View over central Quito from above, with the Basilica of the National Vow rising among the rooftops
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Quito in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 4.5 km on foot
  • 16 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days let you see Quito at a relaxed pace and still get out of the old town. Day one stays in the centre, with a pre-Columbian museum and the view from El Panecillo, and saves the evening for legends. Day two pairs the story of independence with a trip to Mitad del Mundo. It's a comfortable rhythm that helps you acclimatise before travelling on around Ecuador.

Day 1From baroque gold to El Panecillo

Kick off with “The best of Quito in one morning”: Plaza Grande, La Compañía and San Francisco, the church locals call “the Escorial of the Americas”. For lunch, hornado at the Mercado Central. The afternoon is free and gentle, ideal for a first day at altitude: the Casa del Alabado museum, then a taxi up El Panecillo. Reach the Basilica early and, if you feel up to it, climb its towers. Then start “Quito of devils, roosters and ghosts”, which ends in La Ronda. Have locro de papa for dinner.

  1. Morning

    The best of Quito in one morning

    Mixed · 1.3 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. Plaza GrandeQuito's living room: the government, the Church and the city council face each other around a garden of palm trees.
    2. Basilica of La MercedThe tallest tower of colonial Quito and a Virgin to whom the city entrusts its earthquakes.
    3. Church of La Compañía de JesúsSeven tonnes of legend and one certainty: few churches in the world shine so brightly inside.
    4. San Francisco and the Quito SchoolIn this monastery, Indigenous and mestizo artists learned the trade that filled the Americas with Virgins and Christs.
    5. Arco de la Reina and El Carmen AltoA colonial arch over the street of the Seven Crosses, the house of a saint and the best view of El Panecillo.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Hornado at Mercado Central. Av. Pichincha y Esmeraldas, Centro Histórico

  3. Afternoon

    Casa del Alabado Museum

    A museum of pre-Columbian art in a colonial mansion on Calle Cuenca, just steps from Plaza San Francisco. Rather than by culture, the pieces are arranged around ideas from the Andean world: ancestors, shamans, the afterlife. Small, beautifully done and ideal after lunch.

    Directions

    El Panecillo

    The hill that closes off the old town to the south, crowned by the Virgin of Quito, a huge winged statue based on Bernardo de Legarda's carving. From the top you see the old town and, with luck, the volcanoes. Take a taxi up and down rather than the stairs.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Quito of devils, roosters and ghosts

    Mysteries & legends · 1.9 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Basilica of the National VowA Gothic cathedral with iguanas and tortoises instead of gargoyles, and a prophecy: the day it's finished, the world will end.
    2. House 1028 and the legend of Bella AuroraQuito's most beautiful girl dreamed of her death every night, until a black bull recognised her in the bullring.
    3. Metropolitan Cathedral and the rooster on the domeA rooster on the dome that punishes drunkards, and an archbishop poisoned in the middle of Good Friday mass.
    4. La Compañía: the painted Hell and Quito's saintA young woman who offered her life to stop the earthquakes, and a painting of Hell to greet the faithful.
    5. The atrium of San Francisco and the legend of CantuñaAn Indigenous builder sold his soul to the devil to finish the atrium on time, and was saved by a single stone.
    6. La Ronda street and the Virgin of El PanecilloThe street of bohemians, serenades and secret bars, beneath the gaze of a winged Virgin.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Locro de papa at Hasta la Vuelta Señor. Pasaje Arzobispal, calle Chile Oe4-56 (Plaza Grande), 3.er piso

Day 2A cry and a line

Spend the morning on “From Rumiñahui's fire to the cry of 1809”: from Plaza San Francisco to the Royal Barracks, Carondelet and the chapter house of San Agustín, finishing in front of Sucre at Santo Domingo. Lunch on seco de chivo at Heladería San Agustín, with a helado de paila for dessert. In the afternoon, take a taxi or app north to Mitad del Mundo and round off the visit at the Intiñan Museum right next door. Head back before dark.

  1. Morning

    From Rumiñahui's fire to the cry of 1809

    History · 1.3 km · 1 h 30 min

    1. Plaza and Church of San FranciscoOn the ashes of the city Rumiñahui ordered burned, the Spanish town of San Francisco de Quito was born in 1534.
    2. Metropolitan Cultural Centre and former Royal BarracksThis building taught the ideas that sparked independence, and right beside it their champions were killed.
    3. Carondelet Palace and the First CryOn the morning of 10 August 1809, Quito removed the president of the Audiencia and formed its own government.
    4. Church and Monastery of San AgustínIts chapter house ratified the junta of 1809, and its crypt holds the patriots killed a year later.
    5. Plaza and Church of Santo DomingoFrom his pedestal, Sucre points towards the volcano where Quito's independence was sealed in 1822.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Seco de chivo at Heladería San Agustín. Calle Guayaquil N5-59 y Chile

  3. Afternoon

    Ciudad Mitad del Mundo

    The monument to the equator line at San Antonio de Pichincha, about 25 km north. It honours the 18th-century geodesic mission that came here to measure the Earth. The painted line isn't quite where GPS puts the equator, but the photo with a foot in each hemisphere is a must.

    Directions

    Intiñan Museum

    An open-air museum a few minutes' walk from the monument, with traditional houses, a room of shrunken heads and demonstrations on its own equator line: balancing an egg on a nail, swirling water. Treat it as a bit of fun and let the guide run the show.

    Directions

The map

Quito in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

Loading the map…

Before you go

Tips for Quito in 2 days

  • Go up and down El Panecillo by taxi, never on foot via the stairs from the centre. For Mitad del Mundo, a taxi or ride-hailing app is easiest; the drive takes around an hour.
  • Avoid exertion at altitude on day one: leave the TelefériQo for later and only climb the Basilica towers if you feel well. The stairs are narrow and some ladders are not for anyone afraid of heights.
  • Several museums close on Mondays and church hours vary from day to day. Before you go, check opening times for Casa del Alabado, the Basilica and Mitad del Mundo.

Questions

Quito in 2 days: your questions

Is Mitad del Mundo worth it?

Yes, if you want the photo on the equator and can take the place with a sense of humour: the monument's line doesn't quite match the GPS one. The Intiñan Museum next door adds a fun hour. Allow half an afternoon for the drive there, the visit and the trip back.

How far will I walk in two days?

The three routes add up to about 4.5 km, split over both days, plus whatever you walk inside the museums and at Mitad del Mundo. The trips to El Panecillo and the north are by taxi, so the effort is moderate, apart from the hills in the centre.

Is Quito's old town safe at night?

Busy areas like La Ronda and Plaza Grande stay lively and policed until late. The sensible thing is not to wander into empty streets, keep your phone out of sight and go back in a registered taxi or via an app. With those precautions, the evening walk is one of the highlights.

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