Quito Sites to Visit
This will be a on going list of places I wish to visit in Quito and travel information.
Old Town
It's safer than it ever was, but do keep your wits about you. At night, the most impressive and important buildings of the historic center are floodlit to stunning effect. With new restaurants and bars open, it's worth going back for a stroll at night even if you've visited in the day. Keep to lit and peopled streets, however.
The most common dangers are pickpockets, bag snatchers and thieves who slice open parcels to get at their contents. Be especially wary at transport stations, in public markets (such as the one in Otavalo), in city parks and other busy areas. Do not flaunt expensive jewelry or watches—leave them at home. Be wary of flashing your expensive-looking camera and video equipment, and keep them concealed and safe as much as possible. Be careful in the old section of Quito in the daytime and exercise even more caution when walking there at night—always go in a group. Walking up to the top of El Panecillo in Quito is also considered extremely dangerous (take a cab instead).
"Botero Exhibition" Venue: Museo De La Ciudad
Address: Garcia Moreno 572 Y Rocafuerte, Quito, Ecuador
Phone: (593) 2 283-882
Ticket Prices: Adult $2.00 USD
Hours: 9:30am To 5:30pm Tuesday to Sunday
A standard museum ticket will allow access to the exhibition at no additional fee. Tickets can be purchased from the museums ticket office.
Museo de Arte Colonial
features endless depictions of the bleeding Jesus and some amazingly intricate wooden desks.
Museo Municipal Abert Mena Caamano (with colonial and modern art)
Monastery of San Francisco
Quito's oldest church: the most interesting way to see the church is to quietly enter when a service is taking place. (Mon-Thur 7am-12pm, 3pm-6pm; Fri-Sun 7am-12pm, 5pm-8pm)
The other option is to pay the entrance fee to see the Museum of San Francisco (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-12am), where you'll be escorted past a lot of gory religious art before you're admitted to the elevated choir at the rear of the church.
Plaza San Francisco: you'll find a good souvenir store as well as the Tianguez coffee shop, which is a good place to take a break.
Church of La Compania de Jesus
across the plaza and down the street is the , which has an intricately carved facade and one of the most ornate interiors in the Americas.
From La Compania, turn down Calle Garcia Moreno and you'll pass El Sagrario (dating from the mid-1600s) and, next door, the Cathedral Metropolitana (where independence hero Antonio Jose de Sucre is buried). Other prominent churches are Santo Domingo (dating from 1581, it features a decorative Moorish ceiling and a statue of the Virgin Mary given to the church by Charles V of Spain) and the Monastery of San Agustin (dating from the 1600s). We especially liked Casa Sucre (Tues-Fri 9am-5:30pm, Sat-Sun 9am-11:30pm), the beautifully restored home of the Antonio Jose de Sucre, who helped liberate Ecuador from Spanish rule. The displays of maps and weapons are interesting, but it's the house and its period furnishings that are the real attractions. A similarly restored old house is the Casa Maria Urrutia (Ues-SUn 10am-6pm, $2.50).
Be sure to spend time on cobblestoned La Ronda Street (may be dangerous), the oldest in town, and then take in Quito's most modern museum, the Museo de la Ciudad, located inside a renovated old mansion and showcasing the city's social history.
If you plan to visit El Panecillo, the hill directly south of Old Town that's crowned by the large Virgin of Quito statue, then take a taxi, as the streets at the base of the hill are unsafe. And when you're there, there's a bar/restaurant called Pimm's, up by the Panecillo and Virgen de Quito monument that is ideal for a break. The Virgin of Quito stands on Cerro Panecillo. From here you have splendid view over the city. This statue consists of 7000 pieces of aluminium, and it is a modern presentation of the famous Virgin de Quito, the unique winged dancing Virgin. The original masterpiece can be seen at the main altar of the San Francisco Church. There is a balcony in the upper part of the pedestal of the Virgin, that provides a great view over the city (old and new part). Open every day from 10.30 till 17.30. Entrance fee to the interior of the monument is 1 US $. (I did not have enough time to go in).
One of the city's newest attractions is the Parque Itchimbia, on the hill to the east of the Old Town, where one of Quito's old wrought-iron market structures was taken and restored to its former splendor. Temporary shows are held within the structure, and there's also a restaurant, which is a fabulous spot to watch the sun set and the city's lights come on below. Another great new attraction is the Teleferico, the cable car that climbs up to the flanks of the Pichincha volcano to the west of the Old Town.
New Town
What's usually referred to as "New Town," or the Mariscal Sucre, is where most visitors stay. It's home to a large selection of hotels, restaurants, money-exchange houses and upscale souvenir shops. Avoid walking after dark in central New Town, known as the Mariscal Sucre. Take a cab to your hotel, even if it's only a few blocks away.
Also in New Town is the Casa de la Cultura, a must-see attraction: It contains the Banco Central archaeological museum, an attached art museum, a vast musical-instrument museum, an indigenous-clothing museum and a modern-art museum. If you have time for just one, make it the archaeological museum—there you'll see an amazing display of works produced by Inca goldsmiths, as well as lots of ancient pottery and detailed dioramas of life in Ecuador's pre-Columbian civilizations.
