18 Best Things to Do in Quito, Ecuador

The capital city of Ecuador is often overlooked by travellers, who only use it as a transit point on their way to the Galapagos Islands. However, Quito is definitely a city that’s worth stopping in. There are endless things to do, both in its well-preserved historic centre and around it.

In this guide, we’ll detail all the top sights you can visit in Quito including historical buildings, beautiful viewpoints and fun day trips such as Pichincha Volcano and a visit to the Equator.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Quito, then check out our Quito City Guide video on our YouTube Channel. For more Ecuador videos check out our Ecuador Playlist.

Introducing Quito, Ecuador

Quito is a huge city spread out along a valley on the eastern slopes of Pichincha Volcano. Situated at 2,850 m (9,350 ft) above sea level, the city is also one of the highest capital cities in the world.

The earliest settlers in the area were the Quitus; a pre-Inca tribe. The Incas then converted Quito into a major city and even connected it with a road to Cusco in Peru.

The capital of Ecuador was then founded by the Spanish in 1534 on the ruins of the Inca city, which is very similar to the way modern cities across Peru were founded.

In 1822 Simon Bolivar set Quito free and also formed Gran Colombia which included present-day Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and parts of Peru and Brazil. Gran Colombia was dissolved in 1831 due to political differences and Ecuador became independent.

Quito has one of the best-preserved and least altered historic centres in The Americas. Because of that, in 1978 it was the first historic centre in the world to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

18 Best Things to Do in Quito, Ecuador

1. Explore Quito’s Historic Centre (Centro Historico)

The best place to start exploring Quito has to be its well-preserved Historic Centre. Located between Panecillo Hill in the south and Alameda Park in the north the old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978.

2. Relax at Plaza Grande

Located in the heart of the Historic Centre is Plaza Grande. The tree covered square is perfect for wandering around or just to sit, admire the architecture, and watch people going about their business.

Surrounding the plaza there are some important buildings such as the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet), the Catedral Metropolitana de Quito and the former Archbishop’s Palace which now functions as shops and restaurants.

In the center, there’s also the Independence Monument (Monumento a la Independencia) which was erected in memory of the heroes of the Quito revolution.

3. Check Out the Presidential Palace

Located on the western side of Plaza Grande is the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Carondelet).

It had been closed to the public for many years before it became possible to walk around some of the rooms as part of a free guided tour. However, it’s now been closed again, which is a shame. You can still take a closer look at the exterior of the building. In addition, there’s also a guard change that takes place every Tuesday around 12 PM.

Unfortunately, we were there on a Thursday, so we completely missed this.

4. Visit the Metropolitan Cathedral of Quito

The Metropolitan Cathedral (Catedral Metropolitana de Quito) is home to the archdioceses of the city and is one of Latin America’s oldest churches. It also houses many impressive altars and artworks.

One of the artworks you should look for is a painting by Manuel Samaniego depicting the Last Supper. It features Jesus eating a roasted guinea pig (cuy asado), and other traditional Ecuadorian dishes. This is actually very similar to the painting you can see in the Cathedral of Cusco in Peru.

Entry fee – $4 USD per person and you can also climb the dome for an overview of Plaza Grande.

5. Admire the Interior of the Church of the Society of Jesus

Only a short walk away from Plaza Grande you’ll find the most ornate church in Ecuador. It took about 160 years to complete the church and today it is considered one of the finest examples of Spanish Baroque architecture on the continent.

The façade of the church is beautiful enough as it’s entirely carved in volcanic stone. However, the central nave of Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús is basically covered from top to bottom in gold leaf, carvings and paintings. Which is pretty impressive!

The interior reminded us somewhat of St John’s Co-Cathedral which we visited in Valletta, Malta.

Entry fee – $5 USD per person. If you visit only one church, this should be it! Note that you cannot take photos inside.

6. The Church and Convent of San Francisco

Located in Plaza de San Francisco, Iglesia de San Francisco is the largest colonial building in Quito.

The complex was constructed on the ruins of the royal palace of the Inca Huayna Cápac. It took around 150 years to finish and the completed structure contains at least four different architectural styles.

Today, the complex houses 13 cloisters, three churches, a plaza, thousands of religious artworks, and a library holding thousands of books and historic documents.

You can admire the building from the outside and enjoy people watching at the plaza. The square is very bare compared to the lush main square, but you can definitely spend a few minutes here.

Entry fee – You can visit the church itself for free or pay a small fee to access other parts of the complex such as the convent.

7. Stroll Down La Ronda Street

Calle La Ronda is a quaint, pedestrianised street running parallel to Av. 24 de Mayo.

La Ronda is said to be one of the oldest and prettiest streets in the city. Apparently it was once an Inca route which has undergone some major changes since the Spanish conquest in the 16th century.

