Senior travel: Quito
An easier pace for an older traveller: how many stops fit in a day, which places are step-free, and what the guide says about getting around, medicines and stairs.
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Pace for a day
About 3 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 51 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.
Places, easiest access first
- Plaza FochStep-free: yes · about 60 minNone on the plaza.
- Quito Botanical GardenStep-free: yes · about 70 minA few.
- Parque La CarolinaStep-free: yes · about 75 minFew steps.
- Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia)Step-free: partial (check before you go) · about 35 minA few steps at building entrances.
- San Francisco church and plazaStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 40 minSteps at the church entrance and inside the convent.
- La Compañía de JesúsStep-free: partial (check before you go) · about 45 minA few steps at the entrance.
- Santuario de GuápuloStep-free: no (check before you go) · about 35 minMany steps between the ridge and the church.
- Calle La RondaStep-free: no (check before you go) · about 45 minCobbles and steps.
Getting around in Quito
Quito is hard on wheels in the Historic Centre and much easier in La Mariscal, La Carolina and the newer museums. Plan door-to-door car rides and check each place for lifts.
- Pavements:
- Narrow, stepped and cobbled in the Historic Centre; wide but uneven in La Mariscal and La Carolina.
- Lifts at stations:
- Metro stations have lifts; check each station; the line serves the north-south axis, not the old town lanes.
- Getting around:
- Cars from apps are the step-free option: book a larger car for a folding wheelchair. Buses and trolleybuses have platforms at main stops.
- Hotels:
- Many heritage hotels have stairs and no lift: ask for a ground-floor room or a hotel with a lift.
- Altitude:
- Heart and lung conditions, and pregnancy, need a doctor's advice before a stay at 2,850 m.
Medicines and health on the ground
The Ecuador guide lists no medicine paperwork. Check the official customs page for your medicines.
- Altitude:
- Day 1: no more than two hours of walking, drink water, skip alcohol. Headache, nausea and disturbed sleep are common; descend or see a doctor if symptoms worsen. Discuss acetazolamide with a doctor before you fly.
- Sun:
- UV is very strong at any time of year: SPF 50, a hat and sunglasses, even on cool cloudy days.
- Food and water:
- Bottled or filtered water only. Wash fruit and choose busy stalls; stomach upsets are common in the first days.
- Dust and dryness:
- June–September is dusty and dry: carry lip balm and saline drops.
- Vaccinations:
- Ask a travel clinic about yellow fever if you go to the Amazon lowlands, plus routine vaccines, hepatitis A and typhoid.
- Insects:
- There are few mosquitoes at 2,850 m; use repellent in Mindo, the Amazon and the coast.
More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.
Ask your insurer
Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.
- What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
- Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
- Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
- Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?
Not medical advice. This page does not know anyone’s health. Ask a doctor before the trip, and carry a list of medicines and conditions.