The city of Quito is situated at an altitude of 9350 ft (2850 m) in the Andes Mountains. We landed late in the evening and were delighted to wake-up to a spectacular view of Quito and the Andes from our hotel room. We were off to a great start with one of our most memorable vacations, an expedition cruise in the Galapagos Islands.
Our time in Quito was much too brief to explore this beautiful capital in depth but we did manage to cover some of the city’s highlights in a day.
Itchimbia Park
Our first stop was at Itchimbia Park for a scenic view of the city. From the lookout we got an excellent view of the Winged Virgin Statue of Quito. Inside the glass house pavilion there was a beautiful garden and a photo exhibition.
Quito’s Old Town
Next, we made our way to the Old Town for a walking tour of the historic pedestrian cobblestoned area in the heart of Quito. Many of the city’s must-see attractions were easily accessible on foot from Independence Square, Quito’s main plaza.
During our tour we visited some of the city’s main attractions such as the Church of the Jesuits (Iglesia de La Compañía de Jesús). The interior is adorned with gold leaf, gilded plaster and wood carvings for a stunning Baroque look.
Nearby, adjacent to the Plaza San Francisco, you can see the imposing San Francisco Church. It’s a 16thcentury Roman Catholic church and convent complex housing a large collection of paintings.
Basilica of the National Vow
Another must-see church is the Basilica of the National Vow (Basílica del Voto Nacional). This was one of our favorite buildings in Quito. We especially enjoyed the originality of the gargoyles, which represent the animals found in Ecuador. The result is a successful integration of nature into a Gothic Basilica and turned out to be an excellent precursor of what was to come in the Galapagos Islands.
Conclusion
Quito was a steppingstone to our Galapagos Islands expedition cruise, and we would certainly recommend adding this to your itinerary. As for us, even if our time in this beautiful city was limited, we are glad we got to see as much as we did in a day.
The following morning we were off to the Galapagos Islands via Guayaquil and as we looked down from the plane window we saw the Cotopaxi Volcano.
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*Post updated November 2020