What to see, where to stay and the best time to visit Quito, Ecuador.
Photo: tommy picone / Pexels
Quito sits high in the Andes, Ecuador's capital and one of the best-preserved colonial old towns in South America. Visitors come for the Historic Centre's churches and plazas, the cable car up Pichincha volcano, and museums like Capilla del Hombre. Days feel cool at altitude, and August stands out as the best month to visit. The city mixes colonial streets with modern districts like La Carolina, giving travellers a range of neighbourhoods to base themselves in.
Plan on 2 to 3 days to cover the Old Town sights, the TelefériQo, and a museum or two, with time left for a day trip to Mitad del Mundo.
Old Town (Centro Histórico)
Quito's colonial old town is one of the largest and best-kept in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Plaza Grande, also called Independence Square, is the main square, with the Presidential Palace, the cathedral and the archbishop's palace around it. It is a good place to start a walk through the old streets.
Old Town (Centro Histórico)
This Jesuit church is famous for its interior, which is almost entirely covered in gold leaf. It is often called the finest baroque church in Ecuador, and the carved stone front is worth a look too.
Old Town (Centro Histórico)
This large neo-Gothic basilica has gargoyles shaped like Ecuadorian animals, such as tortoises and armadillos. You can climb up inside the towers for wide views over the old town. The final steps and ladders are steep and narrow.
Old Town (Centro Histórico)
Founded soon after the Spanish arrived, this is one of the oldest church complexes in Quito. It faces a wide cobbled plaza. Inside the convent, a museum displays colonial religious art from the Quito School.
Old Town (Centro Histórico)
La Ronda is a narrow, restored colonial street with balconies, small craft shops, cafés and bars. It is busiest in the evening, when locals come for snacks and canelazo, a hot spiced drink.
Old Town (south side)
This hill above the old town has a large aluminium statue of the winged Virgin of Quito. From the top you can see the whole city stretched along its valley, with the volcanoes behind it. Most visitors go up by taxi rather than walking.
Western slopes of Pichincha volcano
This cable car runs from the edge of the city up the side of Pichincha volcano. On clear mornings you can see the snow-capped volcanoes around Quito. Fit, well-acclimatised walkers can hike on towards Rucu Pichincha, but the air at the top is thin and cold, and clouds often roll in after midday.
Bellavista
These are the museum and former home of Oswaldo Guayasamín, Ecuador's best-known painter. His large, powerful works deal with the suffering and dignity of Latin America's people. The house also holds his collection of pre-Columbian and colonial art.
San Antonio de Pichincha
This park north of the city has a large monument marking the equator line, plus small museums and shops. The nearby Intiñan Museum is a separate, smaller site with hands-on equator demonstrations and displays on indigenous cultures. Many visitors see both on the same trip.
Old Town (Centro Histórico)
This museum sits in a restored colonial house near San Francisco. It displays a well-presented collection of pre-Columbian ceramics, stone carvings and gold work from Ecuador's ancient cultures. The displays are arranged by theme rather than date, which makes it easy to follow.
Average weather and our month score, from 10 years of climate data.
| Month | High / low | Rain days | Sunshine | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°C / 8°C | 24 days (360 mm) | 9.9 h/day | 6.2/10 |
| February | 17°C / 9°C | 26 days (384 mm) | 9.6 h/day | 6.3/10 |
| March | 16°C / 8°C | 29 days (517 mm) | 9.0 h/day | 6.2/10 |
| April | 17°C / 8°C | 28 days (439 mm) | 9.5 h/day | 6.3/10 |
| May | 17°C / 8°C | 25 days (275 mm) | 9.9 h/day | 6.3/10 |
| June | 17°C / 7°C | 19 days (147 mm) | 10.5 h/day | 6.3/10 |
| July | 17°C / 7°C | 13 days (80 mm) | 10.7 h/day | 7.0/10 |
| Best month: August | 18°C / 7°C | 12 days (72 mm) | 10.9 h/day | 7.5/10 |
| September | 19°C / 7°C | 15 days (104 mm) | 10.9 h/day | 7.0/10 |
| October | 18°C / 8°C | 26 days (280 mm) | 10.2 h/day | 6.8/10 |
| November | 17°C / 8°C | 27 days (391 mm) | 9.9 h/day | 6.4/10 |
| December | 17°C / 8°C | 27 days (377 mm) | 10.1 h/day | 6.3/10 |
High 16°C, with rain on 24 days and 360 mm in total. Score 6.2, rated good, but expect a wet month and carry a rain jacket.
High 16.5°C, with rain on 26 days and 384 mm. Score 6.3, rated good. This is still firmly the wet season.
The wettest month: 517 mm over 29 rain days, with a high of 16°C. Score 6.2, rated good, but pick another month if you dislike rain.
