Find places in Ecuador

Must-Haves

• La Compañía de Jesús (Centro Histórico)
  A Jesuit church covered inside with gold leaf, the most dazzling interior in the city.
• Basílica del Voto Nacional (Centro Histórico)
  Climb the neo Gothic towers past gargoyles shaped like tortoises and armadillos for views over the Old Town.
• Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco (Centro Histórico)
  One of the oldest religious complexes in the Americas, facing a vast cobbled plaza.
• Casa del Alabado (Centro Histórico)
  A beautifully displayed museum of pre Columbian art in a restored colonial house.
• Capilla del Hombre (Bellavista)
  Guayasamín's powerful paintings in a chapel built to honour the people of Latin America.

Must-Haves

• TelefériQo (La Gasca)
  A cable car up the flanks of Pichincha with sweeping views of the city and volcanoes on clear mornings.

Fun for Everyone

• Mitad del Mundo (San Antonio de Pichincha)
  The equator monument and museums, a classic half day photo stop north of the city.
• Museo Intiñan (San Antonio de Pichincha)
  A hands on equator museum with balancing eggs, water experiments and indigenous culture displays.
• Calle La Ronda (Centro Histórico)
  A restored colonial lane of cafés, craft shops and live music on weekend nights.

Off the Beaten Path

• Volcán Pululahua (San Antonio de Pichincha)
  One of the few inhabited volcanic craters in the world, with a viewpoint and trail down to the farms.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mercado Central (Centro Histórico)
  Long running market famous for its corvina fish, locro de papa and fresh juices.
• Mercado Santa Clara (Santa Clara)
  A neighbourhood market of fruit stalls, herbalists and cheap set lunches, away from tourist routes.

Fun for Everyone

• Mercado Artesanal La Mariscal (La Mariscal)
  A covered craft market for alpaca textiles, tagua carvings and souvenirs from across Ecuador.

Great for Date Night

• Zazu (La Pradera)
  Polished modern Ecuadorian cooking and an excellent bar, a favourite for special occasions.

Must-Haves

• Café Mosaico (Itchimbía)
  Terrace tables hanging over the Old Town, best at sunset with a drink.
• Casa Gangotena restaurant (Centro Histórico)
  Elegant Ecuadorian dishes overlooking Plaza San Francisco from a grand restored mansion.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Las Corvinas de Don Jimmy (Mercado Central)
  A market counter famous for generous plates of fried corvina and ceviche.
• Hasta la Vuelta Señor (Centro Histórico)
  Traditional Quiteño dishes served in a colonial courtyard above Plaza Grande.

Fun for Everyone

• Botánica (La Floresta)
  Garden café and bar with Ecuadorian coffee, brunch and a relaxed creative crowd.

Fun for Everyone

• Bandido Brewing (Centro Histórico)
  A craft brewery in a former chapel, with good beer and a friendly crowd.

Great for Date Night

• Ocho y Medio (La Floresta)
  An arthouse cinema with a café bar, perfect for an evening film and a drink.

Must-Haves

• Fiestas de Quito (Citywide)
  Early December brings concerts, parades and street parties celebrating the founding of the city.
• Semana Santa procession (Centro Histórico)
  The Good Friday procession of purple robed cucuruchos is one of the most striking in South America.

Must-Haves

• Parque Metropolitano Guangüiltagua (Bellavista)
  A huge forest park with trails and views of Cotopaxi and the valleys on clear days.
• Cotopaxi National Park (Latacunga)
  Walk at high altitude towards the glacier of one of the world's highest active volcanoes, best with a guide.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mindo cloud forest (Mindo)
  Hummingbirds, waterfalls and chocolate farms a couple of hours from the capital.
• Quilotoa crater lake (Pujilí)
  A turquoise lake inside a volcanic crater, with a rim walk and a steep trail down to the water.

Must-Haves

• Casa Gangotena (Centro Histórico)
  A luxury boutique hotel in a restored mansion on Plaza San Francisco.
• Hotel Patio Andaluz (Centro Histórico)
  A colonial house with courtyards on a central Old Town street.

