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 Mar�a 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 Coyotep�c, Teotitl�n del Valle, etc. as well as the archaeological zones like Mitla, Monte Alb�n, etc.

Oaxaca is a very diverse and culturally rich state.

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