Top choice in Quito
Opened in 1950, Modelo is one of the city’s oldest cafes and a great spot to try traditional snacks such as empanadas de verde (empanadas made with plantain dough), quimbolitos (sweet, cake-like corn dumplings) and tamales. It's also a popular spot for ice cream. The fun, slightly kitsch Ecuador-of-yore trappings make the wait for the food interesting.
Nearby Cafetería Modelo II offers similar environs plus live music on Friday afternoons from 5pm to 7pm.
Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
0.04 MILES
Capped by green-and-gold domes, La Compañía de Jesús is Quito’s most ornate church and a standout among the baroque splendors of the Old Town. Free guided…
1.98 MILES
For spectacular views over Quito’s mountainous landscape, hop aboard this sky tram, one of the world's highest aerial lifts, that takes passengers on a 2…
3.73 MILES
In the former home of the legendary painter Oswaldo Guayasamín (1919–99), this wonderful museum houses the most complete collection of the artist's work…
3.71 MILES
One of the most important works of art in South America, Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín’s Capilla del Hombre stands next to the Casa Museo…
0.13 MILES
The low white building on the northwestern side of Plaza Grande is the seat of the Ecuadorian presidency. Visitors can enter by joining a free guided tour…
Museos Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana
1.49 MILES
Newly reopened following a full-scale makeover, Museos Casa de la Cultura encompasses three museums in a single bright, modern space. The expansive Museo…
29.07 MILES
The centerpiece of Ecuador's most popular national park is the snowcapped and downright picture-perfect Volcán Cotopaxi. At 5897m, it's Ecuador's second…
15.59 MILES
At the center of the Mitad del Mundo stands the centerpiece of the park: a 30m-high, stone trapezoidal monument topped by a brass globe containing a…
1. Casa Museo María Augusta Urrutía
0.03 MILES
Of Quito’s house museums, this is the one not to miss: it’s a splendidly preserved, 19th-century home that was once the abode of the city’s best-loved…
2. Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús
0.04 MILES
Capped by green-and-gold domes, La Compañía de Jesús is Quito’s most ornate church and a standout among the baroque splendors of the Old Town. Free guided…
0.04 MILES
The beautifully restored former home of Mariscal Antonio José de Sucre, the hero of Ecuadorian independence, is now a small museum full of early-19th…
0.08 MILES
Beside the cathedral on García Moreno stands the 17th-century Iglesia del Sagrario.
5. Centro Cultural Metropolitano
0.1 MILES
Just off Plaza Grande, this beautifully restored building houses the municipal library and lecture rooms, and hosts temporary art exhibitions.
0.1 MILES
On Plaza Grande's southwest side stands Quito's cathedral. Although not the most ornate of the Old Town’s churches, it has some fascinating works by…
0.1 MILES
Walking from the Old Town’s narrow colonial streets into this open plaza reveals one of the finest sights in all of Ecuador: a sweeping cobblestone plaza…
0.11 MILES
Get a glimpse of Quito’s early colonial history through wax figures depicting the city's key events, including the massacre of August 2, 1810 when some…