Quito is unique with an invaluable treasure, the Historic Downtown of magnificent architecture and neighborhoods full of vitality, splendid churches, convents and museums that keep sublime works of art. Its intense night life –which specially vibrates in “La Mariscal”, heart of the modern city– its gastronomy, the quality of its services and its infrastructure make Quito a metropolis in its entire dimension. Nestled on the slopes of the Pichincha volcano, at 2.800 meters of elevation, it offers never-ending possibilities for sports and adventure close to the urban nucleus. On top of that, the city is the door that connects to all tourist destinations in Ecuador.

Historic Downtown

Amazing baroque churches, a grand architecture built with earth and stone, altars covered with gold leaf, narrow streets were history is alive, the green slopes of the Pichincha volcano: in the Historic Downtown, the quality of a World Cultural Heritage embraces the traveler.

La Mariscal

bustle and seduction

Chatting lasts until dawn around a table full of wine and delicacies from all around the world, accompanied with dance, live music and the dynamism of the travelers coming from all latitudes. A cosmopolitan neighborhood with never ending options to stroll, to party, to shop and to enjoy.

Lookouts

natural balconies

For centuries, Quito sprawled its way through the ravines of the Pichincha volcano, scattering lookout points on the slopes of the mountain. These bountiful spaces allow you to enjoy and contemplate the unparallel panoramic views of the city and the Avenue of the Volcanoes.

Serenity and beauty

of the Parishes

Let yourself mingle in the colorful markets, visit old churches and joyful plazas that greet the festivities and rituals marked by the strength of tradition. A peaceful shelter awaits at rural parishes, an hour away from the urban nucleus, where the rush vanishes.

Quito neighborhoods:

a canvass of watercolors

Pre-Colombian traces, art galleries, museums, gardens, strolls full of innocence, bohemian retreats, historic places, handicrafts, countryside sanctuaries. The neighborhoods in Quito seduce novice and experienced travelers alike.

10 Reasons to Visit Quito

1. Quito owns the most valuable, extent and preserved urban heritage collection of South America.

Quito's old city occupies 400 hectares. Streets that go up and down in fanciful routes to accommodate its orthogonal trace to a varied topography. Neighborhoods with authentic colonial and republican flavors. Hundreds of buildings which keep cultural treasures, covers a huge diversity of styles and periods, since middle XVI century until the early decades of XX century.

2. Quito exhibits the most amazing expression of religious art of South America.

It is the city in which the depurated American baroque style developed and reached its splendor. Historically devote of the Catholic cult, owns near 30 churches, monasteries, and convents that keep an invaluable artistic heritage of delicate richness. Quito has witnessed the technical refinement of the “Escuela Quiteña Del Arte” (Quito’s Art School) over 400 years old.

3. Quito opened the path.

The World’s Heritage list which increases every year, includes today 226 cities located in 78 different countries. Everything started in 1978 when Quito and Kracovia were the first cities in the world to be declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Site

4. Quito has regained its Cultural Heritage.

Quito took action to preserve its cultural heritage 40 years ago. Among other achievements, Quito is the only Latin-American heritage city that has solved the informal commerce issue without the use of coercion and force but through social inclusion. This has become the paradigm of Latin American recovery, putting in value to public spaces.

5. Quito is the Latin-American city that invests the most in its cultural heritage.

Since 2001, Quito has invested over 220 million dollars. In this period about a thousand interventions of building and art works restoration, publications, academic activities and Quito’s heritage diffusion have been developed. Last year´s investment reached US60 million.

6. Quito connects with the World.

Quito's airport is served with modern features, in which important airlines of America and Europe operate with connections to various destinations of those continents. A high technology telecommunication network allows the direct contact with any part of the world

7. Quito, A great host.

The Ecuadorian capital has about 6000 seats in 5 star hotels, internationally recognized standards for its service and efficiency. Eating well is one of our passions. An excellent local gastronomy, famous in Latin-America, joins to an amazing variety of restaurants, offering the best cuisine from all five continents

8. Quito has suitable spaces.

In Quito, around 30 major international encounters are made every year. The city provides wide and comfortable spaces, designed to take both work groups and plenary sessions of hundreds of participants. Also, Quito counts with all the support services for conventions no matter how specialized they are

9. On 2009, Quito commemorates 200 years of its first action towards independence.

A festive city that was open to offer the best of it. An opportunity that showed how much we did every day to protect and preserve our heritage. An environment in which it was possible to see almost unchanged, many of the places where historic events took place. It was an splendid encounter with friends from all over the world

10. Quito is living Heritage!

Quito's people lives intensely their traditions and daily express their unique and diverse culture. A mixture of customs whose origins are remote pre-Hispanic practices with others, clearly rooted in Spain, the full force of Equinoctial culture, located just at the point where the world is divided into two hemispheres