Things to Do in Quito (Ecuador)
I touched down in Quito late at night, and the first thing that hit me was the thin air. The city sits at 2,850 meters, higher than almost any capital on earth, and it takes a day or two before your lungs and your legs agree on a plan. Once they did, Quito opened up as one of the most complete cities I have toured. Here is how I spent the time.
Start Slow with the Old Town
My first full day I kept it gentle, walking the Old Town that eight hundred years of history layered into one compact neighborhood. It felt more like a working quarter than a museum, every corner holding a church. I started at the Plaza Grande, where the metropolitan cathedral and the presidential palace face each other across cobblestones, and just watched the city move for a while.
From the plaza I wandered to the CompañÃa de Jesús, the Jesuit church famous for its interior coated in gold and carved cedar. Even by the standards of a continent crowded with ornate churches, it stopped me in my tracks. I paid the small entry fee, stood under the gilt dome, and understood why locals call it the Sistine Chapel of the Americas.
Down the street sits San Francisco, the oldest church in the country, with its own plaza full of vendors selling hot chocolate, empanadas, and the sweet fried dough locals call llapingachos griddled with cheese. I grabbed lunch there, kept it cheap, and reminded myself that altitude means I should eat light.
Ride the Teleférico for the Best View
On day two, when I had adjusted, I took the teleférico, a cable car that lifted me from the edge of the city to a lookout called Cruz Loma. The ride is short and steep, and at the top you stand above most of Quito with the volcanoes framed behind it. On a clear day Cotopaxi and Antisana line up on the horizon, and the whole valley spreads out below like a map.
I spent two hours up there hiking a short loop along the ridge. Bring a jacket even in the dry season; it is windy at 4,000 meters and the temperature drops fast once the sun tucks behind a cloud.
Stand on the Line at Mitad del Mundo
The tourist billboard for Quito is Mitad del Mundo, the monument marking the equator crossing about half an hour north of the center. I went and I am glad I did, with one honest caveat. The famous line sits in the wrong spot; GPS puts the true equator a few hundred meters away at the Intiñan Museum. The museum runs the fun demonstrations, the basin trick where water spins one way and then the other, and the egg-on-a-nail balance that everyone tries and half of them manage.
Skip the bus and take a taxi or the Metro to the transfer point; it costs less and gives you freedom over timing. Give the site a couple of hours. The monument has a small museum and a deck, and the surrounding plaza is fun for a photo with one foot in each hemisphere, even if the physics is mostly theater.
Climb the BasÃlica for the Roof
The BasÃlica del Voto Nacional is the neo-Gothic cathedral you can walk up into, and the highlight is the roof. A narrow stair and a set of metal ladders take you onto the walkway above the nave, where you can shuffle along the ridges between the spires. The view over the Old Town from up there is the best one I found in the whole city, better than the teleférico for detail because you can read every red tile roof.
The church even grows gargoyles shaped like iguanas and condors. Climbing needs a head for heights, but it is safe.
Eat Like a Local in La Mariscal
At night I stayed in La Mariscal, the neighborhood that gets called gringoland for how many hostels and bars it packs in. The title undersells the food. I ate empanadas de viento with their melted cheese, a bowl of locro soup thickened with potato and topped with avocado, and the standout of the whole trip, a plate of cuy from a family restaurant that roasted it with garlic and served it with corn. The latter is not for everyone, and I respect that, but it is a piece of local food culture worth facing once.
For something quick, the mercados are the move. I bought fresh juice and fruit at Mercado Central for a few dollars and ate standing beside workers. The city rewards you every time you ditch the tourist spots for the daily rooms.
Plan a Day Trip to Cotopaxi
If you have one extra day, give it to Cotopaxi. The park lies a couple of hours south and holds a snow-capped volcano that looks like a postcard even when it is hiding behind cloud. I rented a bike at the park gate and rode the road through the high meadows where wild horses graze and herds of llamas wander onto the asphalt. Riding at altitude is work, but the silence up there, broken only by wind, was the calmest hour of my entire trip.
Book through one of the established tour operators at your hostel rather than arranging it yourself. The roads and the weather change fast, and a driver who knows the area makes the day smoother and safer.
Final Thoughts on Quito
Quito rewarded me because I gave it room. The altitude slows you down whether you like it or not, so I stopped fighting it and let the city set the pace. Spend a first day wandering the Old Town, lift above it on day two, and ease out to the equator and Cotopaxi after that. It gives the traveler a proper map of what Ecuador offers, and I stopped checking my list early on.
