Quito was our final stop on a three month South American adventure. We spent a total of 5 days in the city, although in reality, they weren’t consecutive as we took a trip to the Amazon between days 2 and 3. We spent two days sightseeing on foot, then a day on the Tren de los Volcanes, a day on an organised tour to two equator based theme parks and the final day on the hop-on-hop off bus. Bear in mind when planning a trip to Quito that many attractions close on Mondays.

Getting There

We flew into Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport, which is 23 miles from central Quito. There are cheaper ways to get into town, (you can get a public bus to Rio Coca Bus Station) but we chose to take transport organised by our hotels (advertised as a hotel shuttle, but basically they sent a taxi) because we thought it was safer and more convenient. There is a $25 fixed rate for taxis into town.

Getting Around

Much of the town can be visited on foot. To travel further afield, you can use public transport, but having read that Ecuadorian buses were rife with pickpockets, we opted to purchase a hop-on-hop-off bus ticket. We don’t often do organised tours, but decided that this was the best way to get to one of Quito’s top attractions, Mitad del Mondo, which is located 16 miles north of the city.

Where we Stayed

We stayed in two places, the first, Casa Montero, is centrally located, so convenient for exploring downtown Quito. The second, Kinde House, is nicer, but on a hill. This meant a strenuous walk back to the hotel at the end of a day’s sightseeing, but to compensate, it has a lovely rooftop garden with a great view of the city.

Itinerary

	Flight to Quito Accommodation – Casa Montero
Day 1	Basílica del Voto Nacional Iglesia de San Francisco Iglesia de Santo Domingo La Ronda Dinner at Casa los Geranios
Day 2	Plaza Grande Palacio de Gobierno Museo de la Ciudad Parque la Alameda National Assembly Museo Nacional Dinner at Bandido Brewing Accommodation – Kinde House
Day 3	Tren de los Volcanes Dinner at Cafe San Blas
Day 4	Museo de Sitio Intiñan Ciudad Mitad del Mundo (TelefériQo) Dinner at El Pollo Forastero
Day 5	Hop on Hop off Bus: El Panecillo La Carolina Park Botanical Garden Dinner at

Attractions

1	Basílica del Voto Nacional
2	Iglesia de San Francisco
3	Iglesia de Santo Domingo
4	Plaza Grande
5	La Ronda
6	Palacio de Gobierno
7	Museo de la Ciudad
8	Parque la Alameda
9	National Assembly
10	Museo Nacional
11	Tren de los Volcanes
12	Museo de Sitio Intiñan
13	Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
14	TelefériQo
15	El Panecillo
16	La Carolina Park
17	Botanical Garden

Flight to Quito

We start our Ecuadorian adventure with a flight into Quito; the world’s second highest capital, which concludes with a spectacular descent over Cotopaxi Volcano. It’s our 9th LATAM flight and for the 9th time, it lands bang on time. Someone from LATAM needs to come to the UK and give the likes of British Airways and EasyJet a few lessons. Once through the airport, we are picked up by a taxi organised by our hotel for the drive into central Quito.

Accommodation – Casa Montero

For the first couple of nights, we are staying in the heart of Quito at the Casa Montero; an old colonial style building with lots of charm, if a little tired. However, the surrounding area is a bit rough. It’s on the edge of Plaza de Santo Domingo. The area in general and the hotel steps in particular appear to be a meeting place for winos. On the plus side, it is very centrally located and therefore convenient for sightseeing. In addition, the hotel restaurant has a great view across the city to El Panecillo.

Quito Day 1

Today, we’re going sightseeing on foot in Quito – primarily churches as most other tourist attractions are shut on Mondays.

Basílica del Voto Nacional

After breakfast, we set off for the enormous Basílica del Voto Nacional. This 19th century church is, in fact the largest in Quito. Construction took place between 1892 and 1909, although technically the building remains unfinished because legend says that when the Basílica is completed, the world will end. The exterior is carved with animals such as turtles and iguanas and the interior has some stunning stained glass windows.

