Quito

No reviews yetCity Pichincha, Ecuador

Historic Center of Quito, Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador

About Quito

Quito sits in a narrow Andean valley at about 2,850 metres, ringed by the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, which makes it one of the highest capital cities in the world. In 1978 its colonial core became one of the very first places named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it remains one of the largest and best-preserved historic centres in the Americas.

The old town is a grid of whitewashed streets, plazas and churches, from the gold-covered interior of La Compañía to the vast San Francisco monastery and the neo-Gothic Basílica del Voto Nacional, whose gargoyles are Ecuadorian animals. North of it spreads the modern city with parks, museums and the art of Oswaldo Guayasamín.

Altitude is part of the experience: take the first day slowly before riding the TelefériQo up the volcano or climbing the Panecillo hill. The equator monument at Mitad del Mundo is a short drive north, and Quito is the usual starting point for trips to Otavalo market, Cotopaxi and the Galápagos Islands.

Best seasonJune to September, the drier months; mornings are clearest all year

Ideal stay3 days, allowing time to adjust to the altitude

ArrivingMariscal Sucre International Airport, about an hour east of the city

What to See in Quito: 12 Favorites

Neighborhoods 2

Historic Center of Quito

Among the first sites inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1978, Quito's old town is a dense grid of colonial streets, plazas,...

La Ronda

This narrow, curving street of whitewashed houses and flower-hung balconies is one of the oldest lanes in Quito and was restored a...

Temples and Shrines 3

La Compañía de Jesús, Quito

Built by the Jesuits over more than 150 years from the early 17th century, this church is famed for an interior covered almost ent...

Basílica del Voto Nacional

Begun in the late 19th century and never officially finished, this huge neo-Gothic basilica is one of the largest in the Americas....

Monastery of San Francisco, Quito

Founded soon after the Spanish arrival in 1534, San Francisco is one of the oldest and largest religious complexes in South Americ...

Landmarks 2

Plaza Grande, Quito

Officially the Plaza de la Independencia, this palm-shaded square is framed by the Carondelet Palace, seat of the government, the...

Mitad del Mundo

About 25 km north of the centre in San Antonio de Pichincha, the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo complex is built around a monument marking...

Viewpoints 2

El Panecillo

This rounded hill south of the old town is crowned by a tall aluminium statue of a winged Virgin, completed in 1975 and modelled o...

TelefériQo

This gondola lifts you from the western edge of the city up the flank of the Pichincha volcano to an upper station at nearly 4,000...

Museums 2

Casa del Alabado

In a restored colonial house near the San Francisco plaza, this museum displays ceramics, stone carvings, gold work and figures fr...

Capilla del Hombre

Conceived by the Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamín and opened after his death, this stone building in the Bellavista hills is...

Parks 1

Parque La Carolina

Stretching through the modern business district, La Carolina is the city's busiest park, with jogging tracks, sports fields and a...

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Photo credits

Photo: David Adam Kess, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Martin St-Amant (S23678), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: David Adam Kess, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Martin St-Amant (S23678), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Rinaldo Wurglitsch from Vienna, Austria, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Maros M r a z (Maros), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Cayambe, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: David C. S., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: David Adam Kess, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ciencia1.com, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: AndrewDressel, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Friedrich Kircher, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: L0garitmic0, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Diego Delso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Adavyd, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Ymblanter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: David Adam Kess, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0