Equatorial Monument (La Mitad del Mundo), Quito

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

...(near the Hilton Colon Hotel). This is a large museum with displays covering the history of the country and a substantial number of 19th century and modern paintings. There are a number of attractions that are very close to the city and can easily be visited either within a city tour or as a special outing. Perhaps the most popular is the Mitad del Mundo. This monument is just 30 minutes north of the city and marks the exact position of the Equator. The monument itself contains an interesting museum covering the distinct ethnic tribes that live in different parts of Ecuador. And, of course, you can have your picture taken astride the Equator line. Just a few kilometres north lies the Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve that traces the rim of an extinct volcanic coldera. You can drive to the rim and will normally get impressive views during... Read review

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

...'s great stuff, and easy to spend a good two or three hours wandering round here. The San Francisco church: there are loads of churches in Quito, but of the ones I stumbled into this one - in the old city - was my favourite. It's absolutely gorgeous inside. The Guayasamin foundation: somewhere in the new city, this foundation contains an exhibition of Guayasamin's work and also two collections he made himself during his lifetime; a highly interesting one of pre-Colombian artifacts (pots, statues, instruments, jewelry, etc, the usual stuff, from indigenous Ecuadorian cultures), and one of Colonial art. Guayasamin is a 20th C Ecuadorian artist, whose work reminds me slightly of Picasso, but just a bit more haunting. It's great stuff - I highly recommend this little place. Mitad del Mundo: I have to admit, we were not overly... Read review

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

...We happened upon the Plaza de la Fundación rather by accident, because it does not feature prominently in the guide books. Fortunately, my wife and I had only just started out on our walk around the old town of Quito, and it helped us orient ourselves, both historically and geographically. As its name implies, the Plaza de la Fundación was where the original Spanish colony was founded. An Inca city had stood on the site, but was hastily demolished by its inhabitants, a tribe who called themselves the Quitu, to prevent it falling intact into the hands of the conquerors. Not long before, the last Inca emperor Atahualpa had been perfidiously executed, despite a vast ransom having been paid for his release, thus starting an ignoble tradition that some Latin American kidnappers persist in upholding to this day. The Quitu must have... Read review

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