Is Oaxaca City Safe for Solo Female Travelers?

Group travel

I absolutely loved Oaxaca and felt very safe there despite being initially concerned after hearing some warnings! I was with a friend for the most part but also travelled alone at times and felt good walking around even in the evenings. The only factor I’d consider is that I heard from some male travellers that they had to bribe police there to get out of tricky situations, but I’m not sure how common this is. Otherwise I loved it; the food was amazing and the streets were beautiful too :)

Solo travel

I've never been anywhere that felt so cosy. A combination of the rainbow of coloured single-storey buildings and street lighting makes Oaxaca a wonderful place to wander in the evenings. I didn't feel concerned for my safety or encounter any problems. When I arrived there was a parade in one of the streets with huge papier mache people held aloft, dancing behind a band, I followed the smiling, dancing crowd for a while before checking into my hostel. Oaxaca felt small enough to walk around but I did get taxis a couple of times because they were so cheap. There's a shared taxi from the airport which as far as I could tell, was the best way to get into town. Oaxaca is famous for its food, especially the mòle. There's a beautiful covered food market where vendors sell their products next to an area with picnic tables. I ate tamales and drank fresh peach juice. Most of the stalls only accept cash. There are opportunities to learn how to make chocolate and trips to Hierve la Agua: the world's only petrified waterfall

As a woman the city could definitely be better at. The best thing are the efforts in city transportation and public spaces for woman to be protected in general and more at night. I’ve been living alone in Oaxaca for about a year, and luckily I’ve been able to walk around at all hours of the day with little to no incidences. It definitely varies area to area.