mineral pools
- Mitla ruins
- Mezcal tasting in Santiago Matatlán
- Monte Albán (Nov 2, closer to the city)
ℹ️ Good to know
- Hire a driver for the day
🗺️ The Route on a Map
Open in Google Maps →General reminders:
Booking Checklist
| ✓ | Item | Date |
|---|---|---|
🏨 Oaxaca hotel · 4 nights Book 6+ months ahead. Peak week | Oct 30 – Nov 3 | |
✈️ Flight to Mexico City | Fri Oct 27 | |
🏨 Mexico City hotel · 3 nights Roma Norte / Condesa | Oct 27 – Oct 30 | |
📅 Verify the 2028 parade date | Sat Oct 28? | |
✈️ Mexico City → Oaxaca flight (or ADO bus) | Mon Oct 30 | |
🕯️ Local guide for the Xoxocotlán cemetery vigil | Tue Oct 31 | |
🚗 Driver for Hierve el Agua + Mitla + mezcal | Wed Nov 1 | |
✈️ Flight home from Oaxaca | Fri Nov 3 |
💀 Día de los Muertos 2028Wed Nov 1 – Thu Nov 2
📅 For reference: 2027Mon Nov 1 – Tue Nov 2
About the Holiday
💀 What it is
Families welcome back the spirits of loved ones with altars (ofrendas), marigolds, candles, photos and favorite foods. Nov 1 honors children, Nov 2 adults.
🌼 Oaxaca
The most traditional: all-night cemetery vigils, village comparsas (costumed processions), sand tapestries and huge markets.
🎭 Mexico City
The spectacle: the Gran Desfile parade, a giant altar in the Zócalo, and Catrina face paint everywhere.
🙏 Etiquette
Cemeteries are family spaces. Go with a guide, ask before photos, keep it quiet, and bring a candle or marigolds as an offering.
💰 Cost Summary
| Category | Details | Est. Cost |
|---|---|---|
✈️ Flights | Home → Mexico City · Mexico City → Oaxaca · Oaxaca → home | TBD (dollars + points) |
🏨 Stays | Mexico City 3 nights · Oaxaca 4 nights (peak pricing) | TBD (dollars + points) |
🕯️ Guides + drivers | Cemetery vigil guide · valley day trip | TBD (dollars + points) |
🍽️ Food + mezcal | TBD (dollars + points) | |
Total | TBD |
Show Mexican pesos (MXN) with USD alongside.
🧠 Brain dump: Add an idea below: a link, an Instagram post, a tour, a restaurant, "we should…". Claude replies with a quick take (what it is, when it happens, worth it or not), and Courtney picks the verdict. Tip: Instagram posts often can't be opened without logging in, so add a few words on what it is.
🧠 Brain Dump
| Added | Idea & replies | Claude's Take | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading ideas… | |||
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