A spectacular capital city built on the ruins of an Incan city, Quito is the oldest of all the South American capitals. Quito is a combination of two Tsafiki words translated to “center of the world.”

Its city center is so well preserved, Quito is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors to the Galapagos Islands usually start their adventures in Quito. One of GetAway Travel’s 2026 adventures involves a fabulous trip to the Galapagos which starts in Quito. Check back for upcoming blogs featuring Galapagos and our scheduled cruise ship. The island cruise will be an awesome experience, but don’t for a minute think our time in Quito won’t also be an adventure to remember.

Beautiful, ancient churches

 Quito has one of the largest concentrations of some of the most beautiful churches in Latin America.

La Campañía de Jesús has an amazing exterior, but the interior makes one gasp in astonishment. The interior is covered in nearly seven tons of gold leaf. The interior as well as the exterior reveal French and Italian Baroque influences as well as some Moorish influence.

One of the most ornate religious buildings in Ecuador, the gold leaf, gilded plaster, wooden carvings are topped by two green and gold domes at the top of the vaulted ceiling.

Pay attention to the intricate carvings, you can see Ecuadorian plants and indigenous faces among the carvings. There are 44 paintings and sculptures in the interior.

Climb the  Neo-Gothic tower at the Basilica del Voto Nacional for great views of the city. The largest Neo-Gothic cathedral in South America, the construction was inspired by the Bourges Cathedral in France. Construction began on the cathedral in 1887 and it was deemed nearly finished in 1909. According to local legend, the church’s construction will be fully complete shortly before the end of the world.

As you travel to the top, admire the intricate gargoyles and spires. (Psst, there’s an elevator if you don’t want to take the stairs.)

The church and monastery of San Francisco is the oldest church in Quito and the oldest church and largest religious complex in Ecuador. The church, convent and adjacent museum hold more than 3,500 pieces of colonial art. Above the church altar is the famous Winged or Dancing Virgin sculpture. Created by Bernardo de Legardo, the design of her dress and position of her hands make it seem she is in motion.

The Basilica of our Lady of the Merced was founded by the priests of the La Merced order. The library contains historic parchment books and the museum has art pieces and antique jewelry.

But wait, there’s so much more…

 The Teleférigo is a cable car/gondola lift that runs from the edge of the city center to the east side of the Pichincha Volcano. One of the highest aerial lifts in the world, it moves slow enough to give riders great views and photo opportunities. Vulqano Park is at the base station of the cable lift. It has picnic areas and 24 different attractions including roller coasters, bumper cars, swings, carousels and a haunted house.

Just outside of Quito is Ciudad Mitad del Mundo at the equator line. Here, you can stand with a foot on either side and be in two different hemispheres. The interactive museum has exhibits from the Highland and Amazonian tribes with explanations of their history. There’s great collections of musical instruments, clothing, textiles and more.

The El Panecillo monument is a hill shaped like a loaf of bread topped by a towering statue of the winged Virgin Mary. With a height of 134 feet, it is the tallest aluminum statue in the world. The glowing statue was constructed by Spanish sculptor Agustin de la Herrán. Each of the 7,400 pieces was numbered and it was shipped to Quito to be re-assembled.

Shop the Mercado Artisanal, a thriving artisan market with a vast selection of handmade crafts, textiles, ceramics and souvenirs. Take a walk down Calle La Ronda, a charming cobblestone street lined with colorful buildings that house art galleries, shops and cafes.

Capilla de Hombre is a museum dedicated to the works of Oswaldo Guayasamín Calero. Referred to as the Michelangelo of Latin America, his paintings and sculptures were lauded by UNESCO who gave him a prize for the power of his body of work.

Parque La Carolina has been compared to New York’s Central Park. The 165-acre expanse of green space has something for everyone, an auditorium with performances, a children’s library and food stalls. The Quito Botanical Gardens are here. You can view foreign and native plants, a lagoon, an orchid garden, a garden dedicated to medicinal plants, a hydroponic rose garden and a cloud forest. The cloud forest is a subtropical area kept at a temperature due to the plants so it actually generates its own low cloud cover.

It is also home to a vivarium with 40 species of reptiles, amphibians, snakes, turtles, iguanas and frogs. The Museum of Natural Sciences houses 200,000 specimens of flora, fauna and paleontology including an almost complete mastodon skeleton!

Interested in our Galapagos adventure with Quito as a starting point? Give GetAway a call and join us! We can be reached at: (262) 538-2140, e-mail: sue@getaway.travel or paul@getaway.travel