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City Guide > South America > Ecuador > Quito | |
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Sightseeing Sightseeing Overview Quito is a small city but it has plenty to offer the sightseer. Old Quito is the jewel in the city’s crown, a maze of narrow cobbled streets and stunning colonial architecture with magnificent, gilded churches and monasteries, a wide range of museums and art galleries and elegant plazas with open-air cafes. Religious processions, complete with singing, dancing, bands and statues of the Madonna frequently wind their way through the streets, tossing rose petals en route (roses are one of Ecuador’s main exports). There are excellent restaurants and shops selling beautiful indigenous crafts including rugs, weavings and pottery and, most notably, the silver jewellery for which the country is famous. 23km (14 miles) north of the city is Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, marking the Equator. There is a park, shops, restaurants and open-air music and dance. A couple of hours’ drive from Quito, there are a number of Andean nature reserves, notably Maquipucuna and El Pahuma. There are hot springs at El Tingo and La Merced, a national park at Cotopaxi and, for the energetic, climbing at Pichincha – though climbers should be aware of possible altitude sickness and always enquire about current volcanic activity. Quito has lively nightlife with everything from classical concerts to salsa clubs. Tourist Information Ecuador Tourism Information Eloy Alfaro N32-300 Carlos Tobar Quito Ecuador Tel: (02) 3507559. Website: www.quito.com.ec or www.vivecuador.com |