How to Get to Monte Alban from Oaxaca City Without a Tour, Oaxaca, Mexico

Are you planning on taking a trip to the beautiful archaeological site of Monte Alban in Oaxaca and are wondering if you can get there without a tour? If so, then in this blog post you can find out different ways to get from Oaxaca City to Monte Alban by yourself. It’s super easy and great for those on a tighter budget.

Whilst there are many things to do in Oaxaca City itself, there are also plenty of unique and unforgettable day trips like Monte Alban that you should consider going on during your visit. Both the state and the city of Oaxaca became one of our favourite places in Mexico because of these experiences.

If you’d like to see our day trips from Oaxaca then make sure to watch our YouTube video by clicking here. You can also check out our Mexico Playlist for more adventures.

Brief History of Monte Alban

Set on a mountaintop, approximately 9km to the west of Oaxaca City, at 1,940m above sea level, are the impressive ruins of Monte Alban. It is definitely the most significant archaeological site in the Oaxaca Valley.

Founded in 500 BC, it served as the capital city of the ancient Zapotec people. It was also one of the most important cities in Mesoamerica. During its peak (between 200AD and 600AD) it was home to at least 30,000 people. Around 800AD the city lost its political power and was abandoned. The Mixtec people found it later and used it as a burial site. 

It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987.

Based on the style of the buildings, murals and ceramics in Monte Alban, its believed to have a link to Teotihuacán in Mexico City. Personally, we preferred Monte Alban to Teotihuacan, since it was smaller, less crowded and at the time of our visit it was also much greener than Teotihuacan.

Useful Information Before Your Visit to Monte Alban from Oaxaca City

Cost to Enter Monte Alban

Admission to Monte Alban is 95MXN per person. You don’t need to book it in advance, you can just buy tickets on the day.

If you’d like to take videos you’ll need to pay an additional 50MXN. (Although we didn’t see this being enforced, I’d buy the ticket just in case).

If you wish, you can hire a guide on site for an additional cost. The cost will depend on the language and the size of the tour. 

Opening Hours and Best Time to Visit Monte Alban

Monte Alban is open daily between 10AM and 4PM according to this website.

Which month is best to visit Monte Alban? – The dry season runs from November to April and the wet season is between May and October. During this time showers are more common in the afternoon especially in July and August. For reference, we visited in January and the temperature was nice in the morning but got pretty hot by lunchtime. 

What day is best to visit Monte Alban? – Whilst I don’t think Monte Alban would get super crowded, there are a few days when the site could experience more visitors. Since most museums are closed on Mondays in Oaxaca people will be more likely to visit Monte Alban on that day. In addition, on Sundays Mexican citizens and residents can visit the site for free, so once again it could get a bit busier. Depending on how much time you have in Oaxaca, I recommend visiting between Tuesday and Saturday.

What time of the day is best to visit Monte Alban? – For a few very good reasons I suggest getting to the site when it opens. First, you’ll beat the heat. By 11 o’clock in the morning the sun will feel very strong. To avoid the heat get there early or later in the afternoon. We visited in January and it was still pretty hot in the middle of the day.

Secondly, you’ll beat the tour groups and you can really appreciate the place. Speaking from experience, these ancient sites feel less magical when they are crowded. Although Monte Alban was definitely less crowded compared to the Teotihuacan Pyramids in Mexico City.

What to Wear and Bring With You?

Here’s a list of things you should consider wearing and taking with you when you visit the pyramids:

Items for protection:

• Sun-cream to protect your skin
• Sunglasses to protect your eyes against the harsh sunlight
• Hat to cover your head 

Clothing items:

• Breathable clothing against the heat
• Comfortable footwear for walking (the surface can be uneven and rocky)
• Small backpack for your belongings

Other Items:

• Enough cash to cover your expenses
• Enough drinking water in a reusable water bottle
• You can bring some snacks in case you get hungry

How to Get from Oaxaca City to Monte Alban

As always there are a few options to get from Oaxaca City to Monte Alban without a tour. They all vary in effort and price, so I’ll list them all and will let you decide which option is the best for you.

Getting to Monte Alban from Oaxaca City by Taxi

The easiest, most comfortable and convenient way to get to Monte Alban from Oaxaca City is with a taxi. However, this is also one of the most expensive ways to get there on your own. You can negotiate the price but expect to pay around 150MXN or more for just one way. You’ll also need to find a taxi to take you back to the city. 