The old man decides to climb the tower, which is apparently quite rickety. It requires crossing a wooden plank inside the main roof and climbing a combination of stairs and ladders to the top. I opt to sit in the café with a Coke.

I visit the interior of the Basílica instead. Some of the stained glass is being renovated, so the statues in the nave have been wrapped in a dark fabric. It looks like the church has been overrun by Dementors.

The Basílica is open daily between 9 am and 4 pm. Entry to the interior costs $1 and the tower costs $2.

Iglesia de San Francisco

Next, we go to the Iglesia de San Francisco. Construction of the church began in 1535, making it the oldest religious site in Ecuador.

It has a beautiful courtyard and an excellent museum with plenty of religious art.

Museo de San Francisco

Once we have finished wandering around the excellent Museo de San Francisco, admiring the weird and wonderful religious art, I try to buy some post cards. They have run out, so offer me posters for the same price of $0.25 each. It sounds like a bargain, but I’m not sure what I’m going to do with these posters – answers on a postcard (obviously not a postcard of San Francisco church).

The museum is open daily from 9 am until 5 pm (1 pm on Sunday). Entry costs $3.

Iglesia de Santo Domingo

We round off our morning in the Iglesia de Santo Domingo; highlight – a colour changing virgin. It’s safe to say that we are all churched out, so we return to our hotel.

La Ronda

In the evening, we take a walk along la Ronda, a cobbled street with colourful 17th century houses, and find somewhere for dinner.

Dinner at Casa los Geranios

We opt for Casa los Geranios, a quaint little restaurant which is, as the name suggests, adorned with geraniums.

The food is very good, if a bit pretentious. I have chicken in orange and teriyaki sauce with a chocolate glaze (with chips of course). The old man has steak followed by a flambéed ice cream dessert which looks like it will burn for ever. Then we return to our hotel and lock ourselves in for the night.

Quito Day 2

Plaza Grande

Another day of sightseeing on foot in Quito. We head first for the Plaza Grande, the central square with its large independence monument which is a popular selfie spot – some put more effort into their outfit than others!

Palacio de Gobierno

This morning we are going on a tour the Palacio de Gobierno. The tour is free, but needs to be reserved by email (in Spanish) so I’m quite proud of my achievement. We head for the security post. Our names are on the list – a triumph!

We get a guided tour of the museum, which focuses on the political history of Ecuador and finishes with a collection of presidential gifts.

Then past some rather cool murals by Guayasamin depicting the first European navigation of the Amazon. The tour finishes with visits to the enormous Banquet Room with its own chapel and the Yellow Room which houses portraits of past presidents.

We really enjoyed the guided tour of the Palacio de Gobierno. Tours haven’t run since 2020. The official website confirms that the palace is a top tourist attraction but gives no indication if/when tours will resume. However, the changing of the guard has recently recommenced, so hopefully, tours will follow suit.

Museo de la Ciudad

Next, we visit the Museo de la Ciudad. This is housed in a 17th century hospital and gives (theoretically) a chronological history of Quito. The old man gets impatient and bypasses a group of school kids, so we are going backwards through history, witnessing the fight for independence prior to colonisation, which is all rather confusing.

In the final gallery is a temporary exhibit. There’s no indication of what this exhibit might be until we arrive. It turns out to be the history of Quito’s markets, so rather an anti climax.

The Museum is open daily except Monday from 9am until 5pm. Entry costs $3.

Parque la Alameda

From here, we walk north east, through the Parque la Alameda with its rather marvellous sculpture depicting Simon Bolivar, who led the revolution against Spanish rule, riding into battle.

National Assembly

On past the National Assembly, which has a colourful collection of hummingbird sculptures along the front.

Museo Nacional (MuNa)

We reach our ultimate destination; the Casa de la Cultura. This huge, round glass building houses the Museo Nacional (MuNa) which takes you through the history of Ecuadorean art. There’s some great stuff here, including lots of gold.

My favourite is a collection of sculptures called La Carga, which depict Ecuadorean women going about their daily business.

There’s also a fun ‘play area’ where you can interact with the art and even climb inside a painting.

