Quito — tijd en weer

Bezienswaardigheden en historische plekken

• Quito's Old Town (UNESCO) is the largest, best-preserved colonial centre in Latin America with dozens of churches.
• La Compañía de Jesús is a Jesuit church famed for its baroque interior dripping with gold leaf.
• The Basílica del Voto Nacional is a neo-Gothic landmark with gargoyles shaped like Ecuadorian animals and sweeping views.
• The TelefériQo cable car climbs Pichincha volcano to 4,050 m, where panoramic views of the whole city open up.

Musea

• Casa del Alabado holds one of Ecuador's finest collections of pre-Columbian art.
• The Museo de la Ciudad, in the former San Juan de Dios hospital, traces Quito's history.
• Mitad del Mundo is a complex on the equator with a monument, a museum and the line of zero latitude itself.

Waar je tijd doorbrengen

• Climb El Panecillo hill to the winged Virgin of Quito statue and a sweeping viewpoint over the colonial centre.
• Stroll La Ronda by night, lined with artisan shops, cacao and canelazo — a hot spiced drink with sugar-cane spirit.
• Day trips to the crater lake of Quilotoa or to the Otavalo Indigenous market, busiest on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Lokale keuken

Try locro de papa, yaguarlocro and ceviche de camarón in the Old Town, washed down with hot cacao or canelazo.