Must-see attractions in 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…

La Ronda is a colorful cobblestone street featuring colonial houses mostly given over to souvenir shops, bars and restaurants, and carefully restored for…

Inside a beautifully restored former military hospital, this excellent museum showcases cutting-edge multimedia exhibits as well as top modern-art shows…

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…

North of Mariscal Sucre lies expansive Parque La Carolina. The attractively landscaped park fills on weekends with families who come out for paddleboats,…

Plaza Santo Domingo, near the southwest end of Calle Guayaquil, is a regular haunt for street performers. The plaza is beautiful in the evening, when the…

Overlooking the Old Town, this beautiful 17th-century Franciscan convent sits in a quiet courtyard behind thick walls. Inside, you’ll find outstanding…

Construction of the convent, the city’s largest colonial structure, began only a few weeks after the Spanish establishment of Quito in 1534, but wasn't…

Just off Plaza Grande, this beautifully restored building houses the municipal library and lecture rooms, and hosts temporary art exhibitions.

This monastery is a fine example of 17th-century architecture, with unusual Moorish arches decorated with hundreds of golden pineapples. Many of the…

On a hill in the northeastern part of the Old Town looms this massive Gothic church, Quito's largest, built over several decades beginning in 1892. Rather…

This 18th-century church boasts the highest tower in colonial Quito and a wealth of fascinating art, including paintings that show volcanoes erupting over…

The views from the lookout platform are magnificent: on a clear day, you can see Volcán Cayambe and Cerro Puntas as well as the upscale suburb of Cumbayá …

The Cantuña Chapel houses a small art collection from the Quito School. It’s shrouded in one of Quito’s most famous legends, that of the indigenous…

Up the flanks of Volcán Pichincha, this monument offers one of the finest views of the city. It was built at the site of the May 1822 Batalla de Pichincha…

Guided tours (in Spanish) of the museum at this fully functioning Dominican monastery, founded in 1592, take in 18th-century religious paintings, some of…

Between Parque Alameda and Parque El Ejido stands the National Assembly building, the equivalent of the Houses of Parliament or the Capitol Building. A…

Breaking up the New Town's sea of concrete and glass is this welcome splash of greenery, containing the Quito Observatory and a small boating lake. A few…

Housed in a stunning modern glass building on the lower slopes of Pichincha, at the site of the city's first water distribution tanks, this museum tells…

Northeast of La Alameda, the pleasant, tree-filled Parque El Ejido is a popular spot for impromptu games of soccer and volleyball. The park teems with…