The MuNa also has temporary exhibit; when we visited it was the work of artist Hernán Illescas, which was for sale. The old man determines to win the lottery and buy La Migración sueño en la Memoria, a snip at $20,000.

MuNa is open from Wednesday to Sunday between 10 am and 5 pm (3 pm on Sunday). Entry is free.

Dinner at Bandido Brewing

The three of us walk the two miles back to our hotel (we appear to have adopted a dog), stopping for dinner at a trendy microbrewery called Bandido Brewing. We are the oldest in there by a good 30 years. We are served by a girl with green hair and multiple piercings. The food and beer are good, but we feel terribly out of place.

Accommodation – Kinde House

Our new hotel, Kinde House, is reached by a steep hill. The reward for this exertion – a great view.

Quito Day 3

Tren de los Volcanes

Today, we are going on the Tren de los Volcanes. This tourist train follows a 50 mile route to El Boliche which, it claims, gives you the opportunity to see 15 volcanoes (in good weather).

There aren’t any passenger trains in Ecuador; the taxi driver doesn’t even know where the station is, and tries to drop us at the offices of Tren Ecuador. Luckily, a passing motor cyclist explains his error, we get back in the taxi and follow the motorcyclist to Chimbacalle Station.

We board our train and set off, flanked by a team of motor cycle outriders to keep the tracks clear. We have only been able to book two aisle seats; Ecuadorean families have booked all the window seats (a group of seven have booked six window seats). However, once the train is underway, the families move to sit together and a pair of seats frees up.

After 45 minutes, we reach the outskirts of Quito and pass our first volcano, the active volcano of Atacazo. Next, through a large eucalyptus forest, then into a valley past Pasochoa, a horseshoe shaped volcano which has erupted sideways.

We stop for 30 minutes in the village of Tambillo for no discernible reason other than to bring tourism to the area. I show willing by buying a train shaped fridge magnet.

After three hours, we reach our destination, El Boliche, where we have two hours of ‘activities’. We are taken on a guided tour by an eco warrior who loves the sound of his own voice. It takes over an hour to follow a 320 metre trail. I zone out of what he’s saying, but basically he loves nettles and hates cow poo. He stings himself a few times to prove the point. Once we reach the end of the trail; a sacred tree, it’s a case of ‘exit through the gift shop’. For an hour.

We are disappointed to discover that on the ‘Volcano Train’ (which advertises itself with pictures of Cotopaxi and takes you to the foot of Cotopaxi) you don’t actually see Cotopaxi. However, unlike PeruRail, they haven’t cloned our credit card (yet)!

On the return journey, it rains and cloud descends so visibility is minimal. Now our ‘volcano experience’ is reduced to sitting on a retired Spanish commuter train crawling towards Quito with nothing to do except watch the outriders struggle on the wet cobbles.

We stop for two hours at Machachi station in the middle of nowhere. There’s the station, a café and a fancy ranch. It’s pouring with rain, soaking the poor dancers who are there to greet us. We have some lunch at the station, which leaves over an hour to kill aimlessly wandering round by the train, which finally departs 20 minutes behind schedule.

We return to Quito station and get a taxi. I show the driver the address of the hotel and he nods and drives into town. It becomes apparent he has no idea where he’s going when he starts asking aquí? every few hundred metres. The old man loses patience and we get out of the taxi and walk the final mile and find somewhere to eat.

All trains routes in Ecuador are currently temporarily closed, but hopefully it will soon be possible to enjoy this journey again.

Dinner at Cafe San Blas

Cafe san Blas is a small restaurant, specialising in pizza. It can take a while to get served, but we enjoyed a beer (or two) and watched the world pass by in the interim.

Quito Day 4

Today, we are going to the equator and a couple of equator based attractions. It’s difficult to reach on public transport, so we have booked a tour. On the way there, it rains so heavily it’s difficult to tell if we’re driving down a road or a river. Rubbish floats past the windows when we stop at traffic lights. Luckily, it eases off before we arrive.

Museo de Sitio Intiñan

First stop is the Museo de Sitio Intiñan, which claims to be on the GPS equator. Here, we are given a guided tour which includes such activities as balancing an egg on a nail and trying to walk along the equator in a straight line.

