Driving from MEX to Oaxaca
 

I'm planning a trip to Oaxaca in December. Airfares are considerably cheaper into Mexico City than Oaxaca and I was considering renting a car and driving to Oaxaca from MEX.

How feasible/safe is it to drive on Mexican roads in that part of the country?
Google Maps estimates 6 hours from MEX to Oaxaca, is that somewhat accurate?

Thank you!

Although there are motorways/relatively new toll roads for a good portion of your journey, I would not recommend driving it, especially if it's just a single car.

Alternatives are: 1. buses (check the bus thread) that you can probably catch directly from MEX, 2. flying MEX-OAX on a separate ticket (on Interjet for example - ~USD110 round trip), 3. Volaris flies TIJ-OAX; it's relatively easy to get to TIJ from SAN, so that may be an option.

It's a drive - done in the daytime, should not be problematic IMO - I've done it several times. But just remember, it's Mexico, not the US, so animals on the road, etc. are not unusual. Budget plenty of time - 6 to 8 hours is probably normal, but you might find yourself stopping for some great sights and places like San Martin Tilcajete (for their fantastical alebrijes) and Santa María Atzompa (green glazed pottery).

Myself, unless I were stopping elsewhere to sightsee (Puebla, the villages in Oaxaca en route, etc.) I'd rather fly (or take a decent bus service, see above) to OAX and rent a car to visit many of the interesting villages like San Bartolo Coyotepéc, Teotitlán del Valle, etc. as well as the archaeological zones like Mitla, Monte Albán, etc.

Oaxaca is a very diverse and culturally rich state.

deleted