For couples · Quito · Ecuador
Romantic things to do in Quito
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Cayambe, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Quito's romance lies in its views and colonial evenings: candlelit dinners in restored mansions, rooftop terraces facing the domes of the Old Town and mountain air on the slopes of Pichincha. Hot springs and cloud-forest lodges make easy escapes. Couples tend to stay in Centro Histórico.
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 2
- Area for couples
- Centro Histórico
- Best months
- September
Romantic ideas
1.Rooftop dinner in the Old Town
Several restaurants on restored colonial buildings look out over the illuminated churches and El Panecillo.
2.Evening on La Ronda
Share a canelazo and empanadas de viento as musicians play along the old lane.
3.TelefériQo at dawn
Ride to Cruz Loma early, before clouds rise, for the clearest views of the volcanoes.
4.Guápulo walk
Wander down the village lanes to the sanctuary and stop at a small bar on the way back.
5.Papallacta overnight
Soak in the thermal pools under the stars with a night at the spa hotel.
Sights couples love
Street · Centro Histórico
Calle La Ronda
Come in the early evening for a canelazo and empanadas de viento, then return to your hotel by taxi.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- After dark
- Food
- Couples
Park · San Marcos
Parque Itchimbía
Visit at sunset by taxi and look down on the church domes as the lights come on.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Outdoors
- Couples
Where couples should stay
$$ · Best for first-timers, culture and couples
Centro Histórico
The Old Town spreads around the Plaza Grande, with the Carondelet Palace, the cathedral and the archbishop's palace on its sides, and Plaza San Francisco two blocks away. Boutique hotels in restored colonial mansions put you within walking distance of nearly every major church and museum, and the San Francisco Metro station links it to the north.
- Good
- Walk to the main sights; Atmospheric colonial hotels; Metro link to the north
- Watch out
- Quiet and less safe on side streets after dark; Fewer restaurants open late; Steep hills at altitude
- Nearby
- Plaza Grande, La Compañía, Plaza San Francisco, Calle La Ronda
Romantic day trips
- Cotopaxi National Park (About 1.5–2 hours by road) — The near-symmetrical snow-capped cone of Cotopaxi, one of the world's highest active volcanoes, rises above páramo grassland with wild horses and the Limpiopungo lagoon.
- 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.
- Quilotoa crater lake (About 3.5–4 hours by road) — A collapsed volcano holds a turquoise lake about 3 km across, whose rim sits at nearly 3,900 metres.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Locro de papa, Hornado and Llapingachos. Bills in sit-down restaurants often add a 10% service charge as well as VAT.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Quito romantic?
Quito's romance lies in its views and colonial evenings: candlelit dinners in restored mansions, rooftop terraces facing the domes of the Old Town and mountain air on the slopes of Pichincha. Hot springs and cloud-forest lodges make easy escapes.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Quito?
Rooftop dinner in the Old Town: Several restaurants on restored colonial buildings look out over the illuminated churches and El Panecillo.
+Where should couples stay in Quito?
Centro Histórico: Colonial plazas, churches and monasteries on steep cobbled streets.