We are back from Ecuador! After spending 3 weeks mostly in historical Quito, I’m ready to share some of our favorite spots. What a special place– Quito has the largest historical center in South America, with some of the most beautiful churches and buildings!
If you find yourself in Quito, I highly recommend spending at least a full day, if not two, in the historic center. The days in Quito are usually exactly 12 hours long, but not without variation! As the sun breaks through the clouds you will see the most glorious light, and the bluest skies! It’s definitely worth it to hang around all day to admire the colorful architecture.
Quito, though it has its problems, feels relatively safe. People tend to mind their own business here, and you likely won’t run into any over-enthusiastic sales people. By keeping a low profile and being smart about our valuables, we didn’t have any issues at all!
10 Places to Visit in Historical Quito
Table of Contents
1) Basilica del Voto Nacional
The basilica towers over the rest of Quito and can be seen from various points throughout the historic center. This gothic style behemoth boasts beautiful stained-glass windows and animal carvings inspired by the Galapagos Islands. If you visit the Basilica, be sure to pay the $2 to go up the towers. You can even cross the spine of the cathedral and ascend the highest tower! It’s a bit scary and you need to be in relatively good shape, but so worth it.
2) Plaza Grande
Also known as Plaza de la Independencia, this lovely spot is filled with life! Surrounding the Plaza are famous sights including the Palacio del Gobierno and a huge cathedral where the presidents are buried. Wander around the Plaza and enjoy the variety of views. The buildings here are well-kept, and the center is always bustling!
3) Iglesia de Santo Domingo
This might be my favorite church that we visited in Ecuador. During the Spanish colonization, the “Quito School” was formed: loosely defined, it demonstrated a combination of Islamic, colonial, and indigenous Ecuadorian architectural styles. I think that Santo Domingo exhibits this beautifully, especially with its sweeping ceilings and geometric patterns. This church is a must-see!
4) The Panecillo
Located towards the south of the historic center, the Panecillo is a little hill topped with a winged Virgin Mary. Although most tour guides don’t recommend climbing up the 1,000 steps of the hill, I think it’s the best way to see Quito. You can also pay a few dollars to be driven up to the top of the hill if climbing at 9,000 feet is not your cup of tea. If you do climb the stairs, go with at least 3 other people, and leave your valuables at home! On top, you’ll find the most gorgeous view of Quito.
5) Museo de la ciudad
This museum tells you so much about the history of Ecuador! It has a beautiful courtyard and life-like exhibits, featuring the area from before the time of Spanish colonists to the present. It’s worth seeing if you’re curious about the Ecuador’s past and want to understand what it meant to live under Spanish rule.
6) La Ronda
“La Ronda” refers to a long street of shops and restaurants in historic Quito. It is beautiful and comes to life at night, with street performers, dancing, music and late-night eats. La Ronda is kept safe by the tourist police and enjoyed by locals and foreigners alike. It’s bustling practically every evening, but it’s quiet and pretty in daylight. Whichever you choose, you can’t skip this quaint spot!
7) La CompañÃa de Jesus
Known to be the most beautiful church in all of South America (disputed, of course), La CompañÃa is not to be missed. I personally thought the gilded interior was a bit too heavy, but it’s worth seeing. Furthermore, no photos are allowed inside (though Google has plenty of illegitimate shots if you’re curious), so all I have to offer for photos is the exterior.
8) Plaza de San Francisco
Iglesia San Francisco may not be worth seeing, but this plaza is really beautiful. It’s surrounded by ornamented colonial-style buildings, and offers some really great spots for photographing the feel of Quito’s Old Town. The area between Plaza de San Francisco and Plaza Grande is worth a stroll as well. Admire the walkways and the unique windows and balconies. If you’re thirsty for a drink, be sure to stop by Casa Gangotena, the most beautiful white building in the square. This luxury hotel underwent an expensive renovation years ago, and is absolutely pristine.
9) Cafe Galletti
Head over to this chic new cafe if you want to try good Ecuadorian coffee! Galletti grows beans for third-wave cafes in the US, including Intelligentsia, Blue Bottle and Four Barrel, some of our favorites. While you might find the espresso is not quite on par with the best American cafes, the baristas here are pretty good. Oh, and get the mocha– pure cacao bits are added to the coffee for the richest drink ever.
10) Casa Victoria and San Roque Neighborhood
Casa Victoria was the reason we went to Ecuador in the first place. A haven and community space for children in a poor Old Town neighborhood, CV is a really special place. If you’re visiting in historical Quito, you should go get pizza at Casa Victoria. Their pizza cafe is run by George, who is now a dear friend of ours. You’ll be supporting the organization and get to see where many indigenous Ecuadorians now live. I’ll be sharing more about our time with Casa Victoria on this blog, so look forward to that!
A Few Tips about Quito’s Centro Historico
Many tourists do not stay in this area because it’s not the safest part of Quito. If you’re traveling alone, I would tend to agree with that tip. However, drug culture has increased in Quito in general ever since the president legalized the possession of small amounts. Travelers should beware that this culture is not limited to the historic center, and is becoming more prevalent everywhere.
If you do stay in the historic center, which I highly recommend, be willing to be flexible. The best time to see this area is during the day, although the buildings are beautiful when lit up at night. In the evenings, go in groups to restaurants and cafes, and use lighted streets. Common sense should generally keep you safe here in Quito!
When wandering around in Quito, always bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and an umbrella. The weather changes quickly here. Also, wear closed-toe shoes! The streets have all kinds of filth on them and you don’t want that stuff near your bare feet.