From the 19th century, La Ronda was considered a bohemian district and it became the home of poets, musicians and even politicians. As Quito grew, depopulation of this area started and it wasn’t long before it was associated with criminals. Luckily, modernisation never made its way to La Ronda and the historical buildings were never demolished. In fact, towards the end of the 20th century it underwent major restoration work.

Today, the narrow cobblestone street has retained its colonial houses which are used as bars, restaurants, cafes and shops.

We really wanted to enjoy this lively street but unfortunately nothing was really open when we were walking down it. Nevertheless, it was still a beautiful section of Quito’s Historic Centre to see.

8. Climb the Towers of the Basilica del Voto Nacional

There are many viewpoints in Quito where you can enjoy an overview of the city. One of them is at the Basilica of the National Vow, which should be on your itinerary even if you’re not into churches as much.

The 140m long, 35m wide church also has two huge towers about 115m high. It is considered the largest neo-Gothic church in South America.

The best part of the church is that you can climb up to one of the towers. The stairs are pretty steep and narrow towards the end, so bear that in mind before visiting. However, the views you get from the top are absolutely amazing. You also get a closer look at the exterior of this massive church.

Don’t forget to spot the coolest features of the church: the gargoyles. Instead of the usual grotesques you would see on similar buildings, the Basilica’s gargoyles are styled after native animals of Ecuador like iguanas, tortoises, armadillos, and condors.

Entry fee – $2 USD to enter the Basilica and an additional $3 USD per person to climb the towers.

Top Tip: If you don’t want to look around the church, just pay for the tower entry and you’ll still get an overview of the main part from the upper section.

Facilities – There’s a toilet facility for $0.25USD, a gift shop and a cafe.

9. Enjoy the Views from El Panecillo

If you don’t want to climb the steep steps of the Basilica, but still want to get a view of Quito, then head to El Panecillo.

The name El Panecillo translates to “the little bread roll” in Spanish. This volcanic hill was once home to a sun temple, which was destroyed during the Spanish conquest.

You can get some lovely views of Quito from this vantage point. You can also check out the beautiful 45m tall Virgin Mary statue called La Virgen del Panecillo.

To visit El Panecillo you can take a local bus, a taxi or an Uber. You can also walk too, but some posts have mentioned that it can be a bit unsafe. Alternatively, we recommend booking a Quito bus tour that stops at El Panecillo.

Entry Fee – El Panecillo is free, but you have to pay $1 USD to enter the statue.

10. Check out the Views from Itchimbia Park

There are definitely no shortages when it comes to viewpoints in Quito. Parque Itchimbia is another great option to see the city from a different angle. Although not as popular as El Panecillo or the Basilica, we enjoyed this park the most.

At the top there’s a beautiful building called Palacio de Cristal that’s made entirely out of glass. Unfortunately, there was some renovations going on at the time of our visit so we couldn’t see inside.

There’s also a very popular restaurant called Vista Hermosa not too far away, where you can enjoy some food and drinks with the views. Note that the prices will naturally be higher there than in other parts of the city.

11. Try Ecuadorian Food at Mercado Central

If you’d like to see and taste some traditional Ecuadorian products then head to Mercado Central.

The market has several floors where vendors sell fresh fruit, vegetables, meats, flowers, and more.

If you get hungry, the market has an entire section dedicated to ready to eat local dishes and fresh fruit juices. We bet you won’t be able to resist grabbing something there.

There are plenty of other places in Quito where you can try some typical Ecuadorian cuisine such as bolones de verde, humitas, quimbolitos, and empanadas.

Do you want to learn more about Ecuadorian cuisine? Then make sure to book a street food tour and have a fantastic gastronomic experience in the city.

12. Find Murals and Street Art in Quito

Apparently there’s this saying that “no wall is white in Ecuador”.

As you wander around the streets of Quito, you’ll definitely stumble upon many walls and buildings with impressive murals on them. During our time in Latin America, we definitely saw many murals and street art, and learnt that each and every one of them has a different message.

In Quito, you’ll see many with deep political or religious significance, all painted by Quito’s very talented underground artists. If you want to learn the meaning behind some of them, then we highly recommend joining a street art tour.

13. Visit La Capilla del Hombre and Casa Museo Guayasamín

There are many museums in Quito you can visit, but La Capilla del Hombre (“The Chapel of Man”) should be high on your list. This monument and museum is Oswaldo Guayasamín’s masterpiece.

Guayasamín is considered one of Ecuador’s greatest artists and social critics. His work is influenced by cubism, the works of Pablo Picasso, and by other artists like Mexico’s José Clemente Orozco.

Guayasamín focused on portraying the social, political and poverty issues he witnessed growing up in the region. 

