Solo travel · Quito · Ecuador
Solo travel in Quito
How to enjoy Quito at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Quito is a common starting point for solo travellers heading to the Galápagos, the Amazon and the Andes, with sociable hostels, language schools and free walking tours. Caution after dark matters more than in many capitals. Many solo travellers base themselves in La Mariscal.
Key facts
- Base
- La Mariscal
- Getting around
- Metro
- Emergency number
- 911
- Language
- Spanish and Kichwa
Solo travel tips
- Take a Spanish course for a week or two; Quito is one of the region's established study destinations.
- Join a free walking tour of the Old Town to learn the history and meet other travellers.
- Use taxis or ride-hailing apps at night, including for short trips within La Mariscal.
- Leave valuables in your hotel and carry a copy of your passport when exploring the Old Town.
- Book group day tours to Cotopaxi or Quilotoa through established agencies to share costs.
Where to stay
$ · Best for budget, nightlife and solo travellers
La Mariscal
Mariscal Sucre, usually just called La Mariscal, is the traditional backpacker district, with tour agencies, language schools, international restaurants and the bar cluster around Plaza Foch on Calle Reina Victoria. It is convenient for buses and taxis to both the Old Town and the north, but its streets need care at night.
- Good
- Cheap hostels and hotels; Tour agencies for day trips; Lively bars
- Watch out
- Pickpocketing and street crime reported at night; Noisy at weekends
- Nearby
- Plaza Foch, Parque El Ejido, Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal
Great on your own
Landmark · Centro Histórico
Plaza Grande and Carondelet Palace
Start your Old Town walk here early in the morning, then follow Calle García Moreno south past La Compañía towards La Ronda.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
Religious site · Centro Histórico
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.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Architecture
- History
- Art
Religious site · Centro Histórico
Church and Convent of San Francisco
After the church, visit the museum cloisters and then have a coffee in the arcades along the plaza's edge.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Art
Viewpoint · El Panecillo
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.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Iconic
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Pichincha slopes
TelefériQo
Go early, as clouds usually build by midday, and bring a warm jacket; spend a day or two in Quito first to acclimatise.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Iconic
- Outdoors
- Active
- Kids
Landmark · San Antonio de Pichincha
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo
Combine it with the Pululahua crater viewpoint, a few kilometres away, and go in the morning before the clouds settle.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- Photo spot
- History
Meeting people
- Almuerzo set lunch — Most small restaurants serve a fixed-price almuerzo of soup, a main of rice, meat and salad, a fruit juice and a small dessert for a few dollars; it is how most Quiteños eat lunch.
- Market lunch at the Mercado Central — Sit at a counter among locals for locro, corvina frita or a towering fruit salad, a short walk from the Plaza Grande.
- Plaza Foch, La Mariscal — The densest cluster of bars, salsa clubs and late-night venues, popular with students and travellers.
- La Floresta — Craft breweries, wine bars and the Ocho y Medio cinema café in a quieter residential barrio.
Sensible precautions
Pickpocketing and bag snatching are common on crowded buses, in the Old Town and in La Mariscal at night; take taxis after dark and do not walk up the stairs to El Panecillo. At 2,850 metres, altitude sickness and strong sun affect many visitors, so rest on arrival and drink water.
- Emergency number
- 911
- Staying connected
- Mobile coverage is good across the city; local SIM cards and eSIMs are easy to buy, and most hotels and cafés have Wi-Fi.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Quito good for solo travellers?
Quito is a common starting point for solo travellers heading to the Galápagos, the Amazon and the Andes, with sociable hostels, language schools and free walking tours. Caution after dark matters more than in many capitals.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Quito?
La Mariscal: Hostels, travel agencies, bars and Plaza Foch in the north-central city.