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While most of the attractions in Quito are located in the historic city, the modern city provides visitors with plenty of things to see and do as well. There are numerous museums and parks as well as shopping and restaurants. We didn’t have time to visit all of the attractions but this entry will explain what we did manage to see.
Parque La Alameda
First, we took a walk through some parks near the historic city. The first one was Parque La Alameda. It’s a very nice park with a small lake and paddleboats.
At the west end of the park is Plaza Bolívar, which includes a huge monument to Simón Bolívar.
In the center of the park is the Quito Observatory (Observatorio de Quito), an astronomical observatory that opened in 1864. It’s the oldest observatory in South America. There’s a small museum inside. Adult admission is US$2 (as of October 2023). It’s open Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm.
Along the eastern end of the park is a nice theatre building, Capitol Theatre (Teatro Capitol).
National Assembly
A couple blocks east of Parque La Alameda is the National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional), which houses the legislative branch of Ecuador’s government.
Parque El Ejido
Parque El Ejido, a large park full of tall trees, is further to the north. It was pretty empty when we walked by, but in one corner there were some people playing football and a few running with their dogs.
Across the street is the wide-open Parque del Arbolito, which also contains a few museums on its east end.
National Museum
The National Museum (Museo Nacional) complex, including the Ecuadorian Cultural Center (Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana) and National Theatre (Teatro Nacional), are all located in a small cluster of buildings. Admission to all the museums is free (as of October 2023). They’re open daily except Mondays. We didn’t visit, but the hotel reception told us they’re a good place to learn about indigenous culture and see a huge collection of pre-Columbian and colonial art. On a return trip to Quito, I will make this a priority.
Other Places
Some more places we didn’t have a chance to visit include the Quito Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico de Quito), the Ethnographic Museum (Museo Etnográfico), the Amazon Museum (Museo Amazónico), and the views from the statue of Francisco de Orellana in Guápulo.
