Quito
Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 1.7 million in the city and 2.8 million in its metropolitan area.
Quito, officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 1.7 million in the city and 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha. Quito is in a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Quito
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa
Atahualpa Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Quito, Ecuador. It is currently used primarily for football matches and has a capacity of 35,258.
6.2 km · multi-purpose stadium in Quito, Ecuador · Wikipedia - 02Central University of Ecuador
The Central University of Ecuador is a public university in Quito, Ecuador. By institutional lineage it is among the oldest universities in the Americas: its origin lies in the royal charter of the Jesuit Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Gregorio Magno, later merged with the Dominican Universidad de Santo Tomás de Aquino to form the Crown's Real y Pública Universidad de Santo Tomás.
2.4 km · university in Ecuador · Wikipedia - 03Cathedral of Quito
The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southwestern side of the Plaza de la Independencia, it served as a seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 until 1848 when it was elevated to Archdiocese.
200 m · Catholic cathedral in Quito, Ecuador · Wikipedia - 04Basilica of the National Vow
The Basilica of the National Vow is a Roman Catholic church located in the historic center of Quito, Ecuador. It reaches up to 83m in height.
800 m · church in Quito, Ecuador · Wikipedia - 05National Library of Ecuador
The National Library of Ecuador is located in Quito, Ecuador. The library is named after the writer and lawyer Eugenio Espejo.
2.2 km · national library · Wikipedia - 06Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
The Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador is a Pontifical Catholic university founded in 1946 in Quito, Ecuador.
2.6 km · Ecuatorian university · Wikipedia - 07El Panecillo
El Panecillo is a 200-metre-high hill of volcanic-origin, with loess soil, located between southern and central Quito. Its peak is at an elevation of 3,016 metres above sea level.
1.2 km · mountain in Quito, Ecuador · Wikipedia - 08Church of Saint Frinci
The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, commonly known as el San Francisco, is a Catholic basilica that stands in the middle of the historic center of Quito, in front of the square of the same name. It is the oldest and most significant religious site in Ecuador.
300 m · church building in Quito, Ecuador · Wikipedia - 09Church of the Society of Jesus
The Church and Convent of San Ignacio de Loyola de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito, also known in the Ecuadorian people simply as La Compañía, is a Catholic clerical complex located on the corner formed by calles García Moreno and Sucre, in the Historic Center of the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. The façade of its main temple is entirely carved in volcanic stone.
200 m · Jesuit church in Quito, Ecuador · Wikipedia - 10Plaza de la Independencia
Independence Square is the principal and central public square of Quito, Ecuador. This is the central square of the city and one of the symbols of the executive power of the nation.
0 m · plaza in Ecuador · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
- 01Conjunto monumental San Francisco
This church dates to 1537 and was devoted to St Francis, since the Franciscan order was the first to settle in the area.
- 02Plaza Grande / Plaza de la Independencia
Main plaza of Quito with national significance that features the monument to the independence heroes of August 10, 1809.
- 03Museo Nacional -- MuNa
Seis de DiciembreEdificio de la Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana (in the Casa de la Cultura complex and adjacent to the Parque El Ejido.
- 04Casa de la Cultura
De Diciembre 794 y Patria 6 (next door to the Museo Nacional; Casa de la Cultura station in Ecovía bus),.
- 05Museo de la Ciudad
Garcia Moreno street (in the Old Town, opposite the Carmen Alto monastery).
- 06Botanical Gardens
From Wikivoyage: Quito, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Explore the Old Town With its gorgeous mixture of colonial and republican/independence era architecture (late 1500s to 1800s), relaxing plazas and a stunning number of churches. If you happen to be there during Christmas or Easter, you'll be amazed at the number of events, masses, and processions that bring out the crowds. You'll find craft shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels across its grid of streets.
- 01TelefériQo
It's the world's second-highest cable car.
- 02Hike Pichincha Volcano
You can hike from the upper TelefériQo station to the Guagua Pichincha Volcano, which is active.
From Wikivoyage: Quito, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
You name it, and it's available in Quito. Restaurants range from the basic places offering chicken and rice for $1.50 to international food with very expensive prices. The country benefits from all worlds, with a variety of dishes inspired by both coastal and Andean produce. Seafood and fish is fresh and delicious, while meats, particularly pork, are excellent.
From Wikivoyage: Quito, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Quito
- Airports
- Mariscal Sucre (UIO), 20 km · Carlos Concha Torres (ESM), 182 km · José Joaquín de Olmedo (GYE), 264 km
- Stations
- Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport, 9.2 km · Morán Valverde station, 7.9 km · Solanda station, 5.7 km · Cardenal de la Torre station, 4.7 km · Quitumbe Metro station, 9.6 km
- Tachina → Quito181 km · quickest by road, 5h 36m · $14–19
- Guayaquil → Quito266 km · quickest by air, 4h 24m · $60–90
- Salinas/La Libertad → Quito11 km · quickest by road, 40 min · $1–1.5
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Quito
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Quito. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- 01993 km
- 021,522 km
- 031,571 km
- 041,605 km
- 051,990 km
If you know how people move in Quito – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.