7 Days in Quito: First-Timer Plan
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Seven days is enough to cover Quito properly, add three real day trips, and still leave room for the Quilotoa Loop, treated as the overnight it deserves rather than a rushed single day.
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. Take today easy. 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). Eat 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 easy on alcohol tonight while adjusting to the altitude.
Day 2
Taxi up to El Panecillo (around $5-8 each way) rather than walking, since the approach on foot 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). Spend the evening on La Ronda over canelazo and empanadas de viento, safe on the main street after dark, just skip the quieter side alleys. Budget roughly $30-50 for the day.
Tip: taxi back from La Ronda rather than walking.
Day 3
Ride the TelefériQo (around $8.50) up to roughly 4,050 meters in the morning for the clearest views. In the afternoon, visit Mitad del Mundo and the smaller Museo Intiñan next door, home to the real GPS equator line, about 240 meters from the famous monument. Budget roughly $40-60 for the day.
Tip: wear layers; temperatures swing fast between the cable car’s height and the valley floor.
Day 4
Take a full day trip to Otavalo, about 2 hours north, for woven textiles and jewelry from Kichwa artisan families, biggest on Saturdays but open daily. A guided day tour runs roughly $40-60 per person. 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 cloud-forest day of birdwatching and chocolate tours; pick one or two activities rather than overfilling the day. A guided tour runs roughly $50-70 per person. Budget $70-100 for the day.
Tip: book ahead in high season, since small-group tours fill up.
Day 6
Head out to the Quilotoa Loop, roughly 3 hours southwest, and spend the afternoon at the crater rim above the turquoise-water lake. Stay overnight in one of the loop’s small villages rather than trying to turn this into a same-day round trip; the drive alone eats most of a day each way. A basic guesthouse in the loop runs roughly $20-35 per person including dinner; add transport and you’re looking at $60-90 for the day.
Tip: bring warm layers for the evening; the crater sits near 3,900 meters and nights get cold fast.
Day 7
Spend the morning at the crater rim again in better light, then head back to Quito, arriving in the afternoon or evening depending on your departure time. Budget roughly $30-50 for transport and a final meal. If you’d rather skip the Quilotoa overnight entirely, swap days 6 and 7 for a single easier day trip to Papallacta’s hot springs instead, about 1.5-2 hours east, which fits comfortably into one day.
Tip: build in buffer time on travel days in the highlands; road conditions and weather can slow things down more than the map suggests.
For a shorter version of this trip without the Quilotoa overnight, see our 6 day Quito itinerary .