22 Sights in Quito, Ecuador (with Map and Images)
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Welcome to your journey through the most beautiful sights in Quito, Ecuador! Whether you want to discover the city's historical treasures or experience its modern highlights, you'll find everything your heart desires here. Be inspired by our selection and plan your unforgettable adventure in Quito. Dive into the diversity of this fascinating city and discover everything it has to offer.
Sightseeing Tours in QuitoActivities in Quito
Independence Square is the principal and central public square of Quito, Ecuador. This is the central square of the city and one of the symbols of the executive power of the nation. Its main feature is the monument to the independence heroes of August 10, 1809, the date remembered as the first cry of independence of the Royal Audience of Quito from the Spanish monarchy. The square is flanked by the Carondelet Palace, the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, the Municipal Palace and the Plaza Grande Hotel.
The Church and Convent of San Ignacio de Loyola de la Compañía de Jesús de Quito, also known in the Ecuadorian people simply as La Compañía, is a Catholic clerical complex located on the corner formed by calles García Moreno and Sucre, in the Historic Center of the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. The façade of its main temple is entirely carved in volcanic stone. Over time, this church has also been called: "Temple of Solomon of South America". Father Bernardo Recio, a traveling Jesuit, called it "Golden Ember".
3. Palacio Arzobispal
The Archbishop's Palace is a palatial building erected in the Historic Center of the city of Quito DM. Located on the eastern corner of Chile and Venezuela streets, it is one of the four buildings that flank the Plaza de la Independencia on its north side. It is the seat of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Quito and the official residence of the Archbishop of Quito and primate of Ecuador.
4. Panecillo
El Panecillo is a 200-metre-high hill of volcanic-origin, with loess soil, located between southern and central Quito. Its peak is at an elevation of 3,016 metres (9,895 ft) above sea level. The original name used by the aboriginal inhabitants of Quito was Yavirac. According to Juan de Velasco, a Jesuit historian, there was a temple on top of Yavirac where the Indians worshiped the sun until it was destroyed by the Spanish conquistadores. The street that leads up to El Panecillo is named after Melchor Aymerich.
5. City of Quito
The historic center of Quito is located in the south center of the city of Quito, in Ecuador, on an area of 375.2 hectares, and is considered the best preserved historical complex and one of the most important in Latin America. It has around 130 monumental buildings and five thousand properties registered in the municipal inventory of heritage assets. It is also one of the 85 parishes that make up the metropolitan area of the capital of Ecuador.
Wikipedia: Centro Histórico (parroquia) (ES), Heritage Website
6. TelefériQo
The TelefériQo, or TelefériQo Cruz Loma, is a gondola lift in Quito, Ecuador, running from the edge of the city centre up the east side of Pichincha Volcano to lookout Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft). The ascent takes about twenty minutes, traveling 2,237 linear metres.
7. Busto a Alexander Sabes Petion
Alexandre Sabès Pétion was the first president of the Republic of Haiti from 1807 until his death in 1818. One of Haiti's founding fathers, Pétion belonged to the revolutionary quartet that also includes Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and his later rival Henri Christophe. Regarded as an excellent artilleryman in his early adulthood, Pétion would distinguish himself as an esteemed military commander with experience leading both French and Haitian troops. The 1802 coalition formed by him and Dessalines against French forces led by Charles Leclerc would prove to be a watershed moment in the decade-long conflict, eventually culminating in the decisive Haitian victory at the Battle of Vertières in 1803.
8. Iglesia de San Francisco
The Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, commonly known as el San Francisco, is a Catholic basilica that stands in the middle of the historic center of Quito, in front of the square of the same name. It is the oldest and most significant religious site in Ecuador. The structure is the largest architectural complex within the historic centers of all of South America, and for this reason it was known as "El Escorial of the New World". San Francisco is considered a jewel of continental architecture for its mixture of different styles combined throughout more than 150 years of construction. San Francisco is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "City of Quito".
Wikipedia: Basilica and Convent of San Francisco, Quito (EN)
9. Catedral Metropolitana Quito
The Quito Metropolitan Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in Quito, Ecuador. Located on the southwestern side of the Plaza de la Independencia, it served as a seat of the Diocese of Quito from 1545 until 1848 when it was elevated to Archdiocese. In 1995, it was elevated to the Cathedral of Ecuador, making it the seniormost Catholic church in the country.
10. Palacio de Carondelet
Carondelet Palace is the seat of government of the Republic of Ecuador, located in Quito. Access is by the public space known as Independence Square or Plaza Grande, around which are also the Archbishop's Palace, Municipal Palace, Hotel Plaza Grande, and Metropolitan Cathedral.
