City: Ecuador
Top Things to do in Ecuador
What to do and see in Ecuador, Ecuador: The Best Literary, Art & Music Tours
Coordinates: 2°00′S 77°30′W / 2.000°S 77.500°W / -2.000; -77.500
Restaurants in Ecuador
1. Night Tour in Guayaquil with Drinks at La Paleta Bar
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Guayaquil has a lot of things to do while visiting. One of the main highlights of Guayaquil is the excellent view of the city that can be gained from the top of the Santa Ana Hill in the Las Penas neighborhood of Guayaquil. The Malecon 2000 is a great site to visit if you want to know more about the history of the city. Here you can enjoy a very pleasant walk along the side of the Guayas River, and there are lovely places to eat and shop along the way. Another place for a good walk is through the streets of the Las Penas district. This was the first neighborhood that was built in Guayaquil, and it has pretty colonial architecture painted in a variety of bright colors. Discover Guayaquil at night and have a drink in one of the emblematic bars in Guayaquil, "La Paleta" in Barrio Las Peñas.
Inclusions: Driver/guide, Local guide, Hotel pickup, Night tour
Exclusions: Gratuities
Reviewed By robcantrell2
This was a great way to see the city in air conditioned comfort. Our tour guide is a retired airline pilot with perfect English and a great deal of knowledge regarding the city. We opted for the breakfast/lunch tour. We toured spots outside of the usual “tourists traps”. Lunch was perfection! We ate local cuisine at a corner cafe and the owner explained each dish in great detail. Don’t leave Guayaquil without taking this tour.
2. Walking Tour Quito
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 10 reviews
Walk in the historic center of Quito, it is totally special if you are accompanied by friends, here you will discover the wonders of the historic center and new friends while we walk. Places like the Plaza de la Independencia, San Agustin Church, the catacombs, Republica del Cacao, the change of presidential guard (Mondays) and others are what we will discover in this experience that you will do it yourself. It is also a good time for you to realize the best selfies of your passage through the heritage city of Quito.
Inclusions: Guía bilingüe
Exclusions: Propinas, Snacks, Soda/Pop
Reviewed By EdinKrnic
Very good agency located in Friends hostel. They have daily tours around Quito and also Galápagos and Amazonas.
3. Free time in Quito? Lets go to Otavalo in one day!
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
Is a good way to travel out of Quito and for a hole day trip; cheap with a local private vip funny interesting openminded tour guide driver, good music and confortability of its car. 420 friendly
Inclusions: Private transportation, GST (Goods and Services Tax)
Exclusions: Lunch, Alcoholic Beverages, Bottled water
Reviewed By Alexa Y
Daniel was a great guide and the drive from Quito was beautiful. The thermal springs and spa itself were amazing! I did the 45 min deep body massage and I highly recommend. If you go on a weekend, I would recommend leaving early, Daniela will work with you to figure out what time you want to leave and how long you want to stay, he is very flexible. If you're interested in Spa treatments, I would schedule them in advance or as soon as you arrive so that you can get the time slot you want. I waited a few hours and it started to get a little more crowded (not full but there were others there) and I hate to wait til the afternoon for my massage. Overall, it was a very relaxing day.
4. Urban Art Walk
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 2 reviews
Join us through the Coolest side of Quito´s urban art. Meet the artists and their studios. Make your own art piece.
