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City of Quito

Quito · Ecuador

Background

World Heritage since
1978
Type of site
Cultural
Founded on an Inca city
16th c.

Quito, the capital of Ecuador, was founded in the 16th century on the ruins of an Inca city and stands at 2,850 m. UNESCO says that despite the 1917 earthquake it has the best-preserved, least altered historic centre in Latin America, and that the monasteries of San Francisco and Santo Domingo and the Church and Jesuit College of La Compañía are pure examples of the Baroque school of Quito, a fusion of Spanish, Italian, Moorish, Flemish and indigenous art.

Quito was the first city named a World Heritage Site, in 1978 alongside Kraków. Wikivoyage counts 17 squares in the old town, the most significant Independence Plaza with the Presidential and Archbishop's palaces, and says San Francisco, dating from 1537, holds Legarda's winged Virgin of Quito, with a bell tower and roof to climb for the view.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. 1534The Spanish found San Francisco de Quito
  2. 1537The church of San Francisco is begun
  3. 1917An earthquake damages the city
  4. 1978One of the first two World Heritage sites, with Kraków

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    La Compañía de Jesús
    The gold-leaf Jesuit church.
  2. 2
    San Francisco
    The monastery and plaza, with the Virgin of Quito and the bell-tower climb.
  3. 3
    Plaza Grande
    Independence Plaza, with music most evenings.
  4. 4
    Basílica del Voto Nacional
    Climb the Gothic towers with gargoyles shaped like Ecuadorian animals.
  5. 5
    La Ronda
    The lantern-lit street of balconies, music and canelazo.
  6. 6
    El Panecillo
    The winged Virgin on the hill above the old town.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

Taxi to El Panecillo
Wikivoyage: do not walk up El Panecillo, even by day; the road has no pavements and the neighbourhood is poor.
Altitude
At 2,850 m most people feel some altitude sickness for the first days; take it slowly.
Cheap Buses and Taxis
Three bus systems with enclosed stations charge a few cents; taxis are everywhere.
Easter and Christmas
Masses, processions and events fill the old town at both.

The Old Town

From the GoGo Quito guide · Open the Quito Guide ›

  1. 09:00
    La Compañía de Jesús45 min
    The gold interior.
  2. 10:00
    San Francisco Church and Plaza1 hr
    The monastery.
  3. 11:15
    Plaza Grande45 min
    The main square.
  4. 14:00
    Climb the Basílica Towers75 min
    Gargoyles and views.
  5. 15:30
    La Ronda Street1 hr
    The old street of balconies.
  6. 20:00
    La Ronda at Night90 min
    Music and canelazo.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Jun–Nov. Rainy season Mar–Apr.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Apr (177 mm), driest Aug (25 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
The Qhapaq Ñan Andean road passes 40 km away; Sangay National Park is 180 km south.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 2 · Wikipedia: Quito · Wikivoyage: Quito (CC BY-SA 4.0) · GoGo Quito guide · UNESCO listing