Mexico’s soul flows through the disciplined craft of Oaxacan artisans, the emotional clarity of Frida Kahlo’s work, and the enduring architecture of ancient civilisations. Led by your handpicked Signature Guide, journey from Mexico City’s creative and intellectual centre to the calm shores of Bahías de Huatulco via the craft and cuisine of Oaxaca. Shaped by rare access, expert guidance, and personal encounters, this is Mexico understood rather than observed.
Venture to the very heart of each destination on our Signature Collection, where every journey is shaped by our unrivalled local connections and insider expertise. Step beyond the ordinary with private invitations, rare encounters, and experiences few will ever share. So when someone says, “I’ve been there,” you’ll simply smile, knowing you’ve experienced it differently.
Signature Day: Experience our distinctive Signature Day, choosing between optional activities such as Zapotec trails, master artisans, or mezcal lineages
Signature Stay: Unwind in colonial elegance at Quinta Real in Oaxaca, part of this trip’s refined accommodation portfolio
Signature Guide: Let your handpicked Signature Guide lead you to the country’s soul — sharing their home, heritage, and heart
Activity Areas
Culture
Region & Country & City
North America: Mexico
Included in the Price
Elegant, hand-picked accommodation (6 Premium nights, 2 Superior Comfort nights). Signature Stay in colonial elegance at Quinta Real in Oaxaca - All breakfasts, six lunches, and four dinners, featuring restaurants that capture the authentic cuisine of Mexico - Signature Guide with outstanding knowledge and guest satisfaction - Complimentary transfers on arrival and departure, plus comfortable transport throughout (private vehicle) - Gratuities for local support staff so every detail of your journey feels effortless
Not Included In The Price
Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations.
Map
Itinerary
Day 1 Settle into the rhythms of Mexico City | Welcome reception at the historic Café de Tacuba
Welcome to Mexico City, a pulsating capital shaped by ancient empires, colonial ambition, and modern creative energy. Complimentary arrival transfers are included, allowing a seamless introduction.
Those arriving early may join a guided visit to the Museo Vivo del Muralismo, where Mexican icon Diego Rivera’s monumental frescoes unfold across neocolonial courtyards, capturing revolution, ritual and everyday life at a defining moment in Mexican history (available to prebook on request).
As evening falls, gather for a welcome dinner at Café de Tacuba, a beloved Mexico City institution housed in a beautifully preserved early 20th-century building near the Zócalo. Enjoy a menu inspired by traditional Mexican home cooking, offering a warm introduction to the flavours and hospitality that define the country.
Day 2 Discover the soul of the capital | Step inside Frida Kahlo’s family home for a personal insight
Begin the day on the Xochimilco canals, boarding a traditional trajinera boat to glide through the ecological reserve. Visit a working chinampa (floating farm) to learn how this ancient Aztec agricultural system still sustains the city from a chinampero farmer, with time to participate and understand conservation efforts. Lunch is served aboard the trajinera, celebrating classic local cuisine.
Continue south to the artistic district of Coyoacán, where cobbled streets and leafy plazas reveal a slower rhythm to the capital.
Here, we gain a private insight into the life of Frida Kahlo, visiting her family’s home, Casa Roja, which has recently been transformed into the Museo Casa Kahlo. The exhibitions provide a unique insight into the work, personal items, and artistic origins of Mexico’s iconic artist.
Later, we plunge into the colour and drama of Lucha Libre – Mexican wrestling – at Arena México, ending the day in true Mexican style.
Day 3 Rise early for Teotihuacán | Discover the pyramids and walk their avenues
For an unforgettable start, take to the skies by hot-air balloon at dawn, drifting above Teotihuacán as first light reaches the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon (available on request).
The whole group then explores Teotihuacán together, one of the greatest ancient cities of the Americas. Walk the Avenue of the Dead, tracing the scale, ceremony and enduring mysteries of this ancient metropolis.
Continue to Puebla, stopping for a relaxed tortería lunch, before visiting a talavera workshop, where artisans demonstrate techniques refined over centuries.
This evening, gather in Puebla’s historic centre for dinner, with the city’s celebrated mole (mole Poblano) at the heart of the menu.
Day 4 Read Puebla’s past | Walk among cacti before arriving in Oaxaca
Signature Experience: Begin in Puebla’s historic centre, taking in the cathedral and Plaza de la Constitución before a local historian joins you at the Biblioteca Palafoxiana. Founded in 1646, the oldest public library in the Americas reveals centuries of scholarship through its remarkable collection.
