El Troje, Quito

Advantages: Beautiful setting, churches and Spanish colonial architecture
Disadvantages: Traffic noise and fumes, some street crime

...; the soldiery having carved up their share of the spoils, it was the turn of the priests. The ornate grey stonework around the entrance is topped by twin bell-towers in glistening white and flanked by two long whitewashed walls, above and beyond which can be seen the slope of the Pinchincha volcano. The whole of Quito lies in a long high furrow in the Andes, with the old town at its south-western end. Standing in front of San Francisco church, one looks downhill across the Plaza and over the rooftops ahead to where the mountains rise again to the east, their green slopes speckled with the pink and white of buildings. To the right - the south - another hill forms the end of the valley. This hill is called el Panecillo and was originally the site of a fort, but is now topped by a column bearing a statue of a winged woman, known as La Virgen de... Read review

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Advantages: pleasant climate, lots to see, bustling with local activity
Disadvantages: usual big city issues - traffic, smog, beggars, street vendors

...are excellent and include the surrounding volcanoes as well as the city itself. The old city is a place of churches and traditional markets. The central square is the Plaza de la Independencia at the heart of colonial Quito. The square is surrounded by the Cathedral, Presidential Palace and the Archbishop's Palace as well as the much more modern City Hall. There are a number of spectacular churches in this area although many are in need of significant repair. The second major square in the old city is the nearby Plaza de San Francisco. This open cobblestone square is dominated by the Monastery of San Francisco and its associated buildings. Although much of the new city is modern office blocks, it also offers an extensive range of shops and various significant museums. The Casa de Cultura Equitoriana lies just to the side of the Parque El... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning mountains surrounding a bustling and colourful city
Disadvantages: The smog

...black from smoke damage, but definitely worth checking out. You can get an events guide for what's on each month in Quito from the tourist information office, also in the old city. The Teleferico: for even better views of Quito. The teleferico is a cable car at the west side of Quito which takes you up the mountain to an altitude of 4100m. It's quite expensive, from what I remember, and rising 1300m in about 10 minutes definitely does strange things to your head, but it does give you the most wicked views of the whole of Quito and the mountains beyond. Shopping: For artesania, the Artisan market at the other end of Juan Leon Mera from Gringoland - a permanent covered market which mostly sells clothes, shawls, and jewelry. For more high-street shops, El Jardin, which is a bloody expensive shopping mall about a 15 minute walk from... Read review

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