On foot in the historic centre
The centro of Oaxaca de Juárez is compact and flat, and most of what a first-time visitor wants sits inside a rectangle bounded by Avenida Juárez, Calle 20 de Noviembre, Calle Independencia and the zócalo. From the zócalo to the Templo de Santo Domingo on Calle Macedonio Alcalá is a nine-minute walk; the Benito Juárez Market and the Mercado 20 de Noviembre sit four blocks south. Pavements are narrow and uneven, so wear proper shoes. The Andador Turístico, the pedestrianised stretch of Macedonio Alcalá, is where most evenings happen.
Weekday mornings are calm; evenings from about seven bring out the marimba bands and food stalls and the streets fill. Walking is also the cheapest way to handle the altitude, which at roughly 1,550 metres will make your first day feel harder than the map suggests. If you are staying in Jalatlaco or Xochimilco, both about 15 minutes on foot from Santo Domingo, you get quieter streets without needing a car. Book a hotel within that ring and you will barely use transport at all.
City buses, taxis and ride apps
Local buses run frequently along Calle Independencia, Calle 20 de Noviembre and Avenida Juárez, and fares are collected in cash on board, so keep small notes and coins. They are cheap and safe in daylight but crowded at rush hour, and routes are not signposted for visitors, so ask at your hotel which bus number passes your stop. Sitios, the official taxi ranks, are marked around the zócalo and the ADO bus station on Calle Niños Héroes; agree the fare before you get in. Ride-hailing apps work in the city centre and can be easier at night.
For the airport, the trip from Oaxaca International to the centro is about 20 minutes by road; official airport taxis sell tickets inside the arrivals hall, and many hotels arrange a pickup. Shared colectivos to the airport also leave from a stop near the corner of Avenida Juárez, but the walk to it with luggage is not pleasant. If you are choosing where to base yourself, I would book a hotel in the centro or Jalatlaco over one out near the airport: the historic centre is where you will spend your evenings, and the extra distance costs you time rather than saving it.
Regional colectivos to the ruins and villages
Shared vans and small buses, called colectivos, are the backbone of regional travel and leave from set points rather than a single terminal. For Monte Albán, a tourist shuttle runs from near the Hotel Rivera del Ángel on Calle Mina; the drive takes about 20 minutes and the last return is mid-afternoon, so go in the morning. Colectivos to the craft towns leave from the second-class bus station area on Calle Las Casas and from stops near the Mercado de Abastos. Tlacolula, with its famous Sunday market, and Mitla are under an hour by bus; San Bartolo Coyotepec, where black pottery is made, is about 25 minutes.
The most comfortable option for several stops in one day is a guided tour or a private driver, especially if you want to see Hierve el Agua, the petrified waterfalls south-east of Mitla, where the mountain road is slow. For anything involving the coast, use the ADO terminal on Calle Niños Héroes: direct coaches to Puerto Escondido take roughly seven hours, or you can fly in about 40 minutes. Best months for all of this are November to April, the dry season; May and June get hot, and September is the wettest month. I would skip hiring a car in the city itself; parking in the centro is painful and colectivos reach the ruins and villages cheaply.
Where to stay to make the transport work
Your base changes how much transport you need. Staying in the centro near Santo Domingo or the zócalo puts the museums, markets and evening food scene within walking distance and puts you close to the Monte Albán shuttle stop. Jalatlaco, a former railway quarter east of the centre, is calm and close to the bus station, while Xochimilco, to the north, suits longer stays with more cafés and a local feel. For a first visit, book in the centro. Search the hotel listings on this site and check the map address against these landmarks before you reserve.
Two practical points: most colectivos and local buses are cash only, so withdraw pesos during the day from bank machines on Avenida Juárez or Calle 20 de Noviembre rather than relying on cards, and keep the taxi fare agreed clearly. Confirm with your hotel whether they arrange airport transfers. Plan a day for the ruins and a day for the villages, and leave the rest of your stay on foot. Your hotel should be the meeting point for tours too, and a centro base means early pickups are short trips rather than long pre-dawn drives.