3 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 and Church and Convent of San Francisco, then Calle La Ronda in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Plaza Grande and Carondelet Palace

      Officially the Plaza de la Independencia, Quito's main square is the political centre of Ecuador, with the white colonnaded Carondelet Palace, seat of the presidency, on one side and the Metropolitan Cathedral on another.

   2. Late morning

      Church of La Compañía de Jesús

      Visit on a bright day when sunlight through the dome makes the gilding glow, and look for the painting of hell near the entrance.

   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

      Begun in the 1530s soon after the Spanish founded the city, the San Francisco complex is one of the largest colonial religious ensembles in the Americas.

   5. 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 and Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, then Plaza Foch, La Mariscal in the evening.

   1. Morning

      El Panecillo

      Take a taxi up and ask it to wait; do not walk the stairs from the Old Town, where robberies have been reported.

   2. Late morning

      TelefériQo

      One of the highest passenger cable cars in the world carries gondolas from the western edge of the city up to Cruz Loma, at about 3,950 metres on the slopes of Pichincha.

   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

      Combine it with the Pululahua crater viewpoint, a few kilometres away, and go in the morning before the clouds settle.

   5. Evening

      Plaza Foch, La Mariscal

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

3. Day 3: Basílica del Voto Nacional and Casa del Alabado Museum

   Basílica del Voto Nacional, Casa del Alabado Museum and Mercado Central, then La Floresta in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Basílica del Voto Nacional

      This large neo-Gothic basilica, begun in the 1890s, replaces traditional gargoyles with stone tortoises, iguanas and other Ecuadorian animals.

   2. Late morning

      Casa del Alabado Museum

      Visit it before La Compañía to understand the indigenous symbolism that later appears in colonial art.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Llapingachos

      Markets, traditional restaurants and as the standard side to hornado.

   4. Afternoon

      Mercado Central

      A short walk east of the Plaza Grande, Quito's central market is the place for a cheap lunch of locro de papa, corvina frita or a fresh fruit juice at counters run by the same families for decades.

   5. Evening

      La Floresta

      Craft breweries, wine bars and the Ocho y Medio cinema café in a quieter residential barrio.

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 Capilla del Hombre and Casa Museo Guayasamín (Bellavista (Quito)): Take a taxi up the Bellavista hill and see both buildings on one ticket; the guided visits help explain the paintings.
• 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

With 3 nights, Centro Histórico keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, San Marcos ($$) suits quiet stays, couples and culture. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 13–16 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 12.1 hours in January to 12.1 hours in January.

More or fewer days

• One day in Quito
• 2 days in Quito
• 5 days in Quito

Questions travellers ask