Running north to south through North Quito is the Avenida Amazonas, the backbone of new Quito. The street begins at El Ejido Park then runs north past the airport crossing most major streets and businesses along the way. On weekdays indigenous people from the highland towns bring their handicraft goods to sell on the sidewalks creating an impromptu handicraft market and a souvenir hunters dream.
Mariscal District
One of the most picturesque streets in the new city, Avenida Calama is the heart of the Mariscal District. Mariscal, was once "the place" to live in Quito (running along Juan Leon Mera between Veintimilla and Wilson). Business began moving in and Mariscal became the tourist center of Quito with a selection of hotels, restaurants, Internet cafes, discos and shops.
Unlike other streets in the area, Avenida Calama is well preserved with many of the original houses remaining. Beginning at Avenida Amazonas there are a number of cafes and bars normally bustling with people. Avenida Calama is a great place to meet other travelers.
The Parque La Carolina at Avenidas Amazonas and Republica is a large recreational park where Quito goes to relax outdoors. On weekends the park is buzzing. A botanical garden and dinosaur museum have also been recently added to the park. Bicycle Police patrol the park's interior during the day making it safe again for daytime visits. Several of Quito's major shopping centers surround La Carolina including the Plaza de Las Americas, Quicentro and El Jardin. These shopping malls offer a variety of both local and imported goods as well as supermarkets.
Although Quito is not a late-night city, you can find plenty of nightlife in the Mariscal Sucre district. Note, however, that the Mariscal can be dangerous after dark—don't walk the streets alone. There are expatriate bars and nightclubs, penas (clubs with traditional Andean music), some multilingual bookstores, cafes and galleries. A colorful ballet folklorico show titled Jacchigua is presented twice a week (usually Wednesday and Friday evenings) at the Casa de la Cultura. There are free live concerts on the renovated Plaza Foch in the Mariscal on Thursday evenings and lots of live-music venues.
Mitad del Mundo
Squatting on the equatorial line, about an hour from Quito, this town (literally titled "middle of the world") features a small but interesting cultural, museum as well as numerous shops and restaurants. From the Terminal Terrestre in Quito, take the Bus Cayambe Flor del Valle bus.
(Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri-Sun 9am-7pm Tel: (593 2) 2394804, 2394803
Visit to the ethnographic museum with a display of the different ethnic groups and cultures from the different geographic regions of Ecuador. Museo Solar Inti Nan is located exactly on the Equator line, a tour of the museum will include various experiments proving that you are at latitud O. ($2)
Old Town
It's safer than it ever was, but do keep your wits about you. At night, the most impressive and important buildings of the historic center are floodlit to stunning effect. With new restaurants and bars open, it's worth going back for a stroll at night even if you've visited in the day. Keep to lit and peopled streets, however.
The most common dangers are pickpockets, bag snatchers and thieves who slice open parcels to get at their contents. Be especially wary at transport stations, in public markets (such as the one in Otavalo), in city parks and other busy areas. Do not flaunt expensive jewelry or watches—leave them at home. Be wary of flashing your expensive-looking camera and video equipment, and keep them concealed and safe as much as possible. Be careful in the old section of Quito in the daytime and exercise even more caution when walking there at night—always go in a group. Walking up to the top of El Panecillo in Quito is also considered extremely dangerous (take a cab instead).
"Botero Exhibition" Venue: Museo De La Ciudad
Address: Garcia Moreno 572 Y Rocafuerte, Quito, Ecuador
Phone: (593) 2 283-882
Ticket Prices: Adult $2.00 USD
Hours: 9:30am To 5:30pm Tuesday to Sunday
A standard museum ticket will allow access to the exhibition at no additional fee. Tickets can be purchased from the museums ticket office.
Museo de Arte Colonial
features endless depictions of the bleeding Jesus and some amazingly intricate wooden desks.
Museo Municipal Abert Mena Caamano (with colonial and modern art)
Monastery of San Francisco
Quito's oldest church: the most interesting way to see the church is to quietly enter when a service is taking place. (Mon-Thur 7am-12pm, 3pm-6pm; Fri-Sun 7am-12pm, 5pm-8pm)
The other option is to pay the entrance fee to see the Museum of San Francisco (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-12am), where you'll be escorted past a lot of gory religious art before you're admitted to the elevated choir at the rear of the church.
Plaza San Francisco: you'll find a good souvenir store as well as the Tianguez coffee shop, which is a good place to take a break.
Church of La Compania de Jesus
across the plaza and down the street is the , which has an intricately carved facade and one of the most ornate interiors in the Americas.
From La Compania, turn down Calle Garcia Moreno and you'll pass El Sagrario (dating from the mid-1600s) and, next door, the Cathedral Metropolitana (where independence hero Antonio Jose de Sucre is buried). Other prominent churches are Santo Domingo (dating from 1581, it features a decorative Moorish ceiling and a statue of the Virgin Mary given to the church by Charles V of Spain) and the Monastery of San Agustin (dating from the 1600s). We especially liked Casa Sucre (Tues-Fri 9am-5:30pm, Sat-Sun 9am-11:30pm), the beautifully restored home of the Antonio Jose de Sucre, who helped liberate Ecuador from Spanish rule. The displays of maps and weapons are interesting, but it's the house and its period furnishings that are the real attractions. A similarly restored old house is the Casa Maria Urrutia (Ues-SUn 10am-6pm, $2.50).
