{"id":38502,"date":"2019-10-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-30T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=38502&#038;preview=true&#038;preview_id=38502"},"modified":"2022-01-26T04:22:13","modified_gmt":"2022-01-25T17:22:13","slug":"top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/","title":{"rendered":"Quito and beyond: 3 things to do in Ecuador after a Galapagos trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Confession. For years I dreamed of going to the <a href=\"\/galapagos-islands\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Galapagos Islands<\/a>, but I had no idea what country it was in.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But as I was planning my <\/span><a href=\"\/adventures\/fears-visiting-the-galapagos-islands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first-ever completely solo trip<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Intrepid Travel\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"\/trips\/GMQI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Galapagos Encounter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, I started researching the city where the trip started \u2014 Quito, <a href=\"\/ecuador\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ecuador<\/a> \u2014 and quickly learned that while many people pass through as a launching point for their island adventures, the capital city is quite a destination of its own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While I was nervous about being alone on a continent where I didn\u2019t know a single soul, my curiosity won out \u2014 and I added on a few nights to experience the sites in and around the Andean city.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/ecuador\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>EXPLORE OUR FULL RANGE OF SMALL GROUP ADVENTURES IN ECUADOR NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Discovering the City of Quito<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38520\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoBasilicaDelVotoNacionalByRachelChang4-e1572564324632.jpg\" alt=\"A woman smiling at a church in Quito\" width=\"500\" height=\"580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoBasilicaDelVotoNacionalByRachelChang4-e1572564324632.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoBasilicaDelVotoNacionalByRachelChang4-e1572564324632-259x300.jpg 259w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>Admittedly, as soon as I landed in Quito, my head started spinning. Not only was everything in a language I didn\u2019t speak, but sitting in between peaks of the Andes Mountains, the city was at a whopping 9,350-foot-high elevation, making it a bit tough to breathe. I stocked up on water and took things slowly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I decided to ease into the city via my favorite way to get my bearings in a new place: a free walking tour. As a solo traveler, walking tours are especially useful, not just to get a sense of the geography, but to connect with fellow single travelers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our first stop was the largest neo-Gothic church in the Americas, the<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Bas\u00edlica del Voto Nacional, which was started in 1892 and is <em>technically<\/em> still incomplete (legend has it the world will end once it&#8217;s finished!). While its little details, like the tortoises and iguanas instead of gargoyles, delighted our group, it was the climb up a rickety ladder to the towers that truly impressed. We all encouraged one another as we reached the top and were rewarded with sprawling views of the churches\u2019 towers and cityscape.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/ecuador-like-a-local\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RELATED: 15 WAYS TO EXPERIENCE ECUADOR LIKE A LOCAL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-38521 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoMercadoCentralByRachelChang1.JPG-e1572564482425.jpg\" alt=\"Two women at the Mercado Central spooning juice out of containers\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoMercadoCentralByRachelChang1.JPG-e1572564482425.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoMercadoCentralByRachelChang1.JPG-e1572564482425-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoMercadoCentralByRachelChang1.JPG-e1572564482425-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/QuitoMercadoCentralByRachelChang1.JPG-e1572564482425-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>After winding through the city, including stops at Confeiteira El Gato for some traditional snacks, Mercado Central for n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aranjilla juice with coco for a mere $2, and the lively colonial La Ronda street, we ended in the city center at <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plaza de la Independencia.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I quickly broke off from the group, because of my obsession to see everything from true heights, to go to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/teleferico.com.ec\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telef\u00e9riQo gondola<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The cab dropped me off on an isolated street, but as soon as I started walking up the winding road, I found my way to the cable car (the afternoon is a good time to avoid crowds!) and soared up the 18-minute ride to the top, 12,949 feet above sea level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only thing that could bring me back down to earth was a good meal, so I looked at a list from a friend who knew Quito well and chose one of the top-rated restaurants, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.zazuquito.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Zazu<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. At first, I was supremely awkward about entering such an upscale establishment on my own, but the wait staff were so friendly and welcoming that it ended up being like dining with old friends, as I indulged in stone crab ceviche, asparagus roquefort salad and pork taquitos. And with the exchange rate, the fine-dining adventure seemed like a bargain!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/quito-ecuador-city-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RELATED: EXPLORING QUITO, SOUTH AMERICA&#8217;S LESSER-KNOWN CAPITAL OF COOL<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><b>2. Relaxing in the Termas Papallacta Hot Springs<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang1-e1572564551807.jpg\" alt=\"Outdoor hot springs in Ecuador\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang1-e1572564551807.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang1-e1572564551807-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang1-e1572564551807-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang1-e1572564551807-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>As soon as I read about the hot springs outside of Quito, I knew I had to go to<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.termaspapallacta.com\/?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Termas Papallacta<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Located about 50 miles southeast of the city in the Andean highlands en route to the Amazon rainforests, it&#8217;s not exactly a common day trip from the city.