Tolu’s Guide to Quito for First Timers

Hello everyone! Last week, I finally touched down in the states after spending three weeks in Quito, Ecuador. The reason for this trip was for a bit of pleasure, but mainly for a study abroad program I was enrolled in. The purpose of the program is for pre-med students to learn Spanish and particularly medical Spanish by shadowing doctors and taking Spanish classes in Spanish speaking countries. I highly recommend this program for those who are in undergrad or recently graduated. Now, let’s get into my guide to Quito.

Food

When I’m traveling, the one thing I’m always the most excited for is to try the food in that region. Thankfully, Quito didn’t even come close to disappointing me. The food was such high quality yet for extremely affordable prices in my opinion. On my first day of classes, I was able to eat a three course meal for only $3. On another day I bought a sandwich, soda, and bag of chips for $2.20. There are definitely some places where I spent upwards of $15like this Korean fried chicken place called Kokodak. It was definitely a splurge, but the food was very high quality and it was my last week.

Another thing I loved indulging in was all of the treats and snacks sold by the food vendors. I bought strawberries and cream, mochi, and so many other delicious things. I had the best maracumango popsicle. It’s a popsicle with mango, and maracuya(granadilla), a type of passionfruit found in the highlands of South America. It was so refreshing and sweet from the fruit in it.

If you plan on visiting Quito soon, I recommend setting aside $10-12 for each meal. Most of the time, your lunches will be around $6-8 dollars, but I recommend over budgeting. Breakfast is a very light meal there, so I recommend buying a couple things from the supermarket to quickly eat in the morning. Typically, my host mom would serve us toast and fruit in the morning. 

Here are places I recommend you all try as well as some photos.

Activities

A guide to Quito would be nothing without activities. Quito is filled with endless museums, shops, and experiences. There were so many things I wish I could’ve gotten to do, but I had a wonderful time regardless. During our first weekend, we took a trip to Otavalo to tour an indigenous clinic, but also to do some shopping. The Otavalo Market is the perfect place to buy all of your souvenirs and gifts. They have bags, sweaters, key chains, jewelry, magnets, chess sets, and so much more. I was able to buy all of the gifts for my friends and family on the same day.

There is one rule, and only one rule for the Otavalo market. Always negotiate the price. If the vendor says an item costs $8, you counter with $4. Continue to go back and forth until you reach a price you like. Also, it’s okay to walk away. The seller will typically agree with your counter offer to try to keep you from leaving, or you can find the item cheaper at a different stand.

While we were in Otavalo, we ate lunch at an indigenous restaurant, Kawsaymi, and tried cuy. It’s essentially a grilled guinea pig. It was a culture shock eating it, but I can’t lie, it was pretty good. There wasn’t much meat on the animal, but the skin was pretty crispy.

The day after Otavalo, I did a bus tour around the city. The tour took us to the best sites in the city like the Artisanal Market, Basilica, the Historical Center, and the Panecillo. From the Basilica stop, we took an Uber to the TelefériQo. The TelefériQo is a cable car that takes you up to the side of the Pichincha Volcano where you can get some amazing views of the city. This excursion costs $9.00 for non locals which is a bit pricey in comparison to other excursions. If you want to save money, I recommend doing the bus tour for $15.00($16.58 with tax) and taking photos of the city at the last stop, the Panecillo. At the Panecillo, I got the most gorgeous photos of the city and the Virgen de Quito.

Some affordable activities you can do in Quito are visiting the Botanical Gardens in Carolina Park($4.00), Alberto Mena Caamaño Museum($1.50), or Basilica del Voto Nacional($2 to enter, $1 to get to the top). I also recommend taking the metro to the San Francisco stop for only $0.45. It takes you right to the heart of the historical center where you can find countless museums, churches, restaurants, and sweet shops. On my last full day, I went to Heladería San Agustín which is an ice cream and candy shop, but also a restaurant. It’s been around since 1858, and you can find many classic Ecuadorian candies and sweets.

Transportation

Getting around Quito is extremely affordable in comparison to other places I have visited. For a 10 minute drive, an Uber costs about $2.50. To take the metro to and from, it costs $0.90. Another great thing about Quito is that it’s walkable, especially in the Carolina area.

Accommodations

During my time in Quito, I stayed with a host mom in her house. She was the sweetest thing and she treated all of us like her daughters. If you’re looking for more independence, I recommend booking an Airbnb or staying at a Hotel. For my first two nights, I stayed at Hotel Finlandia, and though the rooms were a bit small, the amenities, and staff were great.

Safety

Overall, I felt mostly safe in Quito. There were multiple times where I explored the city alone and felt safe. My only recommendations are to not walk alone at night, and to steer clear of Carolina Park as well. Every person I met advised me to not walk through the park at night, so I thought it would be best to share this advice.

Other Tips

It’s not safe to drink the tap water in Quito, so make sure to buy a water jug or some water bottles at the beginning of your trip. Always have cash. In Quito, there were many places that were cash only, and I kept needing to make withdrawals. It seems a little annoying, but when you’re charged a $9 withdrawal fee you’ll wish you had taken more cash. I recommend having 75% of your budget in cash. If you’ve set aside $200 for the trip, withdraw $150 from the bank before you travel. Additionally, ask for the withdrawal in smaller bills like 20s, 10s, 5s, and 1s. Quito has a problem with counterfeit bills so most places don’t accept 50 and 100 dollar bills.

Thank you all for reading this week’s post. I hope my guide to Quito will help any of you planning on going soon or convince you to go soon. Make sure to subscribe to be notified of new posts. Stay sharp 😉