Quito
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Quito has one of the continent’s most impressive historic centres, but the city’s strength lies in the relationship between architecture and geography. Altitude, volcanoes and the narrow valley are present in every city view.
La Compañía and San Francisco show the wealth of the colonial church. Museo del Alabado and pre-Columbian traditions show that the place’s history reaches much farther back.
TelefériQo gives the broad overview. Markets, cafés and modern neighbourhoods provide everyday life. Excursions north and west open towards the equator, cloud forest and highland communities.
The first hours should be gentle. Quito rewards travellers who allow time to acclimatise and plan each day geographically.
Plan your trip to Quito
Tell us when you would like to travel and what you would like to experience. We help you put together hotels, transport and activities that suit your trip.
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Planning a trip to Quito?
We help you combine the right hotels, transport and experiences into a well-planned journey.
Plaza Grande and the historic city’s main axis
Plaza Grande brings together the cathedral, government palace, archbishop’s palace and municipal buildings. The square is still used for politics, ceremonies and everyday life.
Read more Show less La Compañía and the San Francisco complex
Streets continue towards Santo Domingo, San Francisco and several smaller plazas. Steep blocks and elevation changes make viewpoints part of the walk.
A local guide can connect colonial power, independence, republican history and the present-day city without turning the centre into a sequence of isolated churches.
La Compañía and the San Francisco complex
La Compañía is known for its richly decorated interior of gold, carving and painting. The art shows how European Baroque forms were reworked in Quito.
San Francisco includes a church, convent, museum and one of the city’s largest historic squares. The complex developed over several centuries.
Visits need time and respect for active religious spaces. Photography and opening hours may be restricted.
TelefériQo and Pichincha’s high slopes
TelefériQo climbs from the city’s western side to Cruz Loma at almost 4,000 metres. The view shows Quito’s extreme length and the volcanic chains of the Andes.
Read more Show less Itchimbía, Panecillo and the city’s other viewpoints
Weather can change within minutes and temperatures are much lower than in the centre. Warm layers, sun protection and a slow pace are needed.
The hike towards Rucu Pichincha is a high-mountain excursion, not an ordinary city walk. It requires acclimatisation, good fitness and current local information.
Itchimbía, Panecillo and the city’s other viewpoints
Itchimbía Park lies east of the centre and overlooks the old city and Pichincha. The park suits a relaxed walk and cultural exhibitions.
Panecillo rises south of the centre with the Virgen de Quito. The view is extensive, but transport is best planned by taxi or with a guide rather than through a spontaneous walk in unfamiliar streets.
Several smaller miradores show how Quito follows the valley’s elevation changes and make the urban geography easier to understand.
Journeys including Quito
Mitad del Mundo and the geographical equator
Mitad del Mundo lies north of Quito and is a monumental cultural and museum complex built around Ecuador’s equatorial identity. The monument was positioned using older measurements.
Read more Show less Museo del Alabado and the time before colonisation
GPS-based measurements place the geographical equator a short distance north of the monument. Several smaller museums in the area use this to explain measurement, astronomy and culture.
The visit is best when the national symbol and the science are allowed to stand side by side, without simplified experiments claimed to work only on the equator.
Museo del Alabado and the time before colonisation
Museo del Alabado occupies a restored house in the old city and presents pre-Columbian art through themes such as the body, cosmology and relationships between worlds.
The collection includes several regional cultures and uses a structure other than a simple chronological timeline. Objects are presented as art and knowledge, not merely archaeological finds.
The museum is an important counterpoint to the churches and makes Ecuador’s older histories visible early in the journey.
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Markets, La Floresta and Quito’s food
Mercado Central and other markets serve soups, hornado, llapingachos, juices and fruit from several climate zones. Eating there fits naturally into a city day.
Read more Show less Otavalo, Mindo and the volcanoes around the capital
La Floresta offers street art, cafés, smaller cinemas and restaurants. The district reveals a creative and contemporary Quito beyond the major institutions.
The city’s cuisine works with potatoes, maize, pork, cheese, avocado and produce from both the coast and Amazon.
Otavalo, Mindo and the volcanoes around the capital
Otavalo and the Imbabura region offer markets, crafts, lakes and communities north of Quito. Mindo lies west in the cloud forest of the Andean Chocó, known for birdlife and cacao.
Cotopaxi, Antisana and other volcanic areas can be reached on longer day trips or with an overnight stay. Altitude, weather and park regulations shape each itinerary.
Excursions should be chosen according to the rest of the journey. Quito itself still deserves at least two full days for culture and history.
See trips to Quito
Flights and hotels
Flights and hotels for Quito can be booked as one coordinated arrangement, with trip length, budget and standard considered together from the outset.
We match the flights to your hotel location and travel dates rather than selecting each element in isolation. This makes planning easier and reduces the risk of poor connections or impractical arrival times.
Where useful, we can also add transfers, extra nights or other practical elements that make the journey smoother.
Book flights and hotels for Quito as one coordinated arrangement. We match the flights with accommodation that suits your budget, preferred location and trip length. Transfers can also be added.
Flights
For flights to Quito, we look at more than the lowest fare. Journey times, connections, ticket rules and arrival times often affect the trip more than they first appear to.
This may be a straightforward return journey, but it can also involve flying into one city and home from another or adding stops along the way. For more complex itineraries, we can also assess air-pass and multi-flight options.
A good choice when accommodation is already arranged or when you plan the rest of the journey independently.
We help you find the right flights to Quito, for both straightforward journeys and more flexible itineraries. A good choice if you want to arrange the rest of the trip yourself.
Hotels
Hotels in Quito should be chosen on more than price and star rating. Location, neighbourhood, standard and the purpose of the journey often determine whether a property actually works well.
In some places a central hotel is best; elsewhere quiet surroundings, views or character matter more. We therefore suggest options that fit the way the journey is planned.
That can mean good-value mid-range hotels or more distinctive properties where the accommodation becomes part of the experience.
We help you book hotels in Quito according to neighbourhood, standard and budget. Whether you want to stay centrally or somewhere quieter, we find an option that fits.
Guided tours
Guided tours in Quito work best when the subject, pace and level of detail reflect what you genuinely want to see and understand. Your focus might be a city, wildlife, culture or a particular practical excursion.
A good guide does more than identify landmarks. They provide context, explain telling details and draw attention to things that are easy to miss when exploring independently.
We help you choose the type and format of tour that best suits your interests.
Discover Quito with a private tour shaped around your interests. We help choose the right guide, content and format.
Images from Quito
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10 quick facts about Quito
- Quito lies at around 2,850 metres above sea level on the eastern slopes of Pichincha.
- The city’s historic centre was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1978.
- Quito and the Galápagos were the first World Heritage Sites in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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- La Compañía is one of the finest examples of Baroque art associated with the Quito School.
- San Francisco is one of the largest and oldest colonial convent complexes in South America.
- TelefériQo reaches Cruz Loma at almost 4,000 metres above sea level.
- Pichincha is an active volcanic massif immediately west of the city.
- Mitad del Mundo is a symbolic marker of the equator, while modern geodesy places the exact line nearby.
- Quito’s long, narrow shape follows a high Andean valley between mountains and volcanoes.
- Fiestas de Quito is celebrated in early December with music, parades and city traditions.