Across Mexico · Signature Groups
Two semi-private departures, five nights apart in spirit and an hour apart by air. Mexico City and Oaxaca, 30 October – 3 November. Twelve guests. No more.
The tradition
There is no fear in it. No haunted houses, no costumes meant to scare. Día de Muertos is a joyful celebration of life, memory, family, and the people who have gone ahead of us.
Families build altars — ofrendas — and lay out photographs, candles, marigolds, favourite foods and personal objects, then welcome the spirits back like honoured guests. Children are honoured on 1 November, adults on the 2nd. In Oaxaca, Zapotec and Mixtec tradition opens the journey earlier still, on the night of 31 October.
Our loved ones may be gone, but they are never forgotten. Memory is a powerful form of love.
For a visitor, the invitation is to arrive with curiosity and respect: to taste the pan de muerto, to learn what each element of the altar means, and to understand why a country meets death with flowers, food and music rather than dread. Both of these journeys are built to take guests past the spectacle and into the meaning.
What goes on an altar, and why
Two departures, same dates
Mexico City meets Día de Muertos at full volume — a capital of twenty million with parades, canals and a private party to open the week. Oaxaca keeps it closer to the ground: Zapotec villages, candlelit family graves, and the hands of master artisans. Both are capped at twelve.
Day by day
Both programmes run 30 October to 3 November 2026. Times are confirmed with suppliers; driving times are indicative and move with weather and traffic.
Arrive and step straight into the spirit of it. Over handcrafted cocktails, wine and mezcal, local hosts share the story behind the ofrenda while the group builds one together, learning the symbolism of each element. Then a cooking party — beloved family recipes, chefs to learn from or a drink and good conversation while dinner comes together — a surprise cultural act, and one shared table, the way Mexican families do it.
IncludesWelcome cocktails, wine, mezcal & beverages · Ofrenda history and collaborative altar workshop · Interactive cooking experience · Surprise cultural activity · Traditional shared dinner · Semi-private transportation.
Jamaica Market first — flowers, colour, and the smell of everyday Mexican cooking. With a food journalist, taste the antojitos that carry generations: quesadillas, tlacoyos, gorditas, esquites. The afternoon is deliberately free so guests can take the Day of the Dead Parade at their own rhythm as catrinas, alebrijes, brass and giant puppets fill Paseo de la Reforma. After dark, a Roma Norte speakeasy and a mezcal mixology session building a cocktail around cempasúchil and the symbolism of the altar.
IncludesSemi-private guided food tour with unlimited soft drinks · Mezcal tasting across four varietals · Mixology session · Private transportation.
The Dolores Olmedo collection opens the day — a former hacienda with gardens and peacocks, holding an extraordinary body of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Then Xochimilco, where the chinampas still farm the way the valley always has: a trajinera through the canals, and a four-course meal cooked on a comal from ingredients cut steps away. At nightfall, a cemetery. Candles, marigolds and music turn the graves into a meeting place, and Día de Muertos shows its most powerful face.
IncludesMuseum tickets & semi-private guided tour · Four-course farm-to-table meal in Xochimilco · Semi-private cemetery visit · Semi-private transportation.
The Historic Centre, a UNESCO site where Aztec ruins, baroque churches and colonial arcades stack on top of one another — and which, for these few days, glows. Marigolds, altars and candles fill the streets and plazas like one enormous offering. In the afternoon, a bakery: knead, shape and bake pan de muerto with expert bakers, learn what the shape means, and eat it warm with Mexican chocolate. The evening is left open on purpose.
IncludesSemi-private guided tour of the Historic Centre · Museum tickets · Pan de muerto baking masterclass with tasting · Semi-private transportation.
A fully private transfer to the airport, roughly forty minutes from Roma Norte. Guests staying on can be moved onto a fully private itinerary either side of the group dates.
The package
Both departures include
Confirmed, not proposed. Both hotels and every supplier are already secured for these dates. This isn’t a proposal waiting on availability — the rooms and the access exist.
Group size. Both journeys are capped at twelve guests. That cap is what makes the cemetery visits, the artisan homes and the private venue possible — it isn’t a marketing number.
Extensions. Either side of the group dates we can design a fully private itinerary — hidden corners, the culinary scene, or simply somewhere to slow down.
From deposit to arrival
Cancellation: more than 60 days before arrival, 50% of the trip cost is refunded. Within 60 days of arrival, no refund. Payment by credit card or wire transfer.
Live with the team
We’ll walk the network through both itineraries, what the twelve-guest cap actually buys, how the cemetery visits are handled, and how to position each departure with your clients. Bring questions.
Join the webinarCan’t make the date? Email partners@acrossmexico.com and we’ll send the recording.
Hold space
Both departures go to the network at the same time. If you have a client in mind, come to us early — the cemetery access and the artisan homes are what limit the size, and they can’t be scaled up later.
Mexico City
Casa Izel, Roma Norte · from $6,362 per person, double occupancy.
Oaxaca
Grand Fiesta Americana Oaxaca · from $5,544 per person, double occupancy.