Quito Audio Tours

At 2,850 meters, altitude effects are real. Take your first day slowly: avoid alcohol, stay hydrated, eat lightly, and don't tackle steep climbs immediately. Most visitors acclimatize within 24-48 hours. The climb to El Panecillo and the stairs inside the old-town churches are manageable once you've adjusted.

The old town is built on a hillside. Many streets slope significantly and cobblestones make the terrain uneven. Churches have steps at their entrances. The main plazas (Plaza de la Independencia, Plaza de San Francisco) are relatively flat, but the city is generally not accessible for mobility-limited visitors.

The historic center has improved significantly with tourist police and security cameras. Stay alert as you would in any major city, be careful in the crowded market areas, and avoid the old town after dark without a group or guide. La Mariscal, the international area, is generally safe and has the best concentration of restaurants and cafes.

Locro de papa -- a thick potato soup with cheese, avocado, and sometimes blood sausage -- is the Andean staple that warms the old city at every altitude. Fritada (fried pork with hominy corn and llapingachos, pan-fried potato cakes) is hearty Quiteño cooking. Ceviche in the Ecuadorian style, with tomato, onion, and citrus, is very different from the Peruvian version and worth trying.