Things To Do In Quito

Quito… I only stopped in Quito to plan my trip to the Galapagos Islands. I didn’t have high hopes for the capital city, but it did exceed my initial expectations. My first impressions though… OMG it’s cold!

Quito is a UNESCO world heritage city, high in the Andes. The city is made up of the “Old Town” and the “New Town”. Due to the high crime rates I had been advised to stay in the Old Town which is where most of the hostels are anyway. Crime targeting tourists was focused in the New Town.

So what to do in Quito other than plan your Galapagos trip?! More than you would think… read on!

What to do in Quito

Visit the Old Town

Wander the streets of the UNESCO World heritage listed Old Town. See the plazas, parks and cathedrals, marvel at the ancient historical buildings.

Cathedral

Visit the famous Cathedral which sits high on the slopes of the Old Town. Inside contains some beautiful paintings of the last supper. The outside of the cathedral is very impressive too!

Take a trip to see the equator

Or where they thought it was. There are two moments to the equator located about 20 km north of Quito. The first site (pictured below) was measured in 1736. This site is called Mitad del Mundo.

Visit the actual equator line

The actual equator line was measured by a GPS when the technology became available. It found that where they though the equator was, was actually 300 metres off. The actual equator line has been recognised around a museum called Museo Solar Inti Nan, which is worth the visit. For a few dollars you can enter the museum and be guided around and shown a number of bizarre phenomenons around the forces of gravity at the equator.

Travel agent

Without a doubt CarpeDM Adventures. These guys not only know their stuff they were so incredibly helpful and kind. They went out of their way to help me on my Galapagos tour and I am so grateful!