Oaxaca City or the Oaxacan coast — which should you prioritise?
Oaxaca City is food, culture and rhythm; the coast is beach, surf, heat and looser logistics. Combine them only when you have time for the transfer, because the map makes the coast look closer than it feels.
Full answer
For most first trips to Oaxaca, prioritise Oaxaca City unless beach time is one of the main reasons for the trip. The city gives a wider first taste of the state in a compact few days: markets, mezcal, galleries, neighbourhood food and Monte Albán. The coast is a different kind of trip — slower, hotter and built more around beaches, surf and downtime.
Choose the coast instead when several unhurried days by the water are genuinely the point, or when the rest of the Mexico trip already provides plenty of city and cultural time. Puerto Escondido, Mazunte and Zipolite can each justify the journey, but they work better as a coastal chapter than as boxes to tick after Oaxaca City.
If time is tight, pick one. Combining city and coast can work well, but the transfer is a real travel leg, not a casual side trip. The trip is stronger when each gets enough time to feel different.