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Travel guide
Quito
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to September
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Welcome
Quito, in a few days
Built at 2,850 metres on the slopes of Pichincha, Quito keeps some 320 hectares of colonial centre, placed on the very first World Heritage list in 1978. The nave of La Compañía is covered in gold leaf, and a cable car climbs to 3,945 metres.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · La Compañía de Jesús church · about 45 minA 160-year project, finished in 1765, with a carved volcanic stone front and a gilded interior where local craftsmen slipped in Andean suns and plants.
- Afternoon · San Francisco monastery · about 1 h 30Begun in 1535, weeks after the Spanish founded the city, a vast colonial complex of cloisters and chapels behind a curved staircase after Bramante.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel San Francisco de Quito€70 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Plaza de la Independencia free · about 30 minThe heart of the old town, framed by the presidential palace, cathedral, archbishop's palace and city hall, around a monument to 10 August 1809.
- Afternoon · Basílica del Voto Nacional · about 1 hA neo-Gothic basilica begun in 1892 and never quite finished, whose gargoyles are Ecuadorian animals: iguanas, Galápagos tortoises, condors and armadillos.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hotel Patio Andaluz€130 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · La Ronda free · an eveningOne of the oldest lanes in the centre, restored from 2006, where wooden-balconied houses now hold working craftsmen, from spinning-top makers to hatters.
- Afternoon · El Panecillo and the Virgin of Quito · about 1 hA hill closing off the old town to the south, topped since 1975 by a 41-metre winged aluminium Virgin modelled on Legarda's 1734 statue.
🛏️ Where to sleep · NH Collection Quito Royal€110 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · TelefériQo and Rucu Pichincha · about 2 hA cable car from the city's western edge up to 3,945 metres, where on clear days you can spot Cotopaxi and Antisana.
- Afternoon · Mitad del Mundo monument · half a dayA 30-metre monument 26 km north of the city marking the equator as an 18th-century French mission placed it; GPS puts it 240 metres north.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Old Town Quito Suites€95 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Ceviche: Ecuador's version is usually prawns in a citrus and tomato juice, served with popcorn or plantain crisps on the side.
- Encebollado: a fish soup of tuna, cassava and pickled onion, eaten in the morning and said to cure a hangover.
- Llapingachos: fried potato and cheese patties, often with a fried egg and peanut sauce.
- Hornado: whole roast pork carved at Andean market stalls.
- Chocolate and fruit: fine cacao grown in the country, and juices from fruits you may not have seen before.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Quito sits at 2,850 metres: take the first day slowly, drink water and go easy on alcohol.
- Drink bottled water and favour food that is cooked and served hot.
- Galápagos park rules are strict: keep your distance from animals, never feed them, and visit park sites only with a licensed guide.
- Take official taxis or ride-hailing apps rather than hailing cars in the street, especially at night.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ Spanish
| English | Spanish |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hola |
| Thank you | Gracias |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sí |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Perdone |
| Goodbye | Adiós |
| Do you speak English? | ¿Habla inglés? |
| I don't understand | No entiendo |
| How much is it? | ¿Cuánto cuesta? |
| Where are the toilets? | ¿Dónde están los baños? |
| The bill, please | La cuenta, por favor |
| Help! | ¡Socorro! |
| Cheers! | ¡Salud! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €58 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to September
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterBottled only
TippingA 10% service charge is often on the bill; extra is appreciated
Emergency911
EntryVisa-free for 90 days in any 12 months for EU, UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports, which must be valid six months from arrival. For the Galápagos you also need a transit control card bought before check-in, health insurance, and cash for the national park fee on landing.
HealthHepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Yellow fever vaccination is advised if you go into the Amazon, and malaria is limited to lowland areas away from this route. Allow for the altitude in Quito.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/quito
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.