Cuenca
At the east end of Calle Larga, this museum has archaeological exhibits and tours of the Ruinas de Todos Santos, which reveal Cañari, Inca and Spanish…
Must-see attractions in Ecuador
Cuenca
If you've any interest in the world's most outrageous and beautiful plant species, you'll love the Universidad de Cuenca's Orquideario. With over 400…
Quito
Walking from the Old Town’s narrow colonial streets into this open plaza reveals one of the finest sights in all of Ecuador: a sweeping cobblestone plaza…
Cuenca
Housed in the former Escuela Central la Inmaculada, this beautifully preserved colonial building has been revamped with sleek, contemporary lines to house…
Cuenca
About 1km south of the Old Town's La Escalinita staircase, this peacefully wending river has tree-clad bankside green space perfect for a picnic. Upriver,…
Central Highlands
Next to the church on the Ambato–Baños road, behind a statue of a local man donning a black poncho, this market has some great local artisan goods,…
Guayaquil
Around halfway along the malecón you’ll soon come to one of Guayaquil’s more impressive monuments, particularly when illuminated at night. Flanked by…
Central Highlands
Ambato once had an old cathedral, but it was destroyed along with the rest of the city by the 1947 earthquake. Many people consider the replacement temple…
Quito
La Ronda is a colorful cobblestone street featuring colonial houses mostly given over to souvenir shops, bars and restaurants, and carefully restored for…
Central Highlands
A trail with broad views of Chimborazo leads around Laguna de Colta, passing through traditional villages and grazing livestock. There's a children's play…
Central Highlands
On the road to the Río Pita, this Inca fort was built around the end of the 15th century. There are several stone walls and a semi-restored circular…
Guayaquil
This museum, featuring an impressive collection of archaeological artifacts, including pottery and figurines made by the original settlers of Ecuador, is…
Quito
An interactive museum featuring life-size animatronic dinosaurs, a planetarium, a library and a theater as well as temporary exhibitions are among the…
Basilica Santisima Virgen de Montserrat
North Coast & Lowlands
Dating back to the early 20th century, this beautiful church contains a statue of the Virgin to which miracles have been attributed. While the Museo…
Loja
On the south side of Parque Central, a characterful republican-era building houses this museum and its exhibits, which include good local art, archaeology…
Quito
Inside this restored colonial home is a small but iconic collection of work by painter Camilo Egas (1899–1962), Ecuador’s first indigenista (indigenous…
North Coast & Lowlands
Built of materials imported from the US and Europe in 1912, this church has survived two big earthquakes. Alberto Santos, a big-time businessman of the…
North Coast & Lowlands
This combined museum, library and bookstore contains materials ranging from recent local history to fine ceramics and gold work from the ancient Tolita…
The Galápagos Islands
Also called El Barranco, these steps on the eastern arm of Darwin Bay can be reached with a dry landing. They lead up a steep and rocky path to the top of…
Guayaquil
You can climb the spiral staircase inside the lighthouse for spectacular 360-degree views of the city and its rivers. It's 444 taxing steps up through…
Quito
Inside a beautifully restored former military hospital, this excellent museum showcases cutting-edge multimedia exhibits as well as top modern-art shows…
The Oriente
The perfect snow-covered cone of Volcán Sangay (5230m), some 40km to the northwest, can be glimpsed on a clear day. It’s Ecuador’s seventh-highest…
Loja
North of town, this kid-friendly park offers a giant chessboard, a skate park, a Chinese pagoda, a pint-size Kremlin, small animal enclosures and a…
Quito
On the northeast side of Plaza Grande, this former archbishop’s palace is now a colonnaded row of small shops and restaurants, located between Avenidas…
Central Highlands
Although a bit dusty, this natural history museum in the Colegio Bolívar houses Ecuador’s most thorough collection of stuffed birds, mammals and reptiles…
Prohibido Museo de Arte Extremo
Cuenca
El Vado, an up-and-coming area, has some unusual establishments, such as this Grim Reaper–themed gallery, bar and nightclub. Find it on the upper …
Quito
Get a glimpse of Quito’s early colonial history through wax figures depicting the city's key events, including the massacre of August 2, 1810 when some…
The Oriente
Parque Botánico, 3km southeast of central Sucúa, has a visitor interpretation center, a restaurant, a well-kept orquideario (orchid farm) and paths…
Cuenca
Most of this bridge, above a pretty stretch of Paseo 3 de Noviembre, was washed away during a flood, but its stone arches make a nice venue for an open…
The Quilotoa Loop
The outstanding Galería Arte de Tigua and three other art galleries sell paintings and wooden masks at lower prices than those in Quito. If the gallery is…
Cuenca
The only Cuenca church built in the form of a Latin cross, and one of the city's largest, the Church of San Blas sits at the eastern end of the slightly…
Church of El Carmen de la Asunción
Cuenca
The stark, white church just around the corner from Plaza de San Francisco was founded in 1682 and contrasts beautifully with the colorful flower market…
Guayaquil
Nahim Isaias, located in the Plaza de Administración building, exhibits more than 2000 pictorial and sculptural works, paintings and artifacts from the…
Guayaquil
This church, originally built in the early 18th century, burned down in the devastating fire of 1896, which destroyed huge swaths of the city. It was…
Tena
Part astro-turfed, part grassed, and with multiple leisure facilities from running tracks to playgrounds, Parque Tena has replaced the old airstrip and…
Loja
Loja’s main square is always busy with shoeshine boys, newspaper vendors and local devotees stepping into the cathedral for their daily devotions to the…
Loja
The plaza is hemmed in by the Church of San Sebastián and colonial-era buildings with pillared overhangs and shuttered wooden balconies. A brightly tiled…
Museo Arqueológico del Banco Central
North Coast & Lowlands
The fully modernized city museum opened in its current location in 2009, and showcases valuable artifacts from pre-Colombian Manta culture, a selection of…
Guayaquil
Where Calle 10 de Agosto hits the malecón you’ll see this famous 30m-high Moorish-style clock tower, which was completed in 1931. It's a memorable sight…
North Coast & Lowlands
You’ll find a good introduction to the area’s indigenous history at this well-curated modern museum. The collection includes hundreds of pieces of pre…
