A Complete Guide Of Things To Do In Quito, Ecuador

Quito is a busy and relentless city in Ecuador that sits at a high altitude and acts as a gate to travelers. While I’ve heard many tourists say that they didn’t enjoy Quito, I beg to differ. The vegan food was on point and affordable, the old town beautiful, and the art district incredibly intriguing. In this guide we will explore what to do, see, and eat as well as free things to do in Quito.

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How To Get To Quito, Ecuador

Quito is a main hub of travel in Ecuador which you’ll likely pass through various times, so you may be wondering how to get to Quito from another area of the country. Getting to Quito from anywhere in Ecuador is made easy through Bookaway, a travel site that enables travelers to find, compare, and book bus, train, ferry, and taxi tickets online. They currently have listings for over 80 countries, but their offerings for destinations throughout Ecuador is expansive. Traveling by bus in Ecuador is common and most times will end up being the most affordable option. Alternatively, if you’re flying into the country, here are three things that you can do to prepare for the altitude.

Unique And Free Things To Do In Quito, Ecuador

1. Walk Through Floresta, Quito’s Hippest Neighborhood

This vibrant part of Quito is called “La Floresta” due to the high concentration of wildflowers there. The Culture Trip informs us that about 20 years ago, “due to its attractive nature and low cost of the area”, a community of writers, artists, and creatives began to make a home there.

These days when you take a stroll through La Floresta you’ll be surrounded by chic cafes, art galleries, punk graffiti and impressive street art, large murals draping the walls, and classical homes. Check out my full guide on things to do in La Floresta.

Visit An Abandoned Building In The Heart Of The Neighborhood

You may be surprised that there is an epic abandoned building right in the heart of this colorful and buzzing neighborhood. It’s decorated with graffiti and gushing with plants that decided to take control of the crumbling building. The building isn’t super special on its own, but the location and art that plasters the walls separating it from you make it something to pause and take in. The abandoned building is located right next to a tiny bookstore and sweet indie movie theatre/cafe, which leads me to my next suggestion.

Drink Coffe & Watch A Film At Ocho Y Media Theatre

The Ocho y Media Theatre was named after a 1963 film by Federico Fellini and has an alternative/independent style. It is said to offer a variety of programs in its three film salons including foreign films. It is part cinema and part cafe, and the two join forces to offer a bright and cozy bohemian hangout in Quito, even on the rainiest of days.

👉 Check out my full guide of things to do in La Floresta district in Quito.

2. Visit Quito’s Historic District

The historic district in Quito is like another world, especially after coming from La Floresta neighborhood. Surrounded by old towering buildings and historic architecture, you’ll be transported to another time, if only for a few hours. Here there are too many churches to count, and a lot of them have free entrance or cost $5 per person.

A local told us that we couldn’t miss the Basilica del Voto Nacional (an incredibly impressive church), so we decided to go all out and pay $4 per person to climb to the top and take in sweeping views of Quito. I had no idea how exhilarating and exciting the tour would actually be! It is a self-guided tour, and you can either take a lot of steps up 15+ floors or take a ride in the elevator. You actually get to see what the huge arches that decorate the church look like from the inside, bask in the glow of incredible stain-glass art, and catch a bird’s eye view at the top of the church’s towers. Bring good walking shoes and leave your fear of heights at home for this one!

If you take this tour and still want more, my suggestion to you is to just wander around and see what you see. The area ends up being bigger than you think, and meandering around by foot (if you’re able) is a great way to explore the area.

Govinda Gopal is conveniently located in the historic district and makes a mean vegan lunch, fresh bread, and snacks for the road. I highly recommend stopping when you’re ready to refuel.

3. Visit The Best Vegan Restaurants In Quito

Speaking of food, Quito is a vegan food hub. Like the very very vegan vegans that we are, we planned our days around vegan food spots that we wanted to try and that we found via HappyCow. In Quito it says that there are currently 8 completely vegan restaurants, but you can use the “Vegetarian” or “Veg-Options” filters to expand your findings. I’ll tell you about two of my favorite spots below.

Delicious Food With A View:

Tandana – This is an 100% vegan restaurant in a vibrant location has incredible mission and delicious food offerings. When you visit restaurant you’ll find that there is an observation deck just outside the building that offers epic city views, but the vistas don’t stop there. When you step inside, you’ll find that all tables face a huge glass window that has that same dramatic and lush overlook. This restaurant supports local social justice causes, including animal rights and indigenous support.

It is one of the more expensive ones in the area, but I ordered a satisfying portobello sandwich with seasoned fries for $6 and my partner got the falafel for around $4. There are more expensive options on the menu (like pizza or pad thai) that cost around $8-$12, but it’s totally worth it. This is a queer-friendly space that deeply cares about nature and their local community. Tandana was about a 17 minute walk from some of the actives listed in La Floresta district of Quito.

Affordable & Healthy Vegan Food:

Govinda Gopal – I highly recommend going to here for lunch. They serve up a solid cafeteria-style lunch that includes a main meal, soup, bread, dessert and juice for the set price of $3. Everything is always vegetarian, and they can easily make most things vegan. When we went during the week the entire lunch was vegan (they even had an awesome vegan queso!). We went back for dinner the same day, where you choose what you want from a menu and they make fresh it on the spot. Dinners there are usually around $3.50 and the vegan empanadas were killer. We were delighted and impressed with both meals!

👉 Check out the full guide to favorite vegan restaurants in Quito, divided into helpful categories.

