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City
of San Francisco de Quito
Quito,
the Ecuador's capital, it's located about 2,800 meters (9,186 feet) above
sea level and is propped right at the base of Pichincha Volcano. Founded
in 1534, Quito lays about 245 km (152 miles) south of the Colombian border
and about 750 km (466 miles) north of Peru. Most travelers arrive first
in Quito, often described as a city with a small town atmosphere (although
it is rapidly growing into a sprawling metropolis).
Named
a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. Quito's Down Town transports you
back and forth between centuries as you meander down its cobblestone streets.
Passing by vendors selling everything from grilled choclos (Andean corn)
to ceramics and techno CDs.
Centrally located, Quito is also an excellent jumping-off point for a
number of interesting trips, including river-rafting, cloud forest exploration,
birding, mountain biking, hot springs and more.
A
Little History
Quito gained political power in mid 16th century and by the end of the
century it had become a center for art in South America where the Art
School of Quito was created. Many areas of the city, especially the center
(La Marín) maintain the same architecture-wise, as it had at the
time of its creation. The independence of Quito was proclaimed on December
6th, 1809.
Parks
in Quito
Metropolitano Park is the largest urban park in South America.
The park is located north of Quito, on the hillside, behind the Atahualpa
Olympic Stadium. It is a perfect place for mountain biking, strolling,
jogging or exploring different sculptures that are displayed for the public.
The park has 4 sites where you can have a picnic or a BBQ. The backside
of the park has a beautiful view of Cotopaxi, Antisana and the "Valle".
La
Carolina Park is the place to be on Sundays. You will be among many
Quiteños playing football, basketball, ecua-volley, doing aerobics,
flying kites, jogging, snacking or just observing people strolling around.
The park is situated on the northern area of Quito not too far from the
shopping district. The southern part of the park has a small pond where
you can rent paddleboats. There are also many artists performing on weekends.
In the western part of the park you will find the Exhibition Center of
Quito with different exhibits every month.
El
Ejido Park is situated between the old part of the city and the modern
section. Here you will find handicrafts on Saturdays and Sundays. Local
painters sell Guayasamin or Endara Crow copies and Otavaleños are
selling traditional sweaters and carpets.
Alameda
Park has the oldest astronomical observatory in South America. The
park has a monument of Simon Bolivar and a small lake where families like
to rent boats.
Services
in Quito
Banks: Quito has many banks, too many! Try Banco de Guayaquil (Reina
Victoria y Colon) for cash withdrawal from your Visa card (3rd. floor,
VISA BG). The MasterCard office is located at Naciones Unidas y Los Shyris
Ave. Banco de Pacifico is affiliated with MasterCard. Banco de Guayaquil
and Filanbanco are the biggest "Visa banks". You will also find
international banks as Loyds Bank, ABN Ambro Bank, and Citybank.
Money exchange: Try Casa Paz at Amazonas Ave. y Robles St. for
money change. There are also many "casas de cambio" along Amazonas
Avenue.
(See out Money Matters section for more detailed info)
Phone: You can phone from ANDINATEL. They charge per 3 minutes
but has become fairly inexpensive. There are two phone card services in
Quito, Porta and Bell South. They both sell calling cards, which can be
used on local phones. The least expensive way to call overseas and consequently
the worst quality is to use an internet café and call via the computer.
ATT (999-119) and MCI (999-170) have service in Quito.
Laundries: There are several "lavenderias" in the Mariscal
area where you pay by the pound and get your clothes back relatively clean
within a day. There are also more reliable dry cleaning companies.
Transportation
Taxi: Taxi's are inexpensive but be careful with "taxistas"
trying to charge a "gringo tax". Female lone travelers should
take taxi from a larger hotel during the nighttime and everyone should
make sure they use the meter. The prices should be maximum 3 USD per 10
km and a little more at night.
Busses: There are different types of buses, most have bus attendants.
The buses are really inexpensive and plentiful, before 8 p.m. You usually
don't have to wait more than 5 minutes to get a bus on the main streets.
You either pay when you board, during the ride or when you leave. Buses
heading out of Quito leave from the "Terminal Terrestre" in
the colonial part of town (La Marín), but also from some transportation
companies' own terminals in Quito.
"El Trole": In most main parts of the city you can catch
a trolebus, which runs smoothly, quiet and fast. They travel to most major
parts of Quito. The fare is the about half of that on the normal buses.
Renting a car: If you are planning to stay in Quito we do not recommend
you to rent a car. The traffic is chaotic and there are too many cars
for the road system. If you have to however, there are good car rental
companies, including Hertz, Budget and Avis. They have offices at the
airport.
Flying: The airport is situated in the north of Quito, about 10
km outside of the center of the city. A taxi from the airport to the center
costs about 3 USD. There are flights daily to all major cities in Ecuador.
For a list of national and international airline offices in Quito, check
out this section. There is a 25 USD departure tax when leaving the country.
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