★★★★★
Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour
Miguel answered every question the group threw at him, and there were a lot of them. He used comparisons that made sense and still went deep. The morning ran exactly to time.
Sophie K. · In a group · July 2026
Monte Alban Tour Reviews
What travellers wrote after their own morning on the ridge, in their own words, alongside every operator's published rating. Across the listings gathered here the platforms count 3,536 reviews between them. Prices and what each fare covers sit with the best Monte Alban tour listings.
Traveller reviews from the tours listed here
These are travellers' own accounts of the day they booked. The mixed and the angry ones stay in: a one-star about a van that never came back tells you more about how a half-day is run than a page of five-star praise, and it is the reason the praise is worth reading.
★★★★★
Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour
Half a day was plenty. Getting up there before it turned hot and being back in the city for lunch was the whole point, and our guide gave us far more context than the signs do.
Jordan S. · Couple · June 2026
★★★★★
Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour
You meet in the centre and go out by bus. Miguel brought printed material to point out details we would have walked straight past, and there was about forty-five minutes of free time once the guided part finished.
Linda G. · Couple · June 2026
★★★★★
Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour
Good information from the guide and a beautiful site. There is noticeably less walking here than at other ruins we had done that week.
Christiana T. · Couple · June 2026
★☆☆☆☆
Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour
Our transport never came back for us. We waited close to an hour and ended up taking a local bus, and the explanation we were given did not match what we found on the road.
Maida C. · Couple · July 2026
★☆☆☆☆
Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour
A date change was requested and refused. I had paid for four people in advance and received nothing at all. An acknowledgement would have gone a long way.
Raul H. · Group of four · June 2026
★★★★★
Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions
Fernando was informative and funny, and the small group meant the day felt personal. We were sceptical about the buffet lunch and it turned out to be good, and busy with local families rather than only tourists.
Richard E. · Couple · March 2026
★★★★★
Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions
Pavel turned what could have been a dry history lesson into a story. The two workshops showed very different traditions that are both still keeping villages in work today.
Joanna W. · Couple · February 2026
★★★★★
Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions
Expect steep stone steps with no handrail, though everyone in our group managed them and there is a way round if you would rather not. Go before the crowds arrive.
Anne B. · In a group · January 2026
★★★★☆
Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions
The site is fascinating and Pavel clearly loves Oaxaca. The day runs long at the far end, though, and he did not offer a hand to the older members of the group on the more awkward stairs.
Ans V. · In a group · March 2026
★★★★☆
Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions
Genuine at the ruins and at the black clay workshop, but it leans towards selling souvenirs in the middle. The water I was expecting did not appear, and a mezcal stop turned up that was not in what I booked.
John M. · Solo traveller · February 2026
★★★★★
Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions
Well managed from start to finish. The guide knew the material, the van was clean and the driver was professional. I felt looked after all day.
Susan F. · Solo traveller · January 2026
★★★★★
Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal
The combination is what makes it: the ruins, the falls, a textile workshop and a mezcal producer in one day. Ismael was knowledgeable and helpful throughout.
Malgorzata Z. · Couple · January 2026
★★★★★
Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal
The ruins and Teotitlan del Valle were the two highlights. Watching the natural dyes being made and seeing the studio was not something we had expected to enjoy as much as we did.
Barbara P. · Couple · December 2025
★★★★★
Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal
Irwin was flexible and easy company, and every stop had someone who knew it well. We could relax and take the day in rather than manage it.
Sorbrique G. · Couple · December 2025
★★★★★
Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal
Yareth explained the history of each place we went to rather than just driving us there. The van was clean and roomy and the photographs we came home with are the best of the trip.
David F. · Couple · November 2025
★★★★☆
Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal
Miguel added a great deal at the ruins and the teenagers enjoyed the falls. We chose not to walk down into the canyon once we understood how long it takes, which was disappointing but our own call.
Peggy S. · Family with teenagers · December 2025
★★★★☆
Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal
No complaint about the timings, and the driver-guide was friendly and well informed. We had assumed lunch was at the market because it is on the itinerary, and it was not, which matters if you have dietary needs.
Nicole W. · Couple · October 2025
What travellers keep saying
The guide is the product
It comes up more than any other subject, across every tour here. Reviewers name their guide, describe being shown details they would have walked past, and say the stones would have meant little without the commentary. Almost nobody praises the view on its own.
Early is not a preference
Travellers who went first thing say the plaza was quiet and the light was good. Those who arrived later mention heat and coaches in the same sentence. Nobody who went early wished they had gone later.
The steps are steeper than they look
Several reviews mention stone stairways with no handrail and uneven treads, and one notes that a guide did not offer a hand to older members of the group. Everybody managed them, and there is a way round if you would rather not.
Read what lunch actually means
Two reviewers assumed a meal was included because a restaurant or a market appears on the itinerary. On this site a lunch stop is a place you are driven to, not a meal in the fare, and every card says which.
Operator ratings, as each platform publishes them
The figures below belong to the operators and to the booking platforms that collect them, not to us. They are reproduced here as plain text so you can see the spread before you choose, including the two listings whose ratings rest on very few reviews.
| Tour | Rating | Reviews | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Alban Guided Half Day Tour | 4.8 | 1,042 | From $32 |
| Oaxaca de Juarez: Monte Alban Half-Day Tour | 4.7 | 674 | From $31 |
| Tour de medio día a monte alban | 4.6 | 434 | From $32 |
| Oaxaca Conmigo Private Tours | 5.0 | 286 | From $304 |
| Monte Alban for 3hrs, Black Pottery and Alebrijes with Admissions | 4.9 | 257 | From $50 |
| From Oaxaca: Monte Alban, Alebrijes & Black Clay Day Trip | 4.6 | 230 | From $53 |
| Private Tour: Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua, Teotitlán and Mezcal | 4.9 | 210 | From $311 |
| Monte Alban - Full Day Guided Tour with or without Food - Oaxaca | 4.9 | 188 | From $28 |
| Tour Monte Alban "clasico" | 4.7 | 148 | From $42 |
| Private custom Oaxaca tour – Design your perfect day | 5.0 | 32 | From $292 |
| Private Tour to Monte Alban Half Day | 5.0 | 20 | From $236 |
| Exclusive: Monte Alban, Hierve el agua, Teotitlán & Mezcal Tour | 5.0 | 11 | From $320 |
| Oaxaca: Premium Sightseeing Tour of Monte Alban and Master Artisans | 5.0 | 4 | From $227 |
See how the fares compare on Monte Alban Tours, or read the practical detail on visitor information before you pick a time of day.