11. Monumento a la Independencia
The monument to Independence, also known as the monument to the heroes of August 10, 1809, is a commemorative column located in the city of Quito D.M. which is located in the center of the Plaza Grande, being its most important element and the one that gives its name to the square. He gets up to the memory of the Quito patriots who began the struggles for independence in Ecuador. It was inaugurated in 1906 to remember the so -called first shout of Spanish -American independence by the then president, General Eloy Alfaro Delgado. It constitutes one of the most important icons of the historic center of the city and the country; In addition to an important political concentration site for being in front of the Carondelet Palace, headquarters of the Ecuadorian government.
12. La Iglesia de El Sagrario
La Iglesia de El Sagrario is a Renaissance Catholic Church in the city of Quito, capital of Ecuador. It is located in the Historic Center of the city, on calle García Moreno, formerly known as calle de las Siete Cruces, a few meters from the corner with calle Eugenio Espejo. It is part of the Metropolitan Cathedral complex, although it seems more like an independent church than an adjoining chapel, both because of its size and because of its importance in Quito's art.
13. Parque La Carolina
Parque La Carolina is a 165.5-acre (670,000 m2) park in the centre of the Quito central business district, bordered by the avenues Río Amazonas, de los Shyris, Naciones Unidas, Eloy Alfaro, and de la República. Iñaquito metro station is in the northern part of the park, whereas La Carolina metro station is in the southern part.
14. Museo Capilla del Hombre
The painter Oswaldo Guayasamín's La Capilla del Hombre occupies a site in Bellavista overlooking the city of Quito, Ecuador. The Capilla is a purpose-built art museum dedicated to the peoples of Latin America. Construction of Guayasamín's masterpiece began in 1995 and unfortunately was not completed until 2002, after his death.
15. Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana
La Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana is a cultural organization founded by Benjamín Carrión on August 9, 1944, during the presidency of Dr Jose Maria Velasco Ibarra. It was created to stimulate, to direct and to coordinate the development of an authentic national culture. Headquartered in Quito, it maintains several museums throughout Ecuador.
16. Casa del Alabado Pre-Columbian Art Museum
Casa del Alabado is a Pre-Columbian art museum in Quito, Ecuador. The museum is located in a colonial house built in the 17th century during the Spanish Colony. It houses a collection of over 5,000 archaeological pieces, 500 of which are on permanent display.
Wikipedia: Casa del Alabado Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (EN), Website
17. Arco de la circasiana
The Circasiana Gate, also known as the Circassian Arch, is a triumphal arch monument in the city of Quito D.M., capital of Ecuador. It is located in the center of the northern flank of El Ejido Park, where Amazonas Avenue ends. It originally served as the gateway to the gardens of the Palacio de La Circasiana of the Jijón y Caamaño family, located on 10 de Agosto and Colón avenues in the north center of Quito.
18. Parque El Ejido
Parque El Ejido is a public park located along Avenue Patria in the Itchimbía neighborhood, in the Old Centre part of Quito, Ecuador. It is the third-largest park in the city. Estadio El Ejido is located nearby. The park hosts exhibitions on the weekend.
19. iROUTES REDTA-EC
The Ecuador Accessible Tourism Network is a private undertaking that brings together professionals from various disciplines, which was started on February 16, 2016 and its main objective is to achieve the implementation of inclusion and Universal Design in tourism activities, which allow people with accessibility needs to enjoy travel with equal opportunities; so these actions are exercised from the right of true tourism for all and without neglecting the environment.
20. Museo Alberto Mena Caamaño
Alberto Mena Caamaño Museum is a museum in Quito, Ecuador. A cultural institution of Quito, the capital of Ecuador, it is located in the historic center of the city, next to the Palacio de Carondelet. The Rough Guide to Ecuador considers it to be the "old town's most rewarding museum".
21. Sucre House
Sucre House is a museum in the historic center of Quito, Ecuador. It was established in 1977 by the Ministry of Defence. It is dedicated to the memory of its most famous occupants: the Venezuelan independence hero, Marshal Antonio José de Sucre, and his wife, Mariana Carcelén.
22. Teatro Bolivar
Teatro Bolívar is a theatre in Quito, Ecuador. It was established on 15 April 1933, with a capacity of 2400 spectators. It hosted many notable events, including the Miss Ecuador 1996 contest. In 1997, it underwent significant restoration, only to be plagued by fire two years later.
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