Location: Quito
Top Things to do in Quito
Things to do in Quito, Pichincha Province: The Best Day Trips from
With a rich pre-Colombian history, Ecuador's capital was founded on the ruins of an Incan city but offers everything a modern traveler might need. It remains the least-altered historic center in Latin America and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Quito’s important sites include baroque gems like San Francisco and Santo Domingo monasteries, as well as La Compañía church and college. This huge city sprawls across a breathtaking Andean valley surrounded by volcanic peaks.
Restaurants in Quito
1. Papallacta Thermals Pools (PRIVATE Day Trip from Quito)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Visit the village of Papallacta and spend the enjoying a number of customizable activities at one of the most beautiful thermal hot springs Resort and Spa in this area. Take in the beautiful scenery of the Andes Mountains on a hike and enjoy a relaxing time at the thermal water that have been certified for its medicinal properties that guarantee health benefits.
Inclusions: Private transportation, English speaking guide, English Speaking Driver/Guide for tours based from 1-3 passenguers, Bottle of water, Visits as mentioned above
Exclusions: Lunch (Available to purchase with addtional cost), Entrance fees (Available to purchase with additional cost 25 usd per person or it can be paid directly), Personal expenses
Reviewed By Tina S
We needed a rapid Covid test within 72 hours of our flight back to the US. Guanguiltagua Expeditions to the rescue!! Dennis and team helped Us get the test from a private lab that came to our condo in Cuenca and we Received results the very next day! Great experience and great service!
2. Mindo Cloud Forest - Full Day
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Visiting The Cloud Forest of Mindo is a good opportunity to have contact with nature, and it is so close to Quito City (2 hours). Located in the northwest of the Cordillera of the Andes, creates the best environment for birdwatching, and other activities like hiking to the waterfall in the Nambillo Reserve, enjoying the butterflies farm, tasting the favor of chocolate, and for the intrepid people taking the Zipline, or just having the good Cafe of that Place. Itinerary: • Meeting Point in Magic Bean, La Mariscal, Mariscal Foch E5-20, Quito 170143, Ecuador at 6h45 AM • Visit Butterfly • Walk to the Nambillo waterfall • Zipline Activities • Chocolate Factory • Coffee Museum • Return to Quito
Inclusions: Lunch
Exclusions: All Fees and Taxes
Reviewed By Ygor L
I had a great experience with the Quilotoa tour! Mainly due our amazing guide Pedro in Quito! He was just incredible! He knew pretty much everything about the history, culture and people of Ecuador! My friend made lots of questions and he answered all of them with minimum details and with a perfect English!!! Pedro was so patient with us, he didn’t rush us at all, he made lots of stops so we could take pictures, and of course, every stop he gave us lots of information about the place! Just what we look for on a guide! We now want to go for other tours and will make sure we’ll have him as our guide again! It was a great experience and it was worth every penny! Thank you again Pedro!
3. Free time in Quito? Lets go to Papallacta's Volcanic Termal Springs!
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Openminded local tour guide, good music, good conversation, car in perfect conditions. Not many people know this place, nor the properties that these waters have, so it is the best option for a short stay in the city or a relaxing time with your nearby people. Some places/activities' availability may vary. Better to go during weekdays to avoid conglomeration. Keeping all biosafety standards, Covid free service. We take care of each other. 420 friendly.
Inclusions: Private transportation, Air-conditioned vehicle, WiFi on board, Fuel surcharge, Parking Fees
Exclusions: Entrance ticket , Lunch, Tips
Reviewed By alexandraj706
The car was safe and secure, great price, nice conversations and Daniel is wonderful and informative guide! 100% recommended
4. Quito City Tour Including Teleférico and Horse Ride in Pichincha Volcano
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Get to know this World Heritage UNESCO site on horseback, for a full-day tour riding for almost 3 miles in the Andes, with a great view of Quito surrounded by volcanoes.