Inclusions: Art supplies , Gift, Your art piece
Exclusions:
Reviewed By Greg S
My group of 6 friends did this tour (booked on Viator) yesterday. Overall we liked the tour guide Jose, he had a good personality. But due to value, food chosen, and hiccups made by him, we would not recommend this tour. First issue is the driver came to our hotel looking for another couple. He left when the hotel reception told him “Brinn” isn’t staying at the hotel. Apparently, Brinn is another couple who booked this tour but were staying at another hotel. By the time they figured out the mistake, we started the tour 45 minutes late. Instead of being cognizant of this, Jose started the tour with a 45 minute, long winded conversation about the center of the world. This tour is called “Street Food with Drinks.” This is an exaggeration- we had “drink” (singular) and no street food. We went to a bar and had a local cocktail (very tasty). Went to a hole in the wall and had a tamale, chicken gizzards and an empanada. Finally, went to a cafe and had an herbal tea. Overall, it was about $60 worth of food for our group and it $462 ($77 a person). And the food was forgettable. Maybe the pandemic has made the street food tour less than ideal. It is a fact that many places have shut down since last year. But perhaps the tour should be put on hold until the situation in Quito improves.
5. HIPstoric Quito Day Tour
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
A Hip tour of Quito Old Town Highlights: - Discover the hippest locales in Quito – trendy coffee shops, yesteryear coffee roasters, artist workshops, and vintage toy makers. - Experience the modern and traditional street food scene in Quito. - Meet artists and artisans and learn how they handcraft Panama hats, Fedora hats, Driver Caps, and more. Walk around bohemian neighborhoods and streets – San Marcos and La Ronda Our HIPstoric Quito Day Tour is a unique tour visiting hip and cool sites in Old Town Quito. Take advantage of your spare time in Quito and explore Old Town like a true hipster. This is not your typical, generic Quito day tour. Avoid the crowds, visit off the beaten path sites and get to know the city in a different way. Whenever I travel around the world, I do my best to stray away from the crowds and try to find something unique that only I deem special. Nevertheless, its that search for something special that makes exploring an unknown city so great. - Andres
Inclusions: Private transportation, Snacks, Coffee and/or Tea, Hotel Pick-up, Bilingual Guide
Exclusions: Additional Food and drinks, Souvenirs, Tips for the guide, Entrance fees
Reviewed By emilyhR9040PS
I was lucky enough to have Andres for multiple days and I could not be happier! We had an amazing time in Ecuador and most of that is because Andres was so great! Andres showed us through so much of Ecuador, he is very knowledgable, patient, and very accommodating to whatever we needed or wanted to do. He got us through Quito, Otavalo and even out to the jungle. Even after his job was finished, he still stayed in contact to make sure we knew good places to go, places to eat and gave great directions.
6. La Leyenda de Chocolate Tour
Overall Ratings
4.7 based on 6 reviews
You will join a festive experience with local musicians playing while you pitch in to make Ecuadorian drinking chocolate by hand. Participants will have a chance to help roast, shell, grind and make the chocolate beverage that Ecuadorians drank thousands of years ago all to the beat of a local musician.
Inclusions: cacao beverage tasting
Exclusions: Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase), Food and drinks (available to purchase)
Reviewed By susch
I found this tour to be extremely informative and interesting. I never knew all the steps involved in making chocolate! It was very cool to walk the grounds and see the entire process from small trees to finished product. The tasting of the different qualities of chocolate was interesting too. Definitely worth taking the time to do this tour!
7. Eduardo Vega's Ceramics Exhibition in Quito
At a walking distance from hotels in Quito, Kalahari handmade decor is the most complete gallery in the city offering you a variety of handmade pieces from the best Ecuadorian artists and artisans. This magnificent exhibition includes the biggest selection of the creamiest Eduardo Vega in Quito. If you get lucky, you might meet Eduardo Vega in person! He usually visits Quito and our gallery once a month.
Inclusions: Local taxes, Driver/guide
Exclusions: Food and drinks, Gratuities
Reviewed By Satanyah
I specifically went to find this store. There taxi driver was unable to find it. He pointed to an area where a building had been destroyed. I also emailed and got no response.
8. Guayaquil Museum Tour
This tour is a perfect option if you are interest to know more about the history of Guayaquil. You will see some differents representations that explain the stages of the history of this city.
