2 days in Quito

Day by day

1. Day 1: Plaza Grande and Carondelet Palace and Church of La Compañía de Jesús

   Plaza Grande and Carondelet Palace, Church of La Compañía de Jesús, Church and Convent of San Francisco and Basílica del Voto Nacional, then Calle La Ronda in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Plaza Grande and Carondelet Palace

      Shoe-shiners, retirees and street vendors gather around the independence monument, and the cathedral's rooftop gives a view over the square.

   2. Late morning

      Church of La Compañía de Jesús

      It is the most elaborate Baroque church in the city and is run as a museum with a small entry fee.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Locro de papa

      The Mercado Central and almost every set-lunch (almuerzo) menu in the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Church and Convent of San Francisco

      Its stone plaza is the biggest open space in the Old Town, and the attached museum displays works of the Quito School of colonial painting and sculpture in cloisters around a garden.

   5. Late afternoon

      Basílica del Voto Nacional

      Visitors can climb its towers by internal stairs and steep ladders to a viewpoint above the clock, looking across the Old Town to El Panecillo.

   6. Evening

      Calle La Ronda

      Come in the early evening for a canelazo and empanadas de viento, then return to your hotel by taxi.

2. Day 2: El Panecillo and TelefériQo

   El Panecillo, TelefériQo, Ciudad Mitad del Mundo and Capilla del Hombre and Casa Museo Guayasamín, then Plaza Foch, La Mariscal in the evening.

   1. Morning

      El Panecillo

      The summit gives one of the best views over the colonial centre and the northern city, and you can climb inside the statue's base for a small fee.

   2. Late morning

      TelefériQo

      From the top there are views over the whole valley and, on clear mornings, Cotopaxi and other volcanoes; trails continue towards Rucu Pichincha for acclimatised hikers.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Hornado

      Market stalls with whole pigs on display, and family restaurants on the roads out of the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Ciudad Mitad del Mundo

      GPS shows the true equator lies a few hundred metres away; the small Intiñan museum nearby makes a playful show of equator experiments.

   5. Late afternoon

      Capilla del Hombre and Casa Museo Guayasamín

      His neighbouring house displays his own collection of pre-Columbian and colonial art and has a garden with city views.

   6. Evening

      Plaza Foch, La Mariscal

      The densest cluster of bars, salsa clubs and late-night venues, popular with students and travellers.

Before you go

• Plaza Grande and Carondelet Palace: Free tours of the Carondelet Palace are offered on many days but need registration with identification at the palace entrance.

If it rains

• Swap in Casa del Alabado Museum (Centro Histórico): Visit it before La Compañía to understand the indigenous symbolism that later appears in colonial art.
• Swap in Yaku Parque Museo del Agua (San Juan): Pair it with the Basílica del Voto Nacional, a short taxi ride or a steep walk below.
• Swap in Museo de la Ciudad (Centro Histórico): Visit it early in an Old Town day to put the churches and plazas in context.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 13–16 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 12.1 hours in January to 12.1 hours in January.

Getting between stops: Metro. A single Metro line runs from Quitumbe in the south to El Labrador in the north, with stations at San Francisco in the Old Town, El Ejido, La Carolina and Iñaquito; it is the fastest way between the Old Town and the north.

More or fewer days

• One day in Quito
• 3 days in Quito
• 5 days in Quito

Questions travellers ask