District · Quito
Historic Centre (Centro Histórico)Centro Histórico
Beautiful and steep, quiet at night. Sleep here only if you accept car rides after dark.
Key facts
- Suits
- Churches, plazas, La Ronda, one to two mornings
- Room prices
- $$
- price band of 5
- Sights here
- 4
- Eats here
- 3
What it's like
- Feels:
- Gilded churches, steep plazas, a quiet old-town evening
- Suits:
- Churches, plazas, La Ronda, one to two mornings
- Best time:
- 08:00–13:008:00 AM–1:00 PM
- Watch out for:
- After dark; the steepest streets on day 1.
- In short:
- Beautiful and steep, quiet at night. Sleep here only if you accept car rides after dark.
About these names
A first visit fits in a strip about 6 km long: the Historic Centre at the south end, La Mariscal 3–4 km north, La Carolina another 1–2 km beyond, and Guápulo dropping off the ridge on the east side. Everything between clusters is a car ride.
Where exactly
This district is highlighted. Shapes follow this guide's walking areas and places, not official boundaries.
Historic Centre (Centro Histórico)Centro Histórico
seeeatsleepPrice $$
Beautiful and steep, quiet at night. Sleep here only if you accept car rides after dark.
Suits: Churches, plazas, La Ronda, one to two mornings
On the map: Calle La Ronda, La Compañía de Jesús, San Francisco church and plaza, Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia)
District guideWalk: Historic Centre (Centro Histórico)Sleep: Historic CentreIn the districts table
Off the map: Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) (60–90 min by the usual route).
Not drawn yet (no coordinates in this guide): Itchimbía, González Suárez and La Floresta, Bellavista, South Quito (Quitumbe, Chimbacalle). See the table above.
Where’s what, as a list:
- Historic Centre (Centro Histórico) (Centro Histórico): Beautiful and steep, quiet at night. Sleep here only if you accept car rides after dark. Suits: Churches, plazas, La Ronda, one to two mornings. Price band $$.
- La Mariscal (La Mariscal (Mariscal Sucre)): Flat, dense with hotels, restaurants and Plaza Foch's bars; loud on Friday and Saturday nights. Use cars after dark. Suits: First visit, late arrivals, restaurants and nightlife. Price band $$.
- La Carolina (La Carolina): The park is the city's big lung; towers and malls around it. A calm daytime area; less atmosphere after dark. Suits: Park, botanical garden, malls, rainy-day options.
- Guápulo (Guápulo): A ridge village with steep stairs and stone lanes. Come by car; walk down, not up. Suits: Views, an 18th-century church, bohemian cafés.
- Itchimbía (Parque Itchimbía): A hilltop park above the old town; go by car in daylight. Suits: Viewpoint, picnic and a glass-and-iron cultural hall.
- González Suárez and La Floresta (González Suárez / La Floresta): Between the Historic Centre and Guápulo; a good second-visit base. Suits: Quieter, leafier, boutique hotels, cafés.
- Bellavista (Bellavista): On a hillside north-east of La Carolina; take a car both ways. Suits: Guayasamín's Capilla del Hombre and house museum.
- South Quito (Quitumbe, Chimbacalle): Working-class districts; Quitumbe is the long-distance bus terminal, 15+ km from the centre. Suits: Bus station and the old railway only.
- Sleep area Historic Centre: suits Churches, plazas, La Ronda, one to two mornings, price band $$.
- Sleep area La Mariscal: suits First visit, late arrivals, restaurants and nightlife, price band $$.
- Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), 60–90 min by the usual route.
Stay here?
How this district's sleep area scores for five kinds of traveler, ranked against the other Quito districts that have scores. Scores are this guide's 1–5 judgements.
First visit
best of 2
Plazas, churches and museums on the doorstep at opening time.
Families
2nd of 2
Steep streets and stairs; carrier only.
Better for this: La Mariscal
Light sleepers
best of 2
Quiet after 21:00, but church bells ring early.Quiet after 9:00 PM, but church bells ring early.
Night owls
2nd of 2
La Ronda has music on weekends; everything else closes early.
Better for this: La Mariscal
On a budget
2nd of 2
Some good-value guesthouses and heritage hotels.
Better for this: La Mariscal
See
Opening hours and prices from each place page; (check) means typical hours, not yet verified.
The gilded Jesuit church a block from Plaza Grande: go in the morning; allow 45 minutes and dress for a church.
- Hours:
- Hours and closing days vary; confirm on the day.(check)
A narrow old street of small workshops and cafés: good for a late-morning coffee; not a street to walk alone after dark.
- Hours:
- Street is open at all hours; shops usually open about 10:00–18:00.Street is open at all hours; shops usually open about 10:00 AM–6:00 PM.(check)
- Entry:
- Free
The main square of the old town: half an hour in the morning, before the crowds and before the sun is strong.
