Three days in Quito

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Friday 11th - Sunday 13th November 2022

After our first nights sleep here in Ecuador, when I woke feeling energised, it came as a surprise to realise it was only 4am; time travel is a funny thing! Luckily, falling back to sleep wasn’t too much trouble and it was soon a much better time to be getting up. Excited to explore Quito more over the next three days, we ventured back out to the old historical centre where most of the churches and museums (and tourists) are, and really enjoyed our time looking around; tourist info centre here with a really good city map.

We had read the museums here were good and that the guides were knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and well, from the few bits we saw, we’d agree! We particularly enjoyed the Museo de Ciudad, as whilst completely in Spanish, (go google translate!) the models and images were really well done and text informative, showing the history of the city and development of culture. We also enjoyed the Museo Casa de Alabado which showcased Inca art and sculptures in a really cool and interesting building.

The San Francisco Convent museum is also worth mentioning and definitely worth visiting. Having a guide here is recommended, (we initially declined but soon changed our minds) as they enthusiastically give you all the history and funny tricks of artworks there. You also get to step high and look down into the chapel itself (amazing when a service is on) and climb the tower for a view of the city from the top. Just below the San Francisco church, is a small tunnel running underneath, showcasing local artwork and traditional gifts which was really cool to look around too.

Whilst the historical centre is the main attraction of the city, there are also smaller parks dotted about, with one high one (Parque Itchimbia) giving a great view of the city and cool Quito sign for that perfect photo. There is also Quito’s newer area of the city, which we did briefly wonder around, but other then an amazing veggie restaurant (Apu Wasi) did not enjoy much; finding ourselves walking very quickly through the clearly ‘nightlife’ hub of the city; thankfully still early in the afternoon. The small park (Parque El Ejido) and Casa de la Culture museum / art gallery as you enter this ‘modern’ area were also a little disappointing and felt odd to walk around.

Further afield again (we used a taxi) Parque La Carolina did keep its positive reputation of being a lovely and lively park locals use at weekends; with many areas to play football and volley ball, large green spaces, running tracks, lakes, a random plane in the middle, and perhaps the best Botanical Gardens we’ve ever been in. The Teleferiqo (second highest cable car in the world) was also a highlight of Quito for us, as, despite pretty consistent cloud, it gave amazing views of the city stretching and sprawling around the landscape; although did not allow us views of the actual volcanoes themselves. Being above 4000m was also an experience for us, having never been that high, and after an hours walk up from the cable car top, definitely showed us how altitude really affects your body; struggling with breathing control when climbing and the beginnings of headaches which remained with us the rest of the day!

Busy and bustling, there are plenty of people moving around Quito, which can feel a little edgy at times but generally all ok as long as you use common sense like you would in any crowded city. There’s also many people trying to sell food and the most random of things but thankfully don’t really bother you after saying no thanks. We did try to walk around most places and found the smaller connecting streets could feel a little sketchy at points but had no problems really. We also attempted using the public tram/bus once which was an experience, having never been so much like sardines before, but again no issues. Using a certified (by hotel) taxi was a good way of getting further afield safely and we also made sure we were back at our hotel before it was too dark which felt best. However, with a high security / police presence, especially in the main tourist areas, there was a good sense of safety around, though this could also feel a little odd with a seemingly wasted presence of security people in quieter areas; for example having four to five guards walking around a pretty much empty ‘art gallery’.

Maybe being our first place and city of the trip (and first time in a long time far outside the UK) we were overly aware and anxious of all the things you’re told to be worried about as tourists (maybe more me then Paul) and so this made days pretty tiring at times but we also met some amazing and friendly people too (particularly the owner of Cafe Romance which had the best hot chocolate and veggie Arepas!) and had an enjoyable, fun and safe time here in Quito.

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