The taxi driver from UIO airport charged me $28, which seemed reasonable until I realized I couldn't string a sentence together. At 2,850m, Quito doesn't care about your fitness level. My head was pounding before we cleared the highway.
I'd booked a hotel in La Mariscal because some blog told me it was "the traveler district." It is, in the sense that backpackers stumble between bars and everyone's selling you tours. It's fine. Not charming, not terrible.
The hotel receptionist handed me a cup of mate de coca without being asked. "Drink this. Don't do anything today." I listened. I went for a gentle walk around Parque El Ejido — big mistake actually, even a flat park at this altitude left me winded. Came back, drank more coca tea, ate a small dinner. Went to bed at 8PM.
Highlight: The coca tea, which genuinely helped. Lowlight: The headache that laughed at my ibuprofen.
Okay, so the old town is magnificent. I know every travel writer says that, but I wasn't prepared. Plaza Grande hit me first — the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace, all in this compact square with the mountains framing everything behind.
Then La Compania de Jesus Church. $5 entry. No photos allowed. Seven tonnes of gold leaf covering every surface. I stood in the doorway for probably two full minutes just trying to process what I was seeing. I've been to cathedrals across Europe and this is, without question, the most visually overwhelming religious interior I've encountered.
The Basilica del Voto Nacional ($2 entry) has gargoyles shaped like Galapagos animals — iguanas, tortoises — which is such a delightfully weird detail. I climbed the twin clock towers. My legs were burning by the top, but the panoramic view over the city was worth every gasping breath.
For lunch I found a comedor on Calle Venezuela with a sign saying "Almuerzo $3." Soup, a main course of grilled chicken with rice and lentils, a glass of fresh juice, and a small cup of jello for dessert. Three dollars. I actually said "that's it?" and the owner looked offended.
Evening on La Ronda Street was perfect. This narrow cobblestone lane fills up with live music after 7PM. I had a hot canelazo — cinnamon, sugar cane liquor, something magical — for $2.50 at a bar no bigger than my bathroom. Two guys with guitars played boleros while I sat on a tiny wooden stool. I could have stayed all night.
Highlight: The canelazo on La Ronda. If I could bottle that moment, I would. Lowlight: Getting slightly lost in the old town streets after dark. Not dangerous, just disorienting.
The TeleferiQo cable car goes to 4,050m. Four thousand and fifty meters. I took an Uber to the base station for $4, bought my $8.50 ticket, and tried not to think about what 4,000m means for someone who lives at sea level.
The ride up is spectacular — the city shrinks below you and the Andes just keep growing. At the top, I walked maybe 200 meters along the Cruz Loma trail before my body told me to sit down. The views of the surrounding volcanoes are staggering, and the air is thin enough to make you dizzy just standing still. It was maybe 8°C — bring layers, seriously.
Lunch at Café Mosaico saved the afternoon. It's a hillside restaurant overlooking the old town with floor-to-ceiling windows. I ordered the locro de papa — thick potato soup with avocado and cheese — and it might be the best soup I've ever eaten. Not "best in Ecuador" — best, period. Mains run $8-15.
Then a chocolate tasting at Pacari in the old town. Ecuador produces some of the world's finest cacao, and the guided tasting ($12) was genuinely educational. I bought four bars for gifts. They didn't make it home.
Sunset from Itchimbia Park — 360-degree views, the glass Centro Cultural glowing golden, volcanoes turning purple. Free entry. This might be the best free viewpoint in any South American city.
Highlight: Locro de papa at Café Mosaico. Life-changing soup. Lowlight: Overestimating my abilities at 4,050m.
Mitad del Mundo is 23 km north and it's one of those tourist attractions that's genuinely fun despite being extremely touristy. The main monument complex is $5 entry, and the nearby Intinan Museum ($5) has these quirky experiments — balancing an egg on a nail, watching water supposedly drain differently on each side of the line.
Is it scientifically rigorous? Probably not. Did I spend 15 minutes trying to balance that egg? Absolutely.
The drive back included a stop at the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve viewpoint — a volcanic crater with an actual farming community living inside it. The Ventanillas viewpoint is free and genuinely spectacular. I stood there for twenty minutes just staring.
Afternoon at the Mercado Artesanal on Calle Juan Leon Mera. Panama hats — which are actually Ecuadorian, fun fact — run $15-50 depending on quality. Tagua nut carvings make great gifts. The whole market has fixed prices, so no haggling stress.
Highlight: The Pululahua crater viewpoint. Unexpected and stunning. Lowlight: The 45-minute traffic jam getting back into the city.
Day tour to Cotopaxi volcano. $70 including transport, guide, and lunch. Departure at 7AM from the hotel.
The drive through the Avenue of Volcanoes is breathtaking — when you can see through the clouds, which is maybe 40% of the time. Cotopaxi National Park entrance is $10. The snow-capped cone emerged through the mist like a postcard, perfectly symmetrical at 5,897m.
Here's where I miscalculated. The hike from the parking lot at 4,500m to the Jose Rivas refuge at 4,864m is described as "a 45-minute walk." It took me 75 minutes of gasping, stopping every fifty steps, genuinely questioning my life choices. The altitude is absolutely punishing. Two people in our group turned back.
At the refuge: hot chocolate for $2. I've never tasted anything so good. The view back down through the paramo was surreal — this vast moonscape of volcanic grassland stretching to the horizon.
The mountain bike descent afterward was the highlight of the entire trip. Mostly downhill through the paramo, bikes and helmets provided, wind in my face, endorphins finally kicking in. I screamed with joy at least twice.
Lunch at a hacienda near the park — llapingachos (potato patties with peanut sauce), a highland Ecuadorian specialty. I was so hungry from the hike that I ate two servings.
Highlight: The mountain bike descent. Pure adrenaline. Lowlight: Those 75 minutes of altitude-induced suffering on the hike up.
My body needed this rest day. The Museo Nacional del Ecuador (MuNa) was the morning plan — $2 entry, 10,000 years of Ecuadorian history from pre-Columbian gold to contemporary art. The gold room is quietly impressive.
Lunch at Mercado Central near Plaza Grande: encebollado, which is tuna and onion soup. Locals call it Ecuador's national hangover cure. I wasn't hungover but I can confirm it fixes exhaustion too. $3.50.
The free afternoon was perfectly free. I went back to the old town and just walked. No agenda, no map, no destination. Found a tiny courtyard I hadn't noticed before, sat on a bench, watched two old men play chess. Bought another Pacari chocolate bar ($4) and ate it slowly.
Sometimes the best travel days are the ones with nothing on the schedule.
Highlight: The nothing. The unplanned wandering. Lowlight: Realizing tomorrow is my last day.
Final morning. Breakfast at Café Dios No Muere on Calle Garcia Moreno — humitas (sweet corn tamales) and fresh fruit juice. $6 and perfect.
Last-minute shopping: two more Panama hats ($20 each for gifts), a bag of single-origin chocolate bars from Pacari, and a small tagua nut carving of a turtle. Total: about $50.
Uber to the airport: $13. The 45-minute drive gave me time to stare out the window at the mountains one more time.
In a heartbeat. And I'd do it differently. I'd stay in the old town instead of La Mariscal. I'd add three days for the Mindo cloud forest and the Quilotoa crater lake. I'd book a cooking class and learn to make canelazo at home.
Quito surprised me. I expected a layover city, a stepping stone to the Galapagos. What I got was one of the most underrated capitals in South America — cheap, beautiful, culturally rich, and surrounded by volcanoes. The $3 almuerzos alone are worth the flight. For more details, see our Quito travel guide.
Just respect the altitude. Day one is not a suggestion. It's a warning.
