2 Days in Quito: First-Timer Plan
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Two days is enough to cover Quito’s essential core if you don’t try to rush it. This plan keeps day one easy at altitude and saves the bigger views for day two.
Day 1
Quito sits at roughly 2,850 meters, and the airport is actually lower, around 2,400 meters, so you’ll ascend into the city on arrival. Take the morning slow. After checking in, walk to Plaza Grande, ringed by the Cathedral and the Carondelet Presidential Palace, then step inside La Compañía de Jesús (about $6 for the gold-leaf baroque interior, free on the first Sunday of the month) and the San Francisco monastery and museum (around $2). For dinner, eat in the old town and turn in early. Budget roughly $60-80 for the day covering entry fees, a taxi from the airport, and two meals.
Tip: take a licensed orange-plate taxi or an app like Uber or Cabify from the airport, not a random street taxi, and go easy on alcohol tonight while you adjust to the altitude.
Day 2
Start with a taxi up to El Panecillo (around $5-8 each way) for the morning view over the old town from beneath the winged Virgen de Quito statue; taxi up rather than walking, since the approach on foot has a real mugging history even though the summit itself is safe. From there, head to the Basílica del Voto Nacional and climb the towers (about $2, plus a few dollars more for the tower climb) for a different rooftop angle on the city. In the afternoon, ride the TelefériQo cable car up to roughly 4,050 meters (around $8.50) for the widest view of Quito against the Andes. Spend your evening on La Ronda, the restored colonial street, over canelazo and empanadas de viento; the street itself is safe and lively after dark, just don’t wander its quieter side alleys. Budget roughly $40-60 for the day.
Tip: taxi back from La Ronda rather than walking, and keep some smaller bills on hand, since Ecuador’s US dollar prices make change easy but larger bills harder to break at small vendors.
For a longer version of this plan with day trips added, see our 3 day Quito itinerary .