Quito
Travel Guide > South America > Ecuador > Quito
Introduction
Quito is the capital city of Ecuador. It is high up (~2800m) in the Andes mountains and the altitude may take some getting used to.
Neighbourhoods
The old town is full of colonial buildings and elaborate churches. Take great care, especially after dark, to avoid pickpockets.
'La Mariscal' is the backpacker area, full of hotels, restaurants, bars and travel agencies. Many people here speak English.
The north of the city is home to the business district, further north is the airport.
Sights and Activities
Events and Festivals
6th of December is the day when the fiesta of Quito is celebrated, though in practice there are parties and bullfights for several days around this time.
Weather
Quito is known as the 'city of eternal spring' - most of the year, it is t-shirt weather at lunch time, but when it gets dark at 6pm you'll need a fleece or jacket. March and April can be windy and rainy.
Getting There
By Plane
Try to arrive in daylight hours for fantastic views of the Andes as you land. The airport is in the north of the city.
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Getting Around
By Car
Taxi drivers generally do use their taxi meters, though you may have to 'remind' them.
By Public Transport
By Foot
By Bike
Eat
Encebollados: fish or prawns in a tangy sauce with lots of onions and mashed yuca - add plenty of lemon juice. Delicious!
Drink
Work
Learn
Quito is a great place to learn Spanish. There are over a hundred Spanish schools and the locals speak slowly and clearly so you can practice what you are learning.
This is version 11. Last edited at 6:02 on May 15, 08 by GeoBot (+58). 10 articles link to this page.
Except where otherwise noted, content of this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License