5 Days in Quito: First-Timer Plan
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Five days lets you cover Quito’s core at a relaxed pace and add two full day trips on top of it.
Day 1
Quito sits at roughly 2,850 meters, and the airport is actually lower, around 2,400 meters, so you ascend into the city on arrival. Ease into it. Walk Plaza Grande, then visit La Compañía de Jesús (about $6, free the first Sunday of the month) and the San Francisco monastery and museum (around $2). Have dinner in the old town and get an early night. Budget roughly $60-80 for the day.
Tip: use a licensed orange-plate taxi or an app from the airport, and go light on alcohol tonight while you adjust to the altitude.
Day 2
Taxi up to El Panecillo (around $5-8 each way) rather than walking, since the walk up has a real mugging history even though the summit is safe. Visit the Basílica del Voto Nacional (about $2, plus a few dollars for the tower climb) for its Galápagos-animal gargoyles and rooftop views. Spend the evening on La Ronda over canelazo and empanadas de viento, safe and lively after dark on the main street, just skip the quieter side alleys. Budget roughly $30-50 for the day.
Tip: taxi back from La Ronda rather than walking home.
Day 3
Ride the TelefériQo cable car (around $8.50) up to roughly 4,050 meters in the morning, before afternoon cloud rolls in. In the afternoon, head to Mitad del Mundo and the smaller Museo Intiñan next door, home to the actual GPS equator line; the famous monument itself sits about 240 meters off the true line. Budget roughly $40-60 for the day including transport.
Tip: wear layers; temperatures swing fast between the cable car’s elevation and the valley floor.
Day 4
Take a full day trip to Otavalo, about 2 hours north, biggest on Saturdays but running daily, for woven textiles and jewelry from Kichwa artisan families. A guided day tour runs roughly $40-60 per person including transport. With lunch and souvenirs, budget $70-100 for the day.
Tip: haggling is expected, but keep it friendly.
Day 5
Head to Mindo, about 2 hours northwest, for a warmer, greener cloud-forest day built around birdwatching and chocolate tours; pick one or two activities rather than overloading the day before the drive back. A guided day tour runs roughly $50-70 per person. Budget $70-100 for the day.
Tip: book your Mindo tour a day ahead in high season, since the better small-group operators fill up.
For a version of this trip with even more day trips, see our 6 day Quito itinerary .