Must-Haves

• Charles Darwin Research Station (Puerto Ayora)
  See giant tortoise breeding programmes and learn how scientists protect the islands.
• Tortuga Bay (Puerto Ayora)
  A long white sand beach reached on a paved trail, with marine iguanas and a calm swimming cove.
• Las Grietas (Puerto Ayora)
  A clear water gorge between lava walls, great for swimming and snorkelling.

Fun for Everyone

• El Chato Tortoise Reserve (Santa Rosa)
  Wild giant tortoises grazing in the highlands, with a lava tunnel to walk through.

Off the Beaten Path

• Los Gemelos (Santa Cruz highlands)
  Twin collapsed craters ringed by scalesia forest, where Darwin's finches and vermilion flycatchers live.

Must-Haves

• North Seymour island day trip (Santa Cruz)
  Frigatebird colonies, blue footed boobies and sea lions on a guided island visit.

Fun for Everyone

• Playa de los Alemanes (Puerto Ayora)
  A short water taxi and walk to a sheltered beach for an easy swim.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Fish market (Avenida Charles Darwin)
  Pelicans and sea lions crowd round as fishermen clean the morning catch.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kioskos on Calle Charles Binford (Puerto Ayora)
  Evening street of family run stalls serving grilled fish and lobster in season.

Must-Haves

• Finch Bay Galapagos Hotel (Punta Estrada)
  A beachfront eco hotel across the bay, reached by water taxi.

Off the Beaten Path

• Galapagos Safari Camp (Santa Cruz highlands)
  Safari style tents in the highlands with views to the sea.

Fun for Everyone

• Interpretation Centre, San Cristóbal (Puerto Baquerizo Moreno)
  Clear displays on the islands' geology, wildlife and human history.

Must-Haves

• Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción (Parque Calderón)
  The New Cathedral's blue domes define the skyline; climb up for rooftop views.
• Museo Pumapungo (Centro)
  National museum of Ecuadorian cultures with Inca ruins and gardens in its grounds.
• Ingapirca (Cañar)
  Ecuador's best known Inca ruins, with a stone sun temple.

Fun for Everyone

• Museo de las Conceptas (Centro)
  Religious art inside a working cloistered convent.

Off the Beaten Path

• Museo Remigio Crespo Toral (Calle Larga)
  A riverside mansion museum telling the story of the city, with a pleasant café.

Must-Haves

• Homero Ortega Panama hats (El Ejido)
  Watch toquilla straw hats being finished and browse a huge range of styles.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Plaza de las Flores (Centro)
  A small flower market beside the cathedral, lovely in the morning.
• Mercado 10 de Agosto (Centro)
  A busy market for hornado, juices and local produce.

Off the Beaten Path

• Chordeleg silver workshops (Chordeleg)
  A craft village famous for silver filigree jewellery.

Must-Haves

• Mirador de Turi (Turi)
  The classic panorama of the city, best around sunset.

Fun for Everyone

• Walk along the Río Tomebamba (El Barranco)
  Riverside paths below colonial houses hanging on the cliff.
• Baños de Cuenca hot springs (Baños)
  Thermal pools and spas a short ride from the centre.

Must-Haves

• El Cajas National Park (Azuay)
  High moorland with hundreds of lakes and polylepis woods, less than an hour from the city.

Great for Date Night

• Tiestos (Calle Larga)
  Sizzling clay pot dishes served with a parade of sauces, a local institution.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mote pillo stalls at Mercado 9 de Octubre (Centro)
  Simple breakfasts of mote pillo and coffee among locals.

Fun for Everyone

• Café Nucallacta (Centro)
  A specialty roaster serving Ecuadorian single origin coffee.

Must-Haves

• Pase del Niño Viajero (Centro)
  A huge Christmas Eve procession of children in costume, floats and decorated horses.

Must-Haves

• Mansión Alcázar (Centro)
  A boutique hotel in a restored mansion with gardens.

Great for Date Night

• Hotel Santa Lucía (Centro)
  A colonial house with a courtyard restaurant steps from the main square.

