Quito Ecuador
Ecuador
1130
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
HX Expeditions (348 Cruises)
MS Santa Cruz II
348 Cruises
Lindblad Expeditions (434 Cruises)
National Geographic Delfina
142 Cruises
| 20 November | 16 days | One-way from Quito to Callao-Lima |
450-628-6241
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|
| 21 November | 14 days | One-way from Quito to Callao-Lima |
450-628-6241
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|
National Geographic Endeavour II
154 Cruises
| 25 September | 8 days | Round-trip 9 Night Exploring Galapagos Cruise and Land Tour |
450-628-6241
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|
| 25 September | 10 days | Round-trip from Guayaquil, Ecuador |
450-628-6241
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|
National Geographic Gemini
48 Cruises
| 27 November | 8 days | Round-trip 9 Night Exploring Galapagos Cruise and Land Tour |
450-628-6241
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|
| 27 November | 10 days | Round-trip from Guayaquil, Ecuador |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
National Geographic Islander II
90 Cruises
| 29 October | 10 days | Round-trip from Guayaquil, Ecuador |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
| 29 October | 8 days | Round-trip 9 Night Exploring Galapagos Cruise and Land Tour |
450-628-6241
Call us
|
Tauck Cruises (348 Cruises)
Santa Cruz II
348 Cruises
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Ecuador's capital sits in an Andean valley at 2,850 metres, watched over by Pichincha volcano. It is a near-obligatory stop for cruise passengers heading to the Galápagos, whose expedition ships sail from a flight away.
A day or two, enough to adjust to the altitude and walk the colonial centre. It is not indulgence: 2,850 metres makes itself felt, and arriving rested at Baltra or San Cristóbal changes your first day in the islands.
Plaza Grande, as locals call Plaza de la Independencia, facing the Carondelet presidential palace and the cathedral. Then the church of La Compañía de Jesús, the San Francisco monastery and the Basílica del Voto Nacional. The centre has been UNESCO-listed since 1978.
It took 160 years to build, and its naves are entirely covered in gold leaf, with geometric patterns of Moorish inspiration. Many consider it the finest building in the country. The carved stone facade barely hints at what waits inside.
A gondola that lifts cabins up the slopes of Pichincha to the Cruz Loma viewpoint at about 4,000 metres, in roughly ten minutes. Quito unfolds below and, on a clear day, the snow cone of Cotopaxi closes the horizon.
It can be. The viewpoint sits at about 4,000 metres, and the altitude quickly makes itself known to visitors arriving from sea level. Walk slowly up there and avoid sustained effort on your arrival day.
Its gargoyles take the form of iguanas, tortoises and condors rather than dragons. It is a nod to the country's wildlife, and to the Galápagos in particular, on a neo-Gothic building.
The monument marking zero latitude north of the city, the classic half-day excursion. Standing with a foot in each hemisphere amuses all ages, and the nearby museums explain the French geodesic expeditions that gave Ecuador its name.
The Andean classics served in the markets and counters downtown: locro de papa, Ecuadorian ceviche, and fruit juices you will not find anywhere else. The city's chocolatiers work with a national cacao well regarded by connoisseurs.
A cobbled lane below the old town, once the quarter of poets and musicians. Its flowering balconies now hold artisans' workshops, wooden-toy makers and cafés where people warm up in the evening with a cinnamon canelazo.