4. Take A Day Trip To Cotopaxi, Quilotoa, Otavalo, Or Mindo

If you’re short on time or are a fan of day trips, I highly recommend visiting Otavalo, Mindo, Quilotoa, and Cotopaxi. (If you’re a hiker, check out my complete guide to hiking the Quilotoa Loop) I visited them all during my time in Ecuador and they each had something special and significant to offer.

If you’re frugal and up for an adventure, you can take local transportation to all of these places. But a day trip won’t be enough because public transportation is slow. Instead, check out these guided day tours:

5. Visit The Casa Museo Trude Sojka (The Most Moving Museum That I’ve Ever Experienced)

The House Museum of Trude Sojka is the most genuine, moving, and impressive museum that I’ve ever been to in my life. Ran by Trude’s daughter Anita and granddaughter Gaby, it is an emotional walk through the life of an incredible artist, woman, and Holocaust survivor. Trude’s daughter Anita has divided the house (that she still lives in) into different parts of Trude’s life that thoughtfully displays artwork that clearly expresses what she was feeling in each stage of her life as she worked through her own suffering, devastation, rebirth, liberation, and contentment. This is a living, breathing Holocaust memorial and beacon of hope and peace.

You must schedule a museum tour in advance and the intimate tours last about 2 hours. There is a suggested donation of $3-5 per person, and you can email the museum at casaculturaltrudesojka@gmail.com or text/call them on WhatsApp +593998733572 to schedule your tour or request more information. If you only have one day in Quito, this deserves to be at the top of your list.

6. Forest Bathe In Quito’s Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park

If you’re looking for a break from the exhaust fumes, noise, and hustle of the city, catch your breath in the Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park. It’s one of the biggest parks in Latin America and is ideal for hiking, walking dogs (there is a dog park inside the park), jogging, having a picnic, playing with kids (there are multiple playgrounds) biking, and more. The park is bigger than New York’s Central Park, and in my opinion, way cooler. I was amazed how fast we went from the loud and crowded city into lush nature, surrounded by relaxing fields, healthy forest, and birds of all sorts.

Directions To Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park

When it comes to directions on how to reach the park, Community Hostel says: “The main entrance is in the street of Guanguiltagua. Here you can enter with a car (there are 2 main oarking areas). There are other entrance points: in the Manrique Lara Street (pedestrian and bike entrance), in the Mariano Calvache and Colegio 5 de Junio Stree close to the ‘Capilla del Hombre’ (Museum with art from Oswaldo Guayasamin) and the Fderico Paez Street (close to the main entrance). It is open from 5:30am to 5:30pm (for cars).”

Is Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park Safe?

The park felt very safe during the day with security cameras monitoring some areas, an active staff on site, and panic buttons throughout the park. Our local host told us that it was best to go with no money or phone, but to me it felt like there was little threat of robbery. The nighttime is a different story though – only go during daylight hours and ask your host for additional safety tips.

7. Visit The “Middle Of The World” In Quito

I didn’t do this activity myself but it’s a must on many traveler’s bucket lists in Quito. Here you can stand directly on the equator line before checking out out exhibits that explain the history and science. For prices and times, check out this guide to visiting ‘El Mitad Del Mundo’ in Quito. It’s a quick activity, so once you’re finished consider taking a teleferico ride to soar above the capital for a bird’s eye view!

Bonus Tip: How To Get Around In Quito

After reviewing all of these fun actives in Quito at your disposal, you’re probably wondering the best way to get around Quito. There are a couple options that are budget-friendly and that we found most satisfying. It seems that there are few options when leaving the airport, so we took the $25 taxi ride into the city (this is the normal price for taxis leaving the airport and entering Quito).

Take An Uber, Skip The Taxis

Once we were there we found Uber extremely affordable, with most rides around the city only amounting to a few dollars or less. We were told by our host that Uber was the safest way to get around the city due to the tracking of your trip in the app. She told us that taxis were most dangerous and expensive, and that if we ever took one to be vigilant of the driver taking the long way around to run up the meter. EasyTaxi and Cabify were viable options as well.

Bus It Like A Local

If you’re traveling on a really (like really really) small budget, taking a local bus is your best option. I had to use my phone and Google Maps to find out which line we needed to take, but once onboard the ride was quite easy. It costs $0.35 to catch a ride on the local busses, making it extremely affordable. I felt safe riding during the day but would use more caution later in the day, and regardless of the time always be attentive to your valuables.

You Explored Quito, Now What?

I spent a little over a month in Ecuador and fell in love with the country. Now I’m creating alternative guides to help you do the same. Check out my guides to Ecuador including some popular places like Baños (did I mentioned that I jumped off a bridge there?!) and the Quilatoa Loop.

If you’re not an Ecuador local, be sure to snag some travel insurance for your upcoming (or event current travels. I highly recommend SafetyWing which is great for digital nomads and budget travelers. If you’re using points to book your flight to Ecuador, you need to know about Point.Me. It’s an awesome resource that allows you to maximize your credit card points/miles when booking flights, and brings up flight options that use the smallest amount of points that Google Flights and other flight search engines won’t show you. 

And oh, if you any issues with your flight (delayed flight, missing baggage, etc.) be sure to file a FREE claim with AirHelp and get money back. I once had a flight delayed for a couple of hours and got reimbursed with AirHelp for $213. They speak 17 languages and their global staff of over 350 includes the world’s largest team of lawyers specialized in air passenger rights. Combined with local knowledge from a network of law firms across 30 countries, they are uniquely placed to help air passengers all around the world.