Quito Full Day Private Tour: Plazas, Churches, Teleférico and the Equator

The Basilica is a Gothic Church in Quito with tons of history and legends. You will be able to walk around the courtyard, take some great pics and have some time to sketch the church if you like or just marvel with the unique architecture. Truly impressive.

After a visit to the Basilica we will enter the Historic Center, park the car and walk to the Plaza de la Independencia (Plaza Grande). Before reaching the Plaza you can make a stop at my favorite vintage coffee roaster for some Ecuadorian ground coffee. You will have some time to explore the plaza and its surroundings which include the Cathedral, Arch Bishop´s palace, Chocolate Museum, Presidential Palace, Metropolitan museum and much more. Visiting Independence Plaza allows you to see what yesteryear Quito was all about. Feel like you stepped into a time machine and embrace yesteryear Quito.

After visiting the Plaza Grande and exploring iconic sites of Old Town Quito, we will head down a pedestrian-only street, as we walk down you can check out the beautiful colonial architecture, always look up while on the tour to take in the beauty of Old Town. You will arrive at the renowned Teatro Bolivar which was burned down back in 1999 and has been reconstructed since. My favorite coffee shop is located here. If you are a coffee enthusiast you can take a load off and people watch with a premium cup of Ecuadorian coffee.

After having a great cup of coffee or some tasty chocolate you will head to the majestic La Compañia Church. The Church of the Society of Jesus (Spanish: La Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús), known colloquially as la Compañía, is a Jesuit church. It is among the best-known churches in Quito because of its large central nave, which is profusely decorated with gold leaf, gilded plaster and wood carvings. Inspired by two Roman Jesuit churches — the Chiesa del Gesù and the Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola. La Compañía is one of the most significant works of Spanish Baroque architecture in South America. It is Quito's most ornate church and (according to some observers) the country's most beautiful. You will take a 30 minute tour of the church with a specialized guide. Prepare to be amazed!

Once you are done with your visit to La Compañia, we will head to the San Francisco Church Plaza. Here you have time to take some pics, visit the church and other seasonal attractions at the convent and just take in Old Town Quito and spot the Virgen Monument atop of the Panecillo hill. You will learn about the legend of the construction of the church. Once we are done with this visit we will walk back to the parking lot to board the car/van and head to the Teleferico.

We will arrive at the TeleferiQo at noon and will take a cable car up to the top. This is an unforgettable experience since you take one of the longest and highest cable cars in the world up to Cruz Loma. It is one of the highest aerial lifts in the world, rising from 3,117 m (10,226 ft) to 3,945 m (12,943 ft). The ascent takes about twenty minutes, traveling 2,237 linear metres. On the way up you get to see the whole city below and once you are at the top you can take some beautiful pics with Quito in the background. Once you are atop you should take it easy since you will be at very high altitude. You can trek a path up to a new swing they built overlooking the city of Quito.

After lunch we will get back on the road and head North to the Equator. First we will visit the Inti Ñan museum which closes early and is a very traditional site where you can do some great experiments at zero latitude.

And finally after visiting the Inti Ñan we will head to the most visited touristic site in Ecuador - Mitad del Mundo City or Equator Park. We will go in if time permits