Inclusions: All taxes, fees and handling charges, Driver/guide, Local guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Transport by vehicle
Exclusions: Food and drinks, Gratuities
Reviewed By robcantrell2
This was a great way to see the city in air conditioned comfort. Our tour guide is a retired airline pilot with perfect English and a great deal of knowledge regarding the city. We opted for the breakfast/lunch tour. We toured spots outside of the usual “tourists traps”. Lunch was perfection! We ate local cuisine at a corner cafe and the owner explained each dish in great detail. Don’t leave Guayaquil without taking this tour.
9. Full-Day Private Tour of Artisans North of Quito
A tour focused on visiting three towns with their markets located north from Quito city. Each one of these locations are different from each other in terms of markets and artisans. Otavalo with the biggest textile market in South America, Peguche with the traditional weavers that work the textile by hand and Cotacachi with its leather market. This is a full day enjoying the northern landscapes and learning the culture of the region.
Inclusions: Bottled water, Lunch, All activities, Driver/guide, Professional guide, Hotel pickup and drop-off, Private tour
Exclusions: Drinks, Gratuities
Reviewed By claudiarA8664RH
I contacted David in January 2020 with the intention of taking his tour in February 2020. I was full of questions for David and several emails and several dozen questions later, David patiently responded to every inquiry I had, sometimes twice, and got back to me quickly and efficiently. However, some things didn't seem right. First was that there were two prices listed on the website. According to David there was a promotion that was happening, though there was no indication of that on the website. Then David said that I had to pay a $200 premium as a single traveler. He also told me it required 3-5 days advance notice to book the trip, but when I said I would likely be booking, David asked me for payment to be wired in full within 48 hours, over two full weeks before the trip, and said there would be no chance to cancel as it was too close to the trip date. I told David that I was interested in the tour but was not comfortable paying up front in full before the commencement of the trip. I offered to pay a deposit to hold my spot and the reservation. From that point forward, I heard from David only twice more. One email said he would get back to me, and the other, two weeks later, saying "We have been having some complications to deliver this tour and it won't be possible for us to do it for operational reasons. I apologize for the inconvenience." This seemed shady given the timing of – “I want full payment wired to me” and then when I said I wasn’t comfortable with that, he suddenly couldn’t carry out the trip. So, I wanted to give other travelers a heads up to this. I recommend getting a personal driver. The smaller hotels will have drivers at more reasonable costs, whereas the big chain hotels will also have drivers but will gouge you in price. You can plan everything yourself and pay the drivers to take you most places without much hassle.
10. Guayaquil Art Experience Tour
In this tour is focused in providing travelers a full experience of art in Guayaquil. We will visit the riverfront house of the local artist Monica Zurita, who besides being an artist herself, collects art from differnt parts of the world. We will also visit the cemetry of Guayaquil and its impressive marble mausoleums. Plaza Guayarte, which is a taste of street art, and finally the highlights of the city: The Cathedral, The Iguana Park and Santa Ana area.
Inclusions: Air-conditioned vehicle
Exclusions: Lunch
Reviewed By Jared H
I was very fortunate to have Mario (the owner) as my guide, and he provided me with an exceptional experience today!!! Mario was nice, friendly and extremely knowledgeable in the local flora and fauna, and he made it very clear his primary interest was in my satisfaction with a memorable visit to Ecuador. First, we visited the Lara family farm where Mario and Alberto showed me how cocoa is made into dark chocolate bars and tasty hot chocolate beverages, and we even had an authentic home cooked Ecuadorian dish made by Ninfa Lara (who was also very friendly and welcoming, and an outstanding chef). After lunch, Mario and Jairo Lara took me to the protected forest of Churute for a small hike, where we found more than 12 howler monkeys, which was an amazing experience to hear them screaming and producing sounds so loud it makes them appear much larger than what they are!!! Then we also rented a motor boat and toured the mangrove forest preserve to look for exotic birds and crocodiles. I can say without a doubt you WILL NOT be disappointed with your experience by booking with this company!!!