High 16.5°C, with rain on 28 days and 439 mm. Score 6.3, rated good. Very wet, so plan some indoor options.
High 16.6°C and rain on 25 days, but rainfall drops to 275 mm. Score 6.3, rated good. Conditions start to improve.
Drier, with 18.5 rain days and 147 mm. High 16.5°C, and nights cool to 7.3°C. Score 6.3, rated good.
Dry season: 12.5 rain days, 80 mm and a high of 17°C. Score 7, rated good. Nights drop to 6.9°C, so pack layers.
The best month, with a score of 7.5. Driest at 72 mm and 12 rain days, high 18.4°C and 10.9 sun hours.
Warmest high at 18.9°C, with 15 rain days and 104 mm. Score 7, rated good. A strong alternative to August.
Rain returns: 25.5 rain days and 280 mm, with a high of 17.5°C. Score 6.8, rated good. Bring waterproofs.
High 16.8°C, with rain on 27 days and 391 mm. Score 6.4, rated good, but it is a wet month.
High 16.6°C, with rain on 26.5 days and 377 mm. Score 6.3, rated good. Expect regular rain.
Climate averages 2015–2024 · Best time to visit Ecuador →
The best areas to base yourself and who each one suits.
Good for first-timers, history, architecture
Quito's colonial old town has churches, plazas and restored houses within walking distance of each other. Staying here puts the main sights on your doorstep. Many streets go quiet after dark, and the steep hills feel hard at Quito's high altitude.
Good for couples, food lovers, creative types
A leafy residential area with street art, independent cafés, an arthouse cinema and some of the city's better restaurants. It feels local and calmer than nearby La Mariscal, and it sits between the old town and the newer north. Sights are a taxi or long walk away.
Good for nightlife, backpackers, budget travellers
The traditional traveller district, often called Gringolandia, with bars, clubs, tour agencies and language schools around Plaza Foch. Transport links and services are good. It is noisy at night, especially at weekends, and some blocks feel uneasy after dark.
Good for business travellers, families, modern comforts
A modern district in the north around La Carolina Park, with shopping centres, office towers and international restaurants. It is practical, with open green space and easy taxi access. It lacks the character of the old town, which is a fair ride south.
Good for quiet, views, longer stays
A small, old village-like neighbourhood on a steep slope below La Floresta, built around a colonial church. It offers calm streets and wide valley views. The climb back up is very steep, so expect to use taxis.
Good for culture, slow travel, repeat visitors
A quiet corner of the historic centre with cobbled lanes, artisan workshops and small museums. You get old-town charm with fewer crowds. Food and evening options nearby are limited.
A thick, creamy potato soup made with cheese and often topped with avocado. It is common home cooking in the cool highland climate and appears on lunch menus across the city.
Large, puffy fried pastries filled with cheese and dusted with sugar. Locals often eat them as an afternoon snack with coffee or a hot drink.
Whole pork roasted slowly, served in slices with mote (hominy), llapingachos (potato patties) and salad. You find it at market food stalls and in traditional restaurants.
A rich soup of grains, beans and salt cod, served mainly during Holy Week before Easter. Families share it at home, and many restaurants offer it only in that season.
A hot drink of cinnamon, sugar and fruit, often mixed with sugarcane spirit. It is popular on cold evenings and at the city's street festivals.
Yes. August is Quito's best-scoring month, with a verdict of best and a score of 7.5 out of 10. It has only 12.3 rain days and 72 mm of rain, the lowest rainfall of the year, plus 10.9 hours of sun a day and a daytime high of 18.4°C, the warmest average of any month.
March is the wettest month, with 517 mm of rain spread over 28.9 rain days. Rainfall stays high from October through April, with November (391 mm, 27.4 rain days) and December (377 mm, 26.5 rain days) close behind. Daytime highs in these months stay in the 16–17°C range, so it is wet but not cold.
July to September is the driest stretch. July gets 80 mm of rain over 12.5 days, August 72 mm over 12.3 days, and September 104 mm over 15.3 days. Sun hours peak in August and September at 10.9 hours a day, compared to around 9–10 hours in the wetter months.
Two to three days cover the main sights. The Historic Centre and Plaza Grande take half a day, TelefériQo another half day, and Ciudad Mitad del Mundo a half day on its own. Smaller stops like La Compañía de Jesús Church, San Francisco Church, El Panecillo and the Capilla del Hombre each take 1 to 3 hours, so they fit around the half-day visits.
Quito stays mild and cool all year rather than hot or cold. Daytime highs run between 16.3°C in January and 18.9°C in September, while overnight lows sit between 6.9°C in July and 8.6°C in February. This narrow range holds across every month, since Quito's weather depends more on altitude than on season.
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