He came up with the idea of La Capilla del Hombre back in 1985 but unfortunately passed away before the three-level cultural complex was completed in 2002. This monument and museum is a tribute to humankind, exhibiting a history of suffering and violence in Latin America.

A visit will also include a tour of his home (basically a museum of his house displaying all his art and collections).

Entry fee – $8USD per person. (We’re still gutted that we didn’t make time to visit this art museum).

14. Relax at Parque La Carolina

Located in the modern part of Quito, the 165-acre La Carolina Park is a great place to get away from the city noise. It’s a very important green space in such a huge city, so it’s no wonder that the park is well visited by locals.

Due to its shape, location and size it’s sometimes compared to New York City’s Central Park, which is also a major green space.

La Carolina gets especially busy during the weekends, so if you really want to see how locals spend their free time, then head over to the park then.

You can easily reach the park with an official taxi, Uber or by public bus.

15. Walk Around Quito’s Botanical Garden

Our main reason for visiting Parque La Carolina was to visit Quito’s Botanical Garden. As you would expect, it houses many species of plants native to Ecuador.

You can see plants from different ecosystems, from the wetlands to the highlands, the cloud forests, and the dry scrublands.

If you’ve just arrived to the country and will be visiting other places such as the Amazon Jungle, then it’s a great spot to learn more about Ecuadorian flora. After all, it is one of the many reasons Ecuador is considered such a diverse country.

Entry fee – $4 USD per person.

16. Ride Up to Pichincha Volcano on the TelefériQo

If you really want to appreciate just how massive Quito is, then head up the side of Pichincha Volcano with Quito’s aptly named cable car: TeleferiQo.

Opened in 2005, you can hop in one of the transparent gondola’s that take you up to around 4,000 meters (~13,100 ft) above sea level. Quito’s TeleferiQo is considered one of the highest cable cars in the world.

The highlight of the cable car ride up to Pichincha Volcano has to be the perfectly positioned swing from where you can quite literally swing above Quito. Some might think it’s a bit touristy and cheesy but trust us, it’s fun to bring out your inner child whilst swinging high above the city on the side of a volcano.

Don’t forget to dress in warmer clothes as the weather up there can be much colder and more unpredictable. You can reach the cable car station with a taxi, Uber, or local bus. Alternatively, you can also book a tour.

Entry fee – $8.50 USD per person for a return ticket.

Top Tip – If you love hiking, you can even hike up to the top of Pichincha Volcano too. Make sure to do this in the morning hours though and only if you’ve already acclimatised in the city.

17. Take a Day Trip to Mitad del Mundo

You cannot visit Quito and not take a day trip to the equator. Quito is the only place where the equator runs through a city and not through deep oceans or thick rainforests.

Did you know? – Ecuador actually translates to equator in English.

Located to the north of Quito, Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the Earth in English) is where you can find Ecuador’s impressive monument to the equator. It’s a fun place to visit with restaurants, museums, gift shops and of course the big, bright yellow line that’s just screaming for some fun photos.

However, it’s good to know that Mitad del Mundo is not where the actual equator is located. When they built the monument in the 1970s technology wasn’t as advanced, so they were out by about 240m. Which is still impressively close!

Don’t worry, you can also visit the real equator at the Intiñan Solar Museum just a few minutes’ walk from Mitad del Mundo.

You can get to Mitad del Mundo by public transport or with a tour.

Entry fee – $5 USD per person.

18. Visit the ‘Real’ Equator at the Intiñan Solar Museum

Once you’ve taken a few fun photos at the fake equator site, head over to the ‘real’ equator.

During your visit you’ll have to join a guided tour that will explain about Ecuador’s ecosystems, indigenous people’s and more information about the equator. You’ll then have the chance to take part in some fun experiments, like walking along the line with your eyes closed, balancing an egg on a nail, and seeing water run through a sink in different directions north and south of the Equator. In theory, these experiments should only work on the equator. 

Whilst Museo de Sitio Intiñan is definitely much closer to the real equator line, apparently it still might be slightly off. Regardless, our experiments worked there and we had a ton of fun.

Entry fee – $5 USD per person which also includes a guided tour with all the fun experiments.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in Quito, Ecuador

We didn’t have high expectations when visiting Quito. However, the city definitely surprised us and we had so much fun spending a few days in the capital. We enjoyed wandering the streets of the Old Town and of course being able to visit the equator had to be the highlight of our stay. Plus, the cool swing on the side of Pichincha Volcano was pretty epic.

Although it wouldn’t be in a list of our favourite cities, we would still absolutely recommend a brief stop there when visiting Ecuador.

Have you ever been to Quito in Ecuador before? If so, how much of the city did you manage to explore? What was your favourite activity? If not, would you want to visit Quito in the future? Let us know in the comments below.