Quito Airfares

Quito Overview

By Pam Bruno

There are entire sections on various travel websites warning tourists about pickpockets and thieves throughout the city and danger when hiking on Volcán Pichincha and up Rucu Pichincha. With that word of caution, there are many points to recommend the capital city of Ecuador. At 10,000 feet high, Quito is surrounded by mountain ranges, and, as in many other South American capital cities, Quito is situated around a central plaza. The Government Palace and the Cathedral are main attractions around the plaza; the Cathedral is the oldest in Ecuador. A few blocks away, on the Plaza San Francisco, is the Monastery of San Francisco, Quito’s oldest colonial building. The Museo Franciscano, located in the Monastery, has paintings, art, and furniture.

Some of the most interesting tourist attractions are homes from the colonial period, located on an alley called La Ronda or Juan de Dios Morales in Old Town. Especially recommended are two historical homes, the Casa de Benalcázar, the founder, and the Casa de Sucre, where Field Marshall José de Sucre, a leader of independence in South America, lived. Go!