Quito: What's good to see in the Ecuatorian capital?

Often it’s just a quick one-day stopover on the way to the Galapagos. Quito is a land of beautiful contrasts. with an Old Town full of culture and historic architecture. Modern, with trendy bars and modern skyscrapers of Quito’s New Town. And very busy & sprawling metropolis, yet you’re not too far away from Andean mountain peaks.

Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s highest capital city (9,350 ft/2,850 m above sea level). This place offers a vast of interesting things to do, and probably one of the things I never expected to cross by, 'the middle of the world'. I hope this Quito travel guide helps to show why it's worth considering spending more time here.

“Opportunities don't happen, you create them.” Chris Grosser

When I decided to start traveling in South America, especially in Ecuador- Peru border, probably one of the most dangerous of all Latin America. I thought of the many negatives aspects that you might confront, but in fact, nothing never really happened, I guess it was indeed a way to stop myself from really trying to create a great adventure.

Ecuadorians are very friendly people, their Spanish accent is similar to the southern people in #Colombia, which if you notice the different it can be very funny but respectable of course, I fall in love with the city. Local money is USD so a relief for many foreigners.

The first to discover are the geographical peculiarities, in Ecuador due to its location in the middle of the world, crossed by the equatorial line. Therefore, a must to do is visit or book a tour to the middle of the world. Besides this, the city holds a very extensive cultural heritage that is concentrated in the historical center of Quito. (downtown)

The Middle of the World

Located near Quito, you can visit the real and fake monuments. The fake monument was built in the 70s to mark the equator but, when we got GPS, it turned out the original calculations were off! You can visit a mini-museum that pays to indigenous culture and see some fun science experiments too. Entry to the museum is 3 USD.

Mitad del Mundo is where you can find the main big monument and that big yellow line you can snap an equator selfie on top of, which supposedly marks the equator. ''Middle of the World'' the Half of the World is located just 1 hour from Quito, precisely on the equator, the imaginary line that divides the planet into two parts and gives its name to the country. This Equatorial Monument is 10 meters high and can be visited every day of the week.

Quito Old Town

Most visitors concentrate their time in #OldTown, which is a #UNESCO site. Here you’ll find the city laid out according to Spanish planning requirements, with the central plaza at the heart. The plaza features the Palacio del Gobierno, the Cathedral, and the Palacio Presidencial.

The historical center is relatively small, which makes it possible to visit by foot without problems, but it has an amazing concentration of architectural and cultural heritage. Lovely squares and some of the most amazing churches in the entire continent.

The "7 cruces" street, flanked by its seven churches - including the baroque church of the ''Compañía de Jesús''. Other places for sightseeing can be walking through the Ronda, famous for its craft shops and nightlife.

Basilica del Voto Nacional

The ''Basílica del Voto Nacional'' was inspired by the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. It is the largest neo-gothic temple in America and one of the most beautiful Christian temples in Ecuador. Hours: The basilica opens its doors every day from 9 to 17 hours.

It is adventurous and awesome in so many ways. It's a gothic-style basilica and you can climb way up in the basilica to get amazing views of Quito.

While wandering and getting to know this wonderful city, we've found this very peculiar man, lol I know McDonald's isn't the favorite food for many of us but must have to agree that a picture with Ronald is a great experience.