It’s a place where you can stay on one, and your wife on the other side of the equator, and holding your hands at the same time. Amazing!
Pronounced as kitu, Quito is the capital of Ecuador.
It is the most populous city in the country.
The city has an elevation of 2,800 meters above sea level.
This makes it the second highest official capital city in the world, after La Paz.
It is the closest city in equator.
The city is the headquarters of the Union of South American Nations.
The historic center of Quito is one of the largest, least altered and best preserved in the Americas.
Quito and Kraków in Poland, were the first World Cultural Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO.
The central square of Quito is located about 25 kilometers south of Equator.
The city itself extends to within about 1 kilometer of zero latitude.
A monument and museum marking the general location of the equator.
7 THINGS TO DO AND NOT TO DO IN QUITO.
- Do not take public transport during rush hour. Instead, use a taxi or hire a car.
- Don’t flash your valuables in public. Instead, keep them safe and if possible leave them at home.
- Avoid wandering outside after darkness falls. Instead, stay indoors to avoid robbery.
- Don’t eat street food on your first days. Most don’t follow quality and hygiene standards. Instead, buy food from approved restaurants that meet the standards.
- Don’t get into an unofficial taxi. Instead, just use the only official taxis that are painted yellow.
- Do not think that everyone speaks English. Instead, learn some few Spanish before your trip.
- Avoid settling for the first price at a market. Instead, bargain your way to the most comfortable price.
MOST INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT QUITO
- The city is the highest constitutional capital in the world. La Paz in Bolivia is higher but it is not a constitutional capital.
- The official name of Quito is San Fransisco de Quito.
- It is nicknamed “Florence of the Americas”
- The city has best Preserved Historical Center in Latin America.
- It is near two active volcanoes, Cotopaxi and Pichincha.
- The city is built atop the ruins of an Incan City.
- It is surrounded by Ecuador’s 19 volcanoes.
- There are only two seasons in Quito, dry and wet seasons.
History
Climate
Geography
8 MOST POPULAR THINGS IN QUITO
#1 - BASILICA DEL VOTO NACIONAL
The most huge portrayal of neo-Gothic design in the Americas, Ecuador's biggest basilica is an unquestionable requirement to see the fascination. Worked in the style of Notre-Dame in Paris, development for the solid cathedral started in 1887. Rather than the customary beasts, nonetheless, Ecuadorian creatures like monkeys, iguanas, tortoises, and jaguars enhance the structure's building. Inside, champion highlights incorporate the mosaic floor and a special stepped area to the Virgin Mary situated in a side house of prayer. In case you're up for a long move up steps and stepping stools, the highest point of the fundamental pinnacle offers incredible perspectives on Quito and the volcanic mountains past.
#2 - PARQUE LA CAROLINA
Quito's go-to spot for unwinding and diversion, the Parque La Carolina is mainstream among vacationers and local people the same. Situated in the city's business region, the monstrous tract of land has abandoned a ranch into parkland during the 1940s. Running tracks, bicycle paths, b-ball courts, and soccer fields offer a lot of chances for physical exercises. A fake lake with a few islands welcomes comfortable walks. Oar pontoons are accessible as well. La Carolina is likewise home to the Jardin Botanico where greenery from Ecuador's changed biological systems is on full showcase. A huge orchidarium includes in excess of 1,200 types of tropical blossoms.
#3 - PLAZA FOCH
With regards to nightlife in Quito, Plaza Foch is the spot to go. Many bars, clubs, and restaurants fill the squares promptly encompassing the square. It's likewise an incredible spot to meet local people. Thursday through Saturday, youngsters assemble here to participate in the good times. Costs are higher in this area than in different zones in reasonable Quito, yet the decent variety of amusement accessible makes everything justified, despite all the trouble. From unrecorded music to karaoke to moving, there's something for each taste. Court Foch is the place you'll discover a portion of Quito's best tapas bars, pizza shops, and upscale eateries as well.
#4 - LA CAPILLA DEL HOMBRE
Devoted to the individuals of Latin America, La Capilla Del Hombre is a craftsmanship museum structured by acclaimed Ecuadorian craftsman Oswaldo Guayasamín. Situated in Bellavista, the strikingly present-day looking structure sits on a slope sitting above the city. Guayasamín utilized his wall paintings and figure to catch the experience of a people battling political abuse. Finished three years after his passing in 1999, the "Church of Man" offers the ideal scenery to his genuinely moving works of art. The contiguous Museo Guayasamín highlights an increasingly extensive assortment of the craftsman's work just as fine art from Ecuador's pre-Columbian and pilgrim periods.
#5 - CALLE LA RONDA
One of only a handful barely any avenues in Quito that go back to pre-Columbian occasions, La Ronda offers guests a much-needed reprieve from taxicabs and visit transports. The limited passerby just road, which covers three city squares, is the ideal spot to appreciate a lackadaisical walk. Reestablished in 2007, La Ronda is fixed with little workmanship displays, curious little shops, and family-run bistros. Awards were given to occupants to tidy up their homes as well. Today, beautifully created iron overhangs ornamented with window boxes and hail disregard the cobblestone walkway.
#6 - TELEFERIQO
The as of late finished TeleferiQo tramway whisks guests from the downtown area to the pinnacle of Cruz Loma on the eastern side of the Guagua Pichincha Volcano. The passageway to the gondola ride is situated inside the new VulQano entertainment mecca, a visitor goal in its own right. You'll need to guarantee you're accustomed to Quito's high height before taking on the aeronautical tramway. The six-traveler gondola vehicles rise 1,100 meters (3,620 feet) in only 10 minutes. There's a bistro at the top where you can unwind and recapture your orientation. Bring along some comfortable attire with the goal that you can appreciate the stunning perspectives on the city in relative solace.
#7 - EL PANECILLO
Quito's bumpy territory offers picturesque perspectives from pretty much every vantage point, however, the all-encompassing vista you'll appreciate from El Panecillo makes an outing to the culmination an unquestionable requirement does understanding. Named after the Spanish bread panecillo, the slope is situated in the south-focal area of the city, giving extensive perspectives from each side. While it's conceivable to move to the highest point of El Panecillo, most guests lean toward taking a taxi. A huge sculpture of the Virgin Mary enhances the highest point. Produced using 7,000 bits of aluminum, it's outstanding for indicating the Virgin with wings. This kind of depiction is well known all through the northern Andes.
#8 - PLAZA GRANDE
You could go through a whole day in the Plaza Grande and still not see everything this noteworthy square brings to the table. Since the 1600s, eminence, tyrants, and presidents have represented the nation from the structures encompassing Plaza Grande. Guests can visit the presidential palace Carondelet, which has been changed over into a museum, and the sixteenth-century Cathedral of Quito, Ecuador's most established Catholic church. The Archbishop's Palace and Hotel Plaza Grande are available to people in general too. At the focal point of the court stands the Heroes de la Independencia, a second to the individuals who battled in Ecuador's war for autonomy from Spain.