Continue south to Zapotitlán Salinas for a lunch shaped by ingredients from the surrounding cactus forests, followed by a guided walk through the Jardín Botánico among soaring columnar cacti.
Arrive in Oaxaca this afternoon and settle into your Signature Stay, Quinta Real, a restored 16th-century convent centred on peaceful courtyards and arcaded cloisters.
Day 5 Uncover Zapotec roots and craft | Explore Monte Albán early with an archaeologist
Signature Experience: Rise early to visit Monte Albán, beating the crowds to explore the great ruins with an archaeologist specialising in Zapotec culture. From its elevated plateau, discover temples, tombs, and plazas that once governed the valleys below, gaining a special insight into the once-great city.
Later, travel to San Antonio Arrazola, home of the alebrije makers, where we enjoy a special insight into the vivid carved figures that reflect imagination rooted in folk tradition.
Lunch is shared locally before returning to Oaxaca for a guided visit to the Museo Cultural de Oaxaca, housed within a former Dominican monastery and home to exceptional Mixtec goldwork. This evening, relax and explore the many dining options Oaxaca has to offer or ask your Signature Guide for their top recommendations.
Day 6 Signature Day | Choose between mountains, artisans, or mezcal traditions
Today is your Signature Day, where you can select an authentic, curated experience to connect deeply with Mexican culture. You could:
Hike ancient Zapotec trails between the communities of Benito Juárez and La Nevería, crossing the fields of the Zapotecs with views over the Sierra Madre peaks, while learning how these villages sustain their land and traditions (8am-4pm)
Travel to weaving and pottery villages with a director from the Museo Estatal de Artes Popular, observing natural dyeing, black clay ceramics, and the evolution of regional craft from workshop to museum (8am-4pm)
Follow Oaxaca’s evolving traditions, from the spare Dominican lines of Cuilapam’s 16th-century convent to a family mezcal palenque in Santa Catarina Minas, concluding with a guided mezcal tasting (8.30am-2pm)
Regather this evening for dinner at Casa Oaxaca, where Chef Alejandro Ruiz’s refined Oaxacan cooking is served with rooftop views of Santo Domingo, mezcal in hand, and regional flavours at their most expressive.
Day 7 Cook with a Zapotec family | Support turtle conservation efforts with a local NGO
Signature Experience: Begin the day in Oaxaca’s markets alongside Gladis, a Zapotec chef, selecting seasonal ingredients before returning to her home kitchen. Cook together with her family, learning the foundations of Oaxacan cuisine while tasting local bites and beverages. Lunch is shared as part of the experience.
This afternoon, travel south toward the Pacific coast, descending from highland valleys to warmer shores. En route, we pause at Playa Escobilla to join a local NGO for a turtle hatchling-observation experience, supporting local conservation efforts before arriving this evening at Bahías de Huatulco on the south coast, where calm Pacific waters, coastal light, and natural beauty define refined seaside living.
Day 8 Follow the Pacific coastline | Swim, snorkel, and dine across Huatulco’s pristine bays
Signature Experience: Embark on an unforgettable boat tour through the stunning Bahías de Huatulco, following rugged coastlines, where the hills are covered in tropical dry forest. In Bahía Cacaluta, clear waters invite you to swim and snorkel among angelfish, parrotfish, and butterflyfish darting around coral. Continue to Bahía Maguey, wherewe dine at a beachside restaurant, enjoying fresh ceviche, accompanied by hand-pressed tortillas. After, simply unwind on the sandy beach with a refreshing agua de coco or a margarita in hand before heading back to the hotel for a relaxed afternoon at leisure.
This evening, we gather for a farewell dinner at Casa Bocana, an oceanfront restaurant known for its thoughtful, ingredient-led Mexican cooking. Meet the chef behind the kitchen and enjoy a refined menu shaped by the Pacific, seasonal produce, and Oaxaca’s coastal flavours.
Day 9 Say a fond farewell to Mexico
Bid farewell to Mexico today, taking your complimentary departure transfer to the airport. If time allows, linger a little longer—perhaps with a final coffee, or one last glance at the landscapes that shaped your journey.
Alternatively, open a new chapter of discovery by speaking to your Signature Collection travel expert about extending your stay.
