Quito Churches, Museums and Tour Buses
Advisory, correct as of October 2026: Ecuador is in a declared internal armed conflict with criminal gangs, and states of emergency move from province to province. Pichincha, the province around Quito, is covered by one until mid-November 2026, and a night curfew applied in Quito in May 2026, so curfews can come back quickly. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to several coastal provinces and the Colombian border strip, and Quito sits outside them. Expect police checkpoints, watch for pickpockets and express kidnapping, and move by ride app or registered taxi, especially after dark and for any trip to El Panecillo. Read the FCDO advice and the US State Department advisory before you book.
Plan the visits around opening days
Quito’s ticketed sights do not all open on the same days, so start with the calendar. Casa del Alabado is open Wednesday to Sunday only, from 09:00 to 17:00. Churches shorten their hours on Sundays, and the La Compañía church is free on the first Sunday of the month. Aim the museum for midweek and keep a weekend morning for the churches. Take the first day or two slowly, because the old town sits at about 2,850 m and the cobbled slopes are steeper than they look.
Casa del Alabado, pre-Columbian art
This museum fills a restored 17th-century house with pottery, stone and metal work from cultures such as Valdivia, Chorrera, Jama-Coaque, Bahía and the Inca, spanning thousands of years. Rooms are arranged around Andean ideas of the underworld, the middle world and the upper world rather than by date. Guided visits last about 30 minutes in English or Spanish and can be booked online. Student entry is $5, and adult prices are best confirmed on the Alabado booking page before you go.
Capilla del Hombre and the Guayasamín house
The Fundación Guayasamín in the Bellavista district honours the painter Oswaldo Guayasamín, who lived from 1919 to 1999. It holds the Capilla del Hombre, a gallery about the suffering and resilience of peoples of the Americas, and his former home with his collection of ancient and colonial art. It is an art foundation, not a restaurant or event venue. Hours and prices are listed on the foundation site ; one guide reports about $10 for both visits, so check first.
Two big churches
La Compañía de Jesús is a Jesuit Baroque church built over roughly 160 years, from 1605 to 1765. Its interior is said to be gilded with several tonnes of gold leaf, a figure repeated by guides but not confirmed. Foreign adults pay about $5 to $6, and photography inside is not allowed.
The San Francisco convent and museum, begun in the 1530s, is among the largest colonial religious complexes in the Americas. It shows work of the Quito school of colonial art, and the entry fee is a few dollars. Sunday hours end around midday, so go on a weekday.
Hop-on bus and the equator
The open-top Quito Tour Bus starts near Parque La Carolina, loops through La Mariscal and the old town, and includes a supervised stop at El Panecillo. Reported fares start from about $15 for adults, so check the operator. Joining the bus is also a safe way to reach the hilltop, because the staircases below it have a record of muggings.
Ciudad Mitad del Mundo, about 26 km north of the centre, costs about $5 for adults and $2.50 for children and seniors. The monument is a little south of the real equator, so enjoy it as a landmark.
Booking a guide
Guides add context in the churches and cloisters, and a few operators run combined old-town tours. Quito guided city tours on GetYourGuide shows current options. Read what is included before paying, and ask about a pickup by registered vehicle.
Read more: Quito sightseeing , Quito bus tours and the 5 day Quito itinerary .