Knowing a little bit of Spanish will get you a long way! At the very least, be able to pronounce the places you’d like the cab driver to take you, and agree on a price beforehand (or ask him to use the meter in his car). And, obviously, don’t get into an unmarked cab. Most cabs in Quito have security cameras installed in them, and cab rides should not cost more than $5.
Pin this for future reference!
Hi Daisy, this is a great blog post. Quito has some of the most
beautiful historical buildings in South America. One of my favorites is
the Hotel Plaza Grande. I just wrote a blog post about my top five most
beautiful buildings in Quito that I thought you might be interested to
read too.
http://blog.ailolaquito.com/2018/02/12/the-top-five-most-beautiful-buildings-in-quito/
So glad to hear that, Suzette!
Great post and very helpful for my travel planning. Thank you!
I lived in Quito for 2 1/2 months almost 10 years ago. I can’t believe it’s been that long. I absolutely love Quito so thank you for bringing back so many good memories!
Our family of seven is considering a trip to Ecuador (specifically to see the Galapagos) and we are wondering if it would be worth it to try to extend the trip to see Quito as well. These pictures are beautiful. My kids are ages 8-12. Everyone is very adventurous–likes new places, etc. Do you feel that Quito can be seen safely? Any thoughts on lodging for a larger family?
Absolutely gorgeous! Supposed to be making my first trip in February 🙂
I loved Quito when I was there and think it is so often overlooked in favour of the more well known South American capitals such as BA or Lima. Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for bringing us these handy best bits.
Oh thank you Rachel! Please let me know if you have ANY questions at all– Quito is beautiful and we really really loved it. The historic district is unparalleled!
THANK YOU for this post! I’m heading to South America in the fall and am definitely going to pass through Ecuador for a few weeks, but all the negative commentary on Quito had me a bit worried. Thanks for the tips! Your photos are beautiful.
wow!! so cool, Heather! I’m kind of jealous– I could have spent so much more time there, exploring and wandering! I’ll take a look at your blog too!
I did! I studied abroad there a couple of years ago and that city is incredible! I wrote about it in my old study abroad blog (before I started a more permanent one). I mentioned/posted photos of the Basilica near the end of the Quito half of my Ecuador stay here: http://180inone-eighty.blogspot.com/2013/10/ciao-quito.html
I can’t wait to hear more about Casa Victoria!
Oh my gosh Heather! Did you go to Quito?? Let me know if you wrote a post about it, I’d love to read it! 🙂
I just LOVED climbing around in Basilica del Voto Nacional, so I was super excited to see you write about that 🙂 🙂
Thanks Karen! We really did!!
Hahahah! Well, it’s actually been fun to keep up with the blog during travels, because that’s when I get the most inspired! 😉 Also, my husband was enrolled in online courses the entire time that we were traveling, so when he sat down to work, so did I!
Quito is really really beautiful– I think you’d love it! And I agree about finding a good cafe; we went to that one soooo many times (met the owner, baristas pretty much knew us by name).
Great post! I love your photos. It looks like you had a great time.
First of all, I seriously don’t know how you find the time + energy to blog so much while traveling! I haven’t even been heavy traveling recently and I still can’t seem to catch up on blog and blog reading.
I’m looking forward to slowly catching up on your posts. Quito looks like such a lovely little town (reminds me a bit of Santiago). That Santo Domingo church is stunning! And I love that you guys found a cozy little cafe. I love finding a cafe I can return to over and over… it makes me feel like that I found a piece of home in a foreign place!
It was so so beautiful! You’re right– the colors and details were stunning.
Thanks Camila! The view was beautiful, and you *can* take a cab for about $2 to the top of the hill if you’re not up for the hike. 😉
Thank you Rachel!! We did see a lot, we were there for a while and it allowed us to go back to the same spots throughout our visit!
Seems like you had an excellent time there! I’m liking all the architecture pictures…so much color and detail.
http://blog.jessicapei.com/
It looks absolutely charming and gorgeous! I don’t know if I’d be up for that climb, but the view does look really worth it. That picture of you in that first church is beautiful btw!x
Stunning, stunning churches! Great job on capturing all of these photographs, they are gorgeous! Seems like you saw a lot during your time there!
Thank you Jordan!! I loved that particular church so much!
Great post! Those teal ceilings in the church are just stunning! xo
Thank you Gina! Quito really was stunning– I actually felt like the photos didn’t totally capture it’s beauty. 🙂
Wow!! I am blown away by Quito! I have had one friend visit there and another one of my friends is from Ecuador, but I haven’t seen photos quite like these from Quito before. You have done an amazing job of capturing the beauty of this city! I would love to travel there!!
Thanks so much Alyssa, that’s so kind of you! 🙂
You’d love it I think! x
I really love the outfits you wear while traveling. You look great and comfortable; perfect for when you’re on the move!
I’d love to travel through Ecuador one day! x
Thanks Christine!! I hope you get to visit Ecuador sometime!
Ah thanks girl! <3
Thank you so much Christina! It was fantastic!
Thanks!! We loved our time there, and we got to hang out with some locals too! 🙂
Wow beautiful would be an understatement! My cousin’s wife is from Ecuador, what a beautiful country!
I am OBSESSED with the stained glass window photo. Obsessed.
As usual, you are blowing me away with your travels and amazing photos. Sounds and looks like you had a beautiful time!
Wow spending 3 weeks in one places sounds fun but still a bit overwhelming. I am totally loving these photos! :]
// â–² itsCarmen.com â–²