Must-Haves

• Pailón del Diablo (Río Verde)
  A thundering waterfall with trails and bridges right into the spray.

Off the Beaten Path

• Machay waterfall trail (Ruta de las Cascadas)
  A forest path past several smaller falls, good for families.
• Puyo Parque Omaere (Puyo)
  An ethnobotanical park run with indigenous communities at the edge of the Amazon.

Must-Haves

• Ruta de las Cascadas by bike (Baños)
  Ride mostly downhill past a string of waterfalls towards Río Verde.

Fun for Everyone

• Casa del Árbol swing (Runtún)
  A treehouse swing over the valley with Tungurahua behind on clear mornings.
• Manto de la Novia tarabita (Río Blanco)
  A cable car ride across a gorge to a bridal veil waterfall.
• Termas de la Virgen (Baños)
  Public thermal pools under a waterfall, liveliest early and late.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Termas El Salado (El Salado)
  Local thermal pools just outside town in a narrow valley.

Must-Haves

• Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Agua Santa (Centro)
  A pilgrimage church full of paintings of local miracles.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Melcocha taffy shops (Centro)
  Watch sugar cane taffy pulled on wooden hooks in shop doorways.
• Mercado Central de Baños (Centro)
  Cheap set lunches and local fruit.

Great for Date Night

• Luna Volcán Adventure SPA (Runtún)
  A hillside spa hotel with an infinity pool facing Tungurahua.

Fun for Everyone

• Samari Spa Resort (Baños)
  A garden resort with pools and spa near the town.

Must-Haves

• Plaza de los Ponchos (Centro)
  One of South America's best known craft markets, biggest on Saturdays.
• Cotacachi leather street (Cotacachi)
  A small town known for leather goods.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Saturday animal market (Otavalo)
  Early morning livestock trading on the edge of town, very much for locals.

Must-Haves

• Laguna de Cuicocha (Cotacachi)
  A crater lake with islands and a rim trail of about four hours.

Fun for Everyone

• Cascada de Peguche (Peguche)
  A sacred waterfall in a eucalyptus forest close to town.

Off the Beaten Path

• Lago San Pablo (San Pablo)
  A lake under Imbabura volcano, lovely for walks and kayaks.
• Parque Cóndor (Otavalo)
  A rescue centre for birds of prey with flying demonstrations.

Must-Haves

• Inti Raymi (Otavalo)
  June solstice celebrations with dancing, music and ritual bathing.

Must-Haves

• Hacienda Cusín (San Pablo)
  A historic hacienda with gardens near Lago San Pablo.

Great for Date Night

• Hacienda Zuleta (Angochagua)
  A working hacienda famous for cheese, embroidery and a condor project.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Hornado at Mercado 24 de Mayo (Centro)
  Roast pork with potato cakes among Otavalo locals.

Must-Haves

• Malecón 2000 (Centro)
  A long riverside promenade with gardens, museums and the big wheel.
• Las Peñas and Cerro Santa Ana (Las Peñas)
  Climb the numbered steps through a painted old quarter to a lighthouse view.

Fun for Everyone

• Parque Seminario (Centro)
  The park of the iguanas, where land iguanas wander among visitors.

Off the Beaten Path

• Parque Histórico Guayaquil (Samborondón)
  Reconstructed old houses, wildlife and gardens across the river.
• Cerro Blanco Protected Forest (Vía a la Costa)
  Dry forest trails with birds and howler monkeys outside the city.
• Isla Santay (Santay)
  A wetland island reached by a footbridge, with boardwalks and birds.

Must-Haves

• MAAC Museo Antropológico y de Arte Contemporáneo (Malecón)
  Pre Columbian ceramics and Ecuadorian contemporary art.

Great for Date Night

• Lo Nuestro (Urdesa)
  Classic coastal Ecuadorian dishes in a heritage style house.

Must-Haves

• Hotel Oro Verde Guayaquil (Centro)
  A long established business hotel with a pool.

Fun for Everyone

• Sweet and Coffee (Citywide)
  Ecuador's favourite café chain for coffee and cakes.