Be sure to spend time on cobblestoned La Ronda Street (may be dangerous), the oldest in town, and then take in Quito's most modern museum, the Museo de la Ciudad, located inside a renovated old mansion and showcasing the city's social history.
If you plan to visit El Panecillo, the hill directly south of Old Town that's crowned by the large Virgin of Quito statue, then take a taxi, as the streets at the base of the hill are unsafe. And when you're there, there's a bar/restaurant called Pimm's, up by the Panecillo and Virgen de Quito monument that is ideal for a break. The Virgin of Quito stands on Cerro Panecillo. From here you have splendid view over the city. This statue consists of 7000 pieces of aluminium, and it is a modern presentation of the famous Virgin de Quito, the unique winged dancing Virgin. The original masterpiece can be seen at the main altar of the San Francisco Church. There is a balcony in the upper part of the pedestal of the Virgin, that provides a great view over the city (old and new part). Open every day from 10.30 till 17.30. Entrance fee to the interior of the monument is 1 US $. (I did not have enough time to go in).
One of the city's newest attractions is the Parque Itchimbia, on the hill to the east of the Old Town, where one of Quito's old wrought-iron market structures was taken and restored to its former splendor. Temporary shows are held within the structure, and there's also a restaurant, which is a fabulous spot to watch the sun set and the city's lights come on below. Another great new attraction is the Teleferico, the cable car that climbs up to the flanks of the Pichincha volcano to the west of the Old Town.
New Town
What's usually referred to as "New Town," or the Mariscal Sucre, is where most visitors stay. It's home to a large selection of hotels, restaurants, money-exchange houses and upscale souvenir shops. Avoid walking after dark in central New Town, known as the Mariscal Sucre. Take a cab to your hotel, even if it's only a few blocks away.
Also in New Town is the Casa de la Cultura, a must-see attraction: It contains the Banco Central archaeological museum, an attached art museum, a vast musical-instrument museum, an indigenous-clothing museum and a modern-art museum. If you have time for just one, make it the archaeological museum—there you'll see an amazing display of works produced by Inca goldsmiths, as well as lots of ancient pottery and detailed dioramas of life in Ecuador's pre-Columbian civilizations.
Running north to south through North Quito is the Avenida Amazonas, the backbone of new Quito. The street begins at El Ejido Park then runs north past the airport crossing most major streets and businesses along the way. On weekdays indigenous people from the highland towns bring their handicraft goods to sell on the sidewalks creating an impromptu handicraft market and a souvenir hunters dream.
Mariscal District
One of the most picturesque streets in the new city, Avenida Calama is the heart of the Mariscal District. Mariscal, was once "the place" to live in Quito (running along Juan Leon Mera between Veintimilla and Wilson). Business began moving in and Mariscal became the tourist center of Quito with a selection of hotels, restaurants, Internet cafes, discos and shops.
Unlike other streets in the area, Avenida Calama is well preserved with many of the original houses remaining. Beginning at Avenida Amazonas there are a number of cafes and bars normally bustling with people. Avenida Calama is a great place to meet other travelers.
The Parque La Carolina at Avenidas Amazonas and Republica is a large recreational park where Quito goes to relax outdoors. On weekends the park is buzzing. A botanical garden and dinosaur museum have also been recently added to the park. Bicycle Police patrol the park's interior during the day making it safe again for daytime visits. Several of Quito's major shopping centers surround La Carolina including the Plaza de Las Americas, Quicentro and El Jardin. These shopping malls offer a variety of both local and imported goods as well as supermarkets.
Although Quito is not a late-night city, you can find plenty of nightlife in the Mariscal Sucre district. Note, however, that the Mariscal can be dangerous after dark—don't walk the streets alone. There are expatriate bars and nightclubs, penas (clubs with traditional Andean music), some multilingual bookstores, cafes and galleries. A colorful ballet folklorico show titled Jacchigua is presented twice a week (usually Wednesday and Friday evenings) at the Casa de la Cultura. There are free live concerts on the renovated Plaza Foch in the Mariscal on Thursday evenings and lots of live-music venues.
Mitad del Mundo
Squatting on the equatorial line, about an hour from Quito, this town (literally titled "middle of the world") features a small but interesting cultural, museum as well as numerous shops and restaurants. From the Terminal Terrestre in Quito, take the Bus Cayambe Flor del Valle bus.
(Mon-Thurs 9am-6pm, Fri-Sun 9am-7pm Tel: (593 2) 2394804, 2394803
Visit to the ethnographic museum with a display of the different ethnic groups and cultures from the different geographic regions of Ecuador. Museo Solar Inti Nan is located exactly on the Equator line, a tour of the museum will include various experiments proving that you are at latitud O. ($2)
posted by WW at 3:52 PM
1 Comments:
I hope you're having a good time there.
Post a Comment
<< Home