Inclusions: All activities, Certified English/Spanish speaking guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transport by private vehicle, Admission fee Teleferico and La Compañia Church, Horses
Exclusions: Food and drinks, unless specified, Tips
Reviewed By Bretekiel
We had a great day trip from Quito to Cotopaxi with our guide Daniel. He picked us up from our hotel on time at 8am and drove expertly to Cotopaxi taking a scenery road which allowed us to appreciate the geography of the inter-valley region. The drive took about 1.5 hours. His approach takes you around the volcanoes from all angles. Daniel was truly passionate about Ecuador and very knowledgeable about wildlife and vegetation of the region. He stopped plenty of times for awesome picture opportunities. We hiked from the parking lot (15K ft) to the refuge (16K ft) doing the zig-zag approach and experienced no issues with altitude sickness whatsoever (he stopped by a kiosko where we could buy coca candy and leaves if needed before entering the park). The weather was awful as we ascended, with small hail and dust from the strong winds, but he was patient and set the pace perfectly for us to successfully reach the refuge. We grabbed hot chocolate up in the refuge (2.5 per cup, bring change) and warmed up before going back down. On our way back to Quito, we stopped by an authentic local restaurant around 3pm where we had a soup, a pork dish, and an ice cream. Back to the hotel by 5pm promptly. This is a great experience for a Quito escapade which you should consider if you're looking to do something based off the city.
5. Cultural Tour of Otavalo: Market and Cuicocha Lagoon visit all inclusive
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
- All Inclusive: Professional Bilingual Guide, Lunch and Tourist Visits. - Tourist Transport from Quito - Otavalo - Quito - Trekking - Visit indigenous market - Visit Ponchos Square - Visit San Pablo Lake Viewpoint - Visit and hiking in the Cuicocha Lagoon - Visit to Cotacachi, known for the elaboration of leather goods - Professionalism and Quality of Service - Shared Tour: Every Tuesday and Saturday - Private Tour: Every day.
Inclusions: Professional Tourism Guide, Tourist visits, Lunch, Private transportation
Exclusions: Breakfast, Tickets, Personal expenses
Reviewed By Malejavr12
I had a very good hike with them. They took you from Baños to Chimborazo in a van, and from the first refuge you walk 50 minutes to get to the Condor Cocha Lagoon. The guide is very promptly and kind, he answered every question I had. The downhill was so good. The guide is near you in the van just in case. Highly recommended.
6. Private and Personalized City Tour of Quito Teleferico and Middle of the World
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 17 reviews
Quito is a beautiful city and a great destination in South America. Be part of these great experiences living the culture, friendly people, local food, and the best weather in the andes mountains.
Inclusions: Private transportation
Exclusions: lunch and drinks
Reviewed By V7970GCstaceyp
Pato ( Patricio) made our Ecuador experience out of this world! He was the perfect guide for our family and was incredible at engaging the kids as well as my husband and myself. His knowledge of Ecuador and it’s history cannot be beat! Patricio started as a tour guide, but now he is family! Anyone going to Ecuador would be lucky to spend time with him! He took us to Mindo, La Mitad del Mundo, the market, many restaurants and all over Quito, too.
7. You in the Middle of the World
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
This tour invites travelers to know places little visited but of great historical, cultural and natural interest
Inclusions: Private transportation, Tickets
Exclusions: Lunch, Breakfast
8. Quilotoa Crater Lake Private Day Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
Don't waste time waiting for large group-tours, protect your family and avoid unnecessary crowds! Stop anywhere you want during your journey and make great pictures with unforgettable landscapes!! On this private cultural full day excursion have the opportunity to visit a local indian market, where you will see different cultural interactions, and very varied local products. Do a very nice downhill hike into a charming volcanic crater and enjoy a real lifetime experience!! Make your stay in Quito an unforgettable adventure with us!!
Inclusions: Private transportation, Certified English speaking guide, Mentioned itinerary and visits, Lunch, All Fees and Taxes
Exclusions: Drinks, Mules or horses ride
Reviewed By JeannePlantation
I had only one afternoon in Quito to sightsee. I contacted Ecuador's Best Tour with late notice by email and Luis replied right away. Luis has a great laid back, no worries attitude and assured me he would take care of everything and pick me up at my hotel. He arrived early to pick me up. I was thrilled to visit the beautiful Church la Compania. Luis was very knowledgeable about the history of the church and architecture. Next we visited a beautiful view of the city with the statue Virgin of El Panecillo. I only had a few hours to visit and Ecuador's Best Tours really helped me make the most of my visit. I highly recommend booking this with this company and you will be lucky if Luis is your guide. His English is extraordinary and he's just a pleasant guide to be around. I have toured many places around the would and I would say Luis was one of the best guides I have encountered. I got some great photos from my visit and hope to return someday. I would certainly use Ecuador's Best Tours again.
