Season guide · Quito · Ecuador
Quito in the festive season
December–January: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Mixed weather with the Fiestas de Quito, Christmas and New Year celebrations; often a short drier spell around the holidays. Expect highs up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around 10°C (50°F), with about 26 rainy days across December–January.
Key facts
- Months
- December–January
- Temperatures
- 10°C (50°F) to 19°C (66°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 26
- Crowds
- Busy
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in the festive season
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C (66°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 13 | 12.1 h | 3/5 |
| December | 19°C (66°F) | 10°C (50°F) | 13 | 12.1 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 19°C (66°F) against a yearly 19°C (66°F), and 26 of the year's roughly 144 rainy days fall in these 2 months. Crowds rate 4/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
What's on in the festive season
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- December: Fiestas de Quito — founding anniversary with concerts and parades (usually late November to 6 December)
- December: Años viejos — effigies burned at midnight on New Year's Eve (31 December)
Good choices for the festive season
Gallery · Bellavista (Quito)
Capilla del Hombre and Casa Museo Guayasamín
Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador's best-known painter, designed the Capilla del Hombre as a monument to the peoples of Latin America, filled with his large expressionist canvases about suffering and resistance.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Views
Museum · Centro Histórico
Casa del Alabado Museum
Visit it before La Compañía to understand the indigenous symbolism that later appears in colonial art.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · San Juan
Yaku Parque Museo del Agua
Built around Quito's old water-storage tanks on a hillside above the Old Town, this museum explains water and the environment through hands-on exhibits, fountains and outdoor play areas.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Views
- Rainy day
Museum · Centro Histórico
Museo de la Ciudad
Visit it early in an Old Town day to put the churches and plazas in context.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Day trips in the festive season
- Mindo cloud forest (About 2 hours by bus) — On the western slopes of the Andes, the village of Mindo sits in a cloud forest known for hummingbirds, butterflies and orchids.
- Papallacta hot springs (About 1.5 hours by road) — Thermal pools at around 3,300 metres on the eastern side of the Andes, fed by volcanic springs and surrounded by misty páramo hills.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is the festive season a good time to visit Quito?
It is a trade-off: Mixed weather with the Fiestas de Quito, Christmas and New Year celebrations; often a short drier spell around the holidays. The best months overall are June–September.
+What is the weather like in Quito in the festive season?
Highs of up to 19°C (66°F) and lows around 10°C (50°F), with about 26 rainy days over the season.