This is followed by a very lengthy chocolate making demonstration, for no particular reason other than to try and flog chocolate. I get frustrated, time is passing, and we still haven’t reached Mitad del Mundo, which is what we came to see.

Ciudad Mitad del Mundo

Finally, we continue to the Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, which claims to be on the geographical equator. We only have 28 minutes here and in addition to a plethora of equator based photo ops, there are also more painted hummingbird sculptures. So we devise a strategic photography plan and split up, run round our allocated segments and get back to the bus a mere two minutes behind schedule.

There was supposed to be a third stop at the cable car, but we have run out of time. The driver offers to drop us there, but we will have to make our own way back to town (which was kind of the point of booking a tour). As we can’t see the mountain for cloud, we decline and return to Quito.

It is possible to get to Mitad del Mundo by public transport, but it requires taking two buses (change at Ofelia station). Alternatively, there are a whole host of travel agents offering trips to Mitad del Mundo. We went with Go4Shuttle who charge $10 for transportation.

The Museo de Sitio Intiñan is open daily from 9.30 am until 5 pm with entry costing $4. The Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is open daily from 9 am until 5 pm (6 pm at weekends) and entry costs £5.

TelefériQo

As mentioned above, we didn’t visit the TelefériQo due to poor visibility. Cloud cover permitting, this gondola ride, one of the world’s highest aerial lifts, takes passengers on a 10 minute, 2.5 km ride up the side of Pichincha Volcano for spectacular views over Quito. Once at the top (4100 m above sea level), it might be possible to hike to the volcano summit (a 4 km, 5 hour round-trip). Check the safety situation before attempting the climb.  The cable car runs daily from 9 am (8 am at weekends) until 7 pm and costs $9.

Dinner at El Pollo Forastero

For dinner, we go to El Pollo Forastero. It’s a rather basic looking chicken shop, but busy with locals, which we figure is a good thing. We order pollo y papas (chicken and potatoes) and get served chicken and boiled potato. The chicken is good, but the potato is a disappointment – who even heard of serving chicken without chips?

Quito Day 5

Hop-on-Hop-off Bus

Today, we are doing something we rarely do; taking the hop-on-hop-off Quito Tour Bus. This open top double decker bus follows a route round the city’s major attractions, stopping at 7 locations. It runs at 90 minute intervals, with the first bus departing UN Boulevard at 10 am and the last at 4 pm. At most stops, the bus just drops off/picks up passengers. However, at our first destination, El Panecillo, the stop is 30 minutes in duration which gives you sufficient time to scale the monument and continue on the same bus. A one day bus ticket costs $15.

El Panecillo

The bus heads up El Panecillo; a small hill with an aluminium statue of the Virgin Mary on top. It’s an interesting journey in a double decker, navigating the narrow, winding streets and low hanging electric cables.

Virgen de el Panecillo

The Virgen de el Panecillo sits atop a dragon on a globe. You can climb to a viewing platform around the globe for a 360 degree view of the city and surroundings.

The monument is open from 9 am until 5 pm (9 pm at weekends). Entry costs $1.

La Carolina Park

We reboard our bus and travel through the old city to La Carolina Park; a large park with sports pitches, a running track, a lake and the Botanical Garden.

Botanical Garden

Inside the park is the Botanical Garden. The garden has a number of zones, with native habitats covering Andean grasslands, cloud forest, wetlands, an orchid greenhouse, an ethnobotanical garden, an Amazonian greenhouse and a Japanese garden.

We spend a long time in the Botanical Garden; the best bits are the Carnivore Collection and the Japanese Garden which contains a collection of over 100 Bonsai trees.

The Botanical Garden is open daily between 10 am and 3 pm. Entry costs $4.

Dinner at

We catch the bus again with the intention of getting off at some other stops but it starts raining and we’re weary. So we return to the beginning and have dinner in a colonial courtyard in the old city, where I order a salchipan (sausage sandwich) and the old man goes, as always, for the biggest thing on the menu.

• Trip taken: March 2019
• Updated: May 2023