Top Tip – If you visit with a group of friends, the cost might work out cheaper per person than the shuttle bus.

Getting to Monte Alban from Oaxaca City by Shuttle Bus

The second and our preferred option to reach Monte Alban from Oaxaca City was to take a shuttle bus. There are quite a few agencies that offer a direct shuttle bus to Monte Alban from the city centre. 

For reference we went with Viajes Turisticos Mitla. Their main office is located at Mina 501, Centro. The shuttle cost 90MXN return which is much more budget friendly than taking a taxi on your own. They only offer the shuttle service there and back and you don’t have to pre-book your ticket. 

This particular agency operate hourly services to Monte Alban from 09:00AM until 13:00PM and their return services start at 12:30PM until 15:30PM. 

Getting to Monte Alban from Oaxaca City by Other Methods

Lastly, you can get there either by public bus or on foot. Now whilst these two options will be the most affordable ones, you’ll have to put in some leg work. Whilst I don’t have any personal experiences with either of these methods, I wanted to mention them so you know that you can get to Monte Alban more cheaply if you really want to.

There’s a public bus (R37) that you can take from the city centre. It’ll only cost about 6MXN. Unfortunately, the last stop on this bus will still be at least half an hour’s walk away from the entrance of Monte Alban.

The archaeological site is located about 9km from Oaxaca centre, so according to Google Maps it would take you at least 1.5 hours to walk there. Once you’re out of the residential area AllTrails suggests that there’s a footpath you can join. I can’t say for sure if this path is easy to find or safe to walk on, so you’ll need to do your own research for that. However, based on our previous hiking experiences in Mexico, trails can be unmarked and confusing, so bear this in mind.

Things to See at Monte Alban, Oaxaca

There are quite a few areas to walk around and many structures to check out, so make sure to allow a few hours for that. Below I’ll mention some of the most interesting ones (and my personal highlights), so make sure not to miss them.

The Museum

Located right next to the entrance is the Museum which displays original carved stones from the site. Unfortunately there was no English descriptions, but it’s still worth walking around.

North Platform

The first area you’ll walk around in Monte Alban will be the North Platform. It’s the largest construction on the site and you get a great view of the Main Plaza and the South Platform from there. It has many structures such as the Obelisk shaped stela and the Sunken Patio. In the vicinity you can also find some tombs. Apparently many of the artefacts found here were made in Teotihuacan. 

Main Plaza

Between the North and South Platforms is the Main Plaza which measures 300 x 200m. Many of Monte Alban’s civic-ceremonial and other structures are located around it. 

Danzantes

Within the Main Plaza, you’ll find many carved stone monuments. The most famous ones are called ‘Danzantes’ meaning dancers and are located close to Building L. The structures represent sacrificial victims. Some suggest that they portray leaders from other centres that were captured and sacrificed in Monte Alban. 

Ballcourt

There’s a well-preserved ballcourt that’s made up of two stepped platforms facing each other with the playing field in the centre. Mesoamerican cultures played a form of the ball game which was very serious and was used to solve political and other social conflicts. Players could only use their hips, elbows and knees to hit the balls. The game often ended in the death of the losing team.

South Platform

Unlike at Teotihuacan, we could actually climb to the top of some of the structures. A set of steep steps will lead you to the top of the South Plaza with two small pyramid temples. From there you can get a view of both the site and the City of Oaxaca in the distance.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Monte Alban by Bus

I think a trip to Monte Alban during your visit to Oaxaca is a must. We really enjoyed walking around the site, and it was way less crowded than the Teotihuacan pyramids in Mexico City. This, plus the fact that at the time of our visit the site was much greener, made us prefer Monte Alban over the pyramids in the capital. 

We found getting to Monte Alban on our own very easy and affordable. Since it’s close to Oaxaca City we spent a few hours there in the morning and still had time for further sightseeing in the city itself later. Although, bear in mind that there’s so much to see and do in and around the city, therefore you should allocate a minimum of 3 days in Oaxaca.

Have you ever been to Monte Alban or Oaxaca before? If so, how much of the city and surrounding area did you manage to visit? If not, would you visit this beautiful archaeological site? Let me know in the comments below.