2 days stopover in Quito

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
3
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
4
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
3
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
5
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
5
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
47 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
388th/454
Bottom 20%
continent
South America
country
Ecuador
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$70 (typically $30 - $100)
Time of year visited
February
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Altitude Christian site Old town
All Tags
Big city Cable cars Cliffs Mountains UNESCO world heritage site Volcanoes
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐

Summary

Quito is definitely worth a visit if passing through on your way to some of the world class highlights of Ecuador, like Island hoping through the main Galapagos Islands, 3 days / 2 nights hiking the Quilatoa Loop or Climbing to the summit of Cotopaxi Volcano, and especially if you need a few days to aclimatise to the altitude.

But, if I’m being honest, I wasn’t blown away by it and I think part of it had to do with not feeling 100% safe when wandering around the city centre.

You’ll naturally wandering through the Old Town and check out some of the cool restaurants.  Also make sure though that you take the cable car to Volcan Pichincha to see the city spread out amongst the mountains – the highlight for us.

Highlights

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#1 Taking the TeleferiQo up for views across the city and surrounding mountains. Make sure you go a bit off the track for wonderful views by the radio tower

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#2 Wandering through the historic Old Town of Quito to see the huge number of beautiful spots still showing the colonial times and Age of Discovery

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#3 Getting lost walking around the Old Town and finding unexpected majestic churches down small streets

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#4 Climbing on the roof of the Basilica of the National Vote and with its views of the city

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#5 Enjoying some of the very cool local restaurants around the Old Town with super cool indoor courtyards and views of the city

Itinerary

Depending on the time of year you visit, best ask your hotel / locals for if morning / afternoon is the best time to take the TeleferiQo as you’ll want it clear rather than covered by cloud.  Assuming morning no clouds go with this:

  • Take the TeleferiQo (Cable car) up Volcan Pichincha for stunning views across the valleys and to see the sprawling Quito
  • Make sure you get away from the tourist masses and walk off the beaten track a little (walk back the way the cable car came from to the radio tower for the best views)
  • Head back to the Old Town for lunch at Hasta la Vuelta Senor
  • Get yourself a bit lost in the Old Town checking out the various churches and plazas
  • Finish with dinner at the slightly odd but very cool Vista Hermosa, with its great views of the city

Travel Tips

Safety – we’d traveled to most major cities in Latin America, but Quito was one that we didn’t feel hugely safe in. As with so many things like this, nothing happened and I’m sure many people visit Quito without having this feeling.  May have been the combo of functional city centre being combined with the old town; a lot of homeless people hanging around; dark alleys etc.

The TeleferiQo (cable car that goes up part of Volcan Pichincha) is a must as the views really do cover most of the cities and you can see the surrounding mountains / volcanoes. My main tip would be to get away from the tourist masses and walk back the way the cable car came to the radio tower around 100m – fantastic views!

The Old Town is nice – and one of the classic highlights.  I won’t go into the details of each of the various churches to visit, but as a general tip for all old town / church wandering – get lost rather than just trying to tick the places off.

Basilica of the National Vote – if you have time, make sure to check out the main Basilica, around 800m away from the Old Town. Very impressive Cathedral and cool to walk on the roof.

There were two restaurants that I’d really recommend:

  • Hasta la Vuelta Senor – tucked on the third floor of an indoor courtyard right off Plaza Grande
  • Vista Hermosa – wonderful views and such an unusual mix of all sorts of memorabilia

We stayed at Hotel Casa Montero and would recommend.  In the Old Town, not too expensive, nice views of the mountains, nice indoor courtyard and the reception are super helpful for tips for the city and surrounding area.

The altitude – Quito is at 2850m / 9350 feet, so be prepared to get a bit more out of breath than normal and potentially for a mild headache when you go up the cable car (3110m / 13000 feet). It’s a great place thought to base yourself for a couple of days to acclimatise before going higher.

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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