- Hours:
- The plaza is open at all hours; palace, cathedral and museum hours vary.(check)
- Entry:
- Free
One of the oldest church complexes in the Americas, on a wide plaza: 30 minutes on the way to La Ronda.
- Hours:
- Church and museum hours vary; check on the day.(check)
Eat
What to order and what locals pay, from each eat page. Prices are estimates; check the menu.
- Cafetería Modelo
An old-town café near Plaza Grande for coffee, hot chocolate and empanadas de viento: 30 minutes indoors between two churches, best mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Order: Empanada de viento: Ask for one or two; they are large.
Price: A pastry and a drink are about $3–6 in old-town cafés.
- Heladería San Agustín
A long-running ice-cream parlour in the old town, known for helado de paila (fruit ice cream churned by hand in a copper pan): a 20-minute sweet stop after the churches, on any afternoon.
Order: Helado de paila: Ask for 'helado de paila de mora'.
Price: A cup is about $1.50–3; the shop posts prices on a board.
- Mercado Central
The old town's covered food market: a hot set lunch (almuerzo) at a stall; go at 12:00–14:00 and sit where locals sit.
Order: Almuerzo: Say 'un almuerzo, por favor'.
Price: A set lunch is about $3–5 for everyone; the price is usually on a board.
Sleep
Restored colonial hotels a few minutes from the plazas; choose a hotel with a staffed door and arrive by car, not on foot after dark.
Rooms: $55–110 (check)
Skip this if: Steep, uneven streets; arrive and leave by car after dark.
4–8 min walk to Historic Centre (Centro Histórico) · 40–55 min walk to La Mariscal
Drink and nightlife
Lines from the Quito drinking guide that name this district.
- Calle La Ronda (Historic Centre) · Cafés, traditional bars, live music · until about 22:00–00:00 (check)Lively on weekend evenings; leave by car, not on foot.
Getting there and around
Where to get off
- Calle Guayaquil or Calle Morales end, Historic Centre · for Calle La Ronda
- Calle García Moreno, Historic Centre · for La Compañía de Jesús
- Plaza San Francisco, Historic Centre · for San Francisco church and plaza
- Plaza Grande, Historic Centre · for Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia)
Walks inside the district
- Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia) → La Compañía de Jesús: 2–3 min on foot (Walk from Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia))
- La Compañía de Jesús → San Francisco church and plaza: 4–5 min on foot (Walk from La Compañía de Jesús)
- San Francisco church and plaza → Mercado Central: 9–12 min on foot (Walk from San Francisco church and plaza)
- Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia) → Cafetería Modelo: 4–6 min on foot (Walk from Plaza Grande)
- Cafetería Modelo → La Compañía de Jesús: 4–6 min on foot (Walk to La Compañía de Jesús)
On to the next area
- Taxi or metro north: about 20 min to La Mariscal
- Taxi north-east: about 20 min to Guápulo
From other sleep areas
- From La Mariscal: 40–55 min walk to Historic Centre (Centro Histórico)
Minutes are this guide’s typical walking and ride times (p50–p90); traffic and heat stretch them.
Walking loop
A loop that starts and ends at the same place, through this district's sights and eats. Pick a length; download it for Organic Maps, OsmAnd or Google Earth.
About 59 min in all: 4 min on foot, the rest at the stops. 3 stops, back to where you started.
- La Compañía de JesúsStart here · stop about 25 min
- Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia)2 min walk · stop about 15 min
- Mercado Central1 min walk (estimate) · stop about 15 min (snack, or note it for later)
- Back to La Compañía de Jesús: 1 min walk (estimate)
Walking minutes come from this guide’s route graph where it has one; “estimate” means straight-line distance plus a quarter for street detours at an easy pace. Opening hours are not checked: look at “Open now” below before you set off.
Half-day walk
In the day plans: Day 1 — Historic Centre morning, Mercado Central lunch (Quito in 3 days)
Photo and sunset spots
Plaza Grande and the Presidential Palace
Light: 08:00–10:00
Frame the palace and the cathedral from the plaza's centre before groups arrive.
Light: 10:00–12:00
Balconies with flowers; shoot down the street toward the hill.
Streets in this district
Street names that appear in the addresses of this district’s places and eats: useful to type into a map or show a driver.
- Calle Guayaquil
- Calle Morales
- Calle García Moreno
- Calle Sucre
Safety at night and noise
Historic Centre core (plazas, La Ronda)day: oknight: caution
Pickpockets in crowds; after 19:00 the side streets empty. Use a car door to door.
Quiet nights
Quiet after 21:00, but church bells ring early.Quiet after 9:00 PM, but church bells ring early.
Nightlife
La Ronda has music on weekends; everything else closes early.
Late arrival
Small hotels often lock the door at night: confirm the bell or the phone number.
Nearby districts
Built from this guide’s Quito districts table, place, eat and sleep pages, route graph and city notes. Hours, prices and rules change: anything marked (check) is typical, not verified. checked: 2026-09.