3-Day Quito Itinerary: Historic Centre, TeleferiQo, Equator and Cotopaxi

Because Quito's weather and high altitude reward early starts and gradual ascents, this three-day route keeps you at 2,850 metres inside the UNESCO Historic Centre on Day 1 before ascending Pichincha Volcano on Day 2 and venturing out to the Equator or Cotopaxi on Day 3. For food stops along the way, keep our guide to what to eat in Quito handy.

Day 1: The UNESCO Historic Centre, Gold Churches and El Panecillo

Morning: Start at the northern end of the Old Town at the Basilica del Voto Nacional, climbing the clock towers and high catwalk for a bird's-eye view down Calle Venezuela toward El Panecillo. Walk six blocks south to Plaza Grande (Plaza de la Independencia) to visit the 1562 Catedral Metropolitana de Quito, the tomb of Marshal Antonio Jose de Sucre, and the colonnade of Palacio de Carondelet.

Afternoon and Evening: Step one block west on Calle Garcia Moreno to admire the 23-karat gold-leaf interior of Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus, then continue to Plaza San Francisco to tour the 1535 Franciscan convent and the Pedro Gocial religious art collection. Take a short taxi ride up to the 3,016-metre summit of El Panecillo before descending to pedestrianised Calle La Ronda for crisp empanadas de viento and hot spiced canelazo.

Day 2: TeleferiQo at Cruz Loma, Capilla del Hombre and La Floresta

Morning: Head straight to the TeleferiQo early in the morning while the Andean sky is crystal clear. Ride the 18-minute gondola from 3,117 metres up to the Cruz Loma ridge at 3,945 metres to walk the high paramo viewpoints overlooking Quito and snow-capped Cotopaxi.

Afternoon and Evening: Descend to the Bellavista hillside to visit Oswaldo Guayasamin's monumental Capilla del Hombre and studio residence. Spend the late afternoon among the Andean orchid greenhouses of the Botanical Garden inside Parque La Carolina before dining in leafy La Floresta.

Day 3: Ciudad Mitad del Mundo and Pululahua or Cotopaxi National Park

Option A (North to the Equator and Pululahua): Drive 26 kilometres north to Ciudad Mitad del Mundo and the adjacent Intinan Museum at 0°0'0" latitude, then continue five kilometres further north to the rim lookout at Mirador de Ventanillas overlooking the inhabited volcanic caldera of Pululahua Geobotanical Reserve.

Option B (South to Cotopaxi National Park): Travel 50 kilometres south along the Pan-American Highway into Cotopaxi National Park to walk around Limpiopungo Lagoon at 3,850 metres and, if well acclimatised, climb to the Jose Rivas Refuge at 4,864 metres.