Skip to content
Mixroutes
Quito
Capital city of Ecuador

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.

Plan a trip to Quito→From Tachina

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.

Get in

Getting to Quito

  1. 01
    Mariscal Sucre International Airport
See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Conjunto 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.

  2. 02
    Plaza Grande / Plaza de la Independencia

    Main plaza of Quito with national significance that features the monument to the independence heroes of August 10, 1809.

  3. 03
    Museo 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.

  4. 04
    Casa de la Cultura

    De Diciembre 794 y Patria 6 (next door to the Museo Nacional; Casa de la Cultura station in Ecovía bus),.

  5. 05
    Museo de la Ciudad

    Garcia Moreno street (in the Old Town, opposite the Carmen Alto monastery).

  6. 06
    Botanical Gardens
Do

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.

  1. 01
    TelefériQo

    It's the world's second-highest cable car.

  2. 02
    Hike Pichincha Volcano

    You can hike from the upper TelefériQo station to the Guagua Pichincha Volcano, which is active.

Eat

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.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.