Oaxaca full apartment Casa cruz just a few minutes from Santo Domingo de Guzman

Boasting an endless supply of mezcal and mole, Oaxaca de Juárez is undoubtedly one of the ultimate food and drink destinations on the planet. So, it's perhaps no surprise that in Travel + Leisure's 2023 World's Best Awards, it was named the best city in the world.

You could spend several weeks here and not even scratch the surface — if you weren't planning correctly, that is. "Oaxaca is a quintessential and magical destination that combines culture, nature, and adventure, with a year-round spring-like climate due to its idyllic location nestled into a fertile valley of the Sierra Madre Sur Mountains," Rabinor said. "It offers a charming, pedestrian-friendly UNESCO World Heritage Site City Center with impressive architecture, museums, markets, restaurants, shopping, and nightlife, while the surrounding valleys harbor incredible Indigenous villages that conserve century-old artisan traditions, dress, language, culture, and lifestyles."

The state of Oaxaca is home to over 300 miles of coastline, so there are plenty of beaches to explore on a weekend getaway. Puerto Escondido, for example, is amassing a lot of tourist attention from beachgoers these days.