9. Private Day Tour of Quito and Middle of the World
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 24 reviews
Visit the first Unesco site in the World, with spring like weather is home of the largest, best preserved Colonial Architecture in the Americas, where people will welcome you with an smile. We will explore the Historic Center and its Churches, Basilica, Panecillo Hill and its Virgin. During this day you can ride a cable car up to 4,000 meters elevation, (Teleferico) for amazing views of the Volcanoes, you can also visit the Middle of the World site the Monument or/ and the Intinan Museum. During this Custom Made Full Day Tour, you can add other sites from Farmer's or Artisanal Market to Interesting Museums and also Culinary Experiences, you decide the sites to be visited, the time to spend on each site and the time you would like to get back at your Hotel.
Inclusions: Round Trip Private Transportation, English Speaking Guide, bottled water., Bottled water
Exclusions: Meals or drinks, Personal expenses
Reviewed By kitz-travellers
During our intensive planning of our trip to Ecuador last December and January 2021 we found very positive comments regarding the Canadian-Ecuadorian tourguide couple Angela and Jamie (Letsgotoecuador.com) which guiding private tours in Ecuador. We wrote our expectations at first for all together four day tours to Mindo, Cotopaxi, Quilotoa and so on. Just from the first replies of Angela we knew we are "on the right place" to plan our private tours. We are a couple from Austria who travels the world since 30 years and if we need a tourguide we prefer only private tours which are custom made with our expectations. We wrote to Angela and Jamie what´s our focus and what we would like to see in Ecuador and we got back a detailed, well organized tour plan, customized to our ideas. With many emails and What´s app messages we finished the details of our tour. Regarding the quick changes during the Covid pandemic we had chanced some parts of our journey, which ended in seven day tours with two overnight stays. Every day was very well organized, perfect selection of places to go, eat and visit. We traveled by Minibus with driver or with Angela and Jamies private car. Everyone was very safe driving, we felt very well and relexed. The preparing of every kind of circumstances was absolutely perfect, couldn´t be better. Angela organized PCR-Tests for us to be able to go to Galapagos islands, where the laboratory people came to our Hotel and did the test, Very comfortable! She reserved one test for us at Guayaquil airport after returning from Galapagos. Thats really tricky to get a test on carnival weekend in South America ! She made it possible ! After the cancellation of our Amazon trip (Covid again) from our travel agency in Europe Angela and Jamie booked a wonderful Lodge (Sacha Lodge) for us at the Amazon. And we did it !! At the end, we will say, it was the best decision to book the tours with Angela and Jamie. They are very well knowledgeable about their country, everything was perfect organized and absolutely safe. These couple is helpful far over you will expecting !! We absolutly recommend to book tours with Letsgotoecuador.com from Angela and Jamie ! They are doing a great job !! Thank you for everything !!!
10. Quilotoa Laguna Daytour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 16 reviews
This full day cultural tour begins with a visit to local indigenous market at either Saquisilli (Thursdays only) or Pujili (Sundays only). The drive to Laguna Quilotoa – an amazing emerald lagoon inside a volcano crater at the height of approximatetly 3,800 m – displays a beautiful view of the Andean mountains, passing the ancient canyon of Zumbahua and many indigenous towns and farmlands. The trip through the villages of the area provide a fantastic chance to see one of the most authentic parts of the country. Before lunch we visit a local indigenous home where you have the opportunity to interact with the locals. Prepare yourself for a taste of cultural and hiking.
Inclusions: What’s Included:, Transport, Guide, Lunch
Exclusions: What’s Not Included:, Additional Snacks / Beverages, TIPS, Breakfast
Reviewed By RichardA4235
Could not recommend more highly! We were in Quito and did a day trip to Mindo. Our guide, Alex, was amazing. He was a wealth of information and went far out of his way to show us everything we wanted to see. We zip-lined, went to the butterfly museum, did a chocolate tasting and learned how cocoa beans become chocolate. We also did a cable and hike to a waterfall. We really wanted to hit the equator museum on the way back and Alex made sure we got there -- we were running behind and he called to make sure they would stay open for us. Along the way, he gave us a great sense about Ecuador. Alex even helped us order pizza on the way home . He said that "no" was not in his vocabulary and that turned out to be true. The whole operation was so easy -- they even took us to the airport on our way out. The bus was comfortable, the driver safe, and it was just overall a fabulous trip -- our favorite activity in Quito. Thank you Alex and CarpeDM!
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