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, my Intrepid tour leader connected me with a local driver who would take me there, wait for me and drive me back. Though it felt like a lot of pressure to have him wait for me while I was relaxing and enjoying the hot springs, I was assured that it was his job and he didn\u2019t mind. I bought him a drink and pastry from a little bakery and joined him in the front seat as we set off on our journey.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only problem? We didn\u2019t share a common language. He endlessly tried to point out certain sites to me and I tried to ask questions, but we didn\u2019t get very far. In the end, we sat in silence, but with a mutual respect and understanding of the beauty of our surroundings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/galapagos-islands\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>CHECK OUT OUR FULL RANGE OF ADVENTURES IN THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS NOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38523\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang5-e1572564616936.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in the hot springs in Ecuador\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang5-e1572564616936.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang5-e1572564616936-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang5-e1572564616936-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/TermasPapallactaByRachelChang5-e1572564616936-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>While I had been to plenty of other hot springs around the world, I had never quite been to a setting as stunning as Termas Papallacta. The privately owned facility was conceived in 1994 by a group of six Ecuadorians who wante<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">d to both preserve the location and bring a high-quality spa experience to area\u2019s natural waters, containing beneficial<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sulfates, sodium, calcium, chloride and bits of magnesium.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I put my things in the assigned locker, slipped on the provided swim cap and stepped out into a paradise of calm. Before me was a land of relaxation: five thermal pools with varying hydrojets and a polar pool, all tucked within the landscape mixing the majestic ridges and the lush rainforest. It was exactly what I pictured Eden to look like.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So I did what anyone would do when they enter paradise \u2014 I went crazy. I scheduled a relaxing massage, had the best meal at the on-site restaurant and spent time in every single one of the pools, meditating with my eyes open in this idyllic slice of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>3. Venturing to the equator \u2013 and beyond<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38525\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang1-1.jpg\" alt=\"A woman standing at the equator in Ecuador\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang1-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang1-1-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/>One of the geographical wonders of Quito is its proximity to the equator. But such a hefty responsibility comes a serious debate over <em>where<\/em> the actual equator line sits. The largest monument is called <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mitaddelmundo.com\/en-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mitad del Mundo<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Middle of the World), however it&#8217;s not exactly where the equator sits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"\/adventures\/why-your-next-adventure-should-be-in-ecuador\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>RELATED: 8 REASONS YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE SHOULD BE IN ECUADOR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Built in 1979, the monument was constructed where scientists marked it in 1736, but in actuality, it\u2019s not located there. Of course I wanted to see the equator \u2014 the real one \u2014 so I opted for a day trip that went to an alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38517\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang3-e1572564184945.jpg\" alt=\"A pair of feet standing on the equator\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang3-e1572564184945.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang3-e1572564184945-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang3-e1572564184945-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/EquatorQuitsatoByRachelChang3-e1572564184945-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>When we arrived, the lack of tourists at this spot in Cayambe definitely made it feel like this might be the real deal, but it was still questionable. Turns out, we were at <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.quitsato.org\/quitsato\/?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quitsato<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a large sundial that also celebrates zero latitude. We posed with the giant yellow marker and did all the necessary Instagram-friendly poses on both sides of the line. While the debate continues as to where the actual spot is, some say that the entire region is the equator.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We then moved on to a series of diverse yet delightful sites in the area. We visited a biscuit factory to see how they make traditional Ecuadorian treats, shopped in the Otavalo Market (which has been called South America\u2019s biggest market) and hiked around Cuicocha Lake, a volcanic crater in Cotacachi Cayapas Ecological Reserve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-38516\" src=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CuiochaLakeByRachelChang2-e1572564132778.jpg\" alt=\"A woman standing at Cuiocha Lake in Ecuador\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CuiochaLakeByRachelChang2-e1572564132778.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CuiochaLakeByRachelChang2-e1572564132778-425x239.jpg 425w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CuiochaLakeByRachelChang2-e1572564132778-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CuiochaLakeByRachelChang2-e1572564132778-585x329.jpg 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>Mixing geographical, cultural and natural highlights in a day provided a deeper picture into the surroundings outside of Quito\u2019s city limits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it was seeing unique animals in their natural settings that drew me to the Galapagos, I went home with a deeper understanding of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/5-favourite-things-ecuador\/\">Ecuador and its rich culture<\/a> among such natural beauties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Interesting in finding out more about Ecuador? Explore our <a href=\"\/ecuador\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full range of small group adventures<\/a> in the region now.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Feature photo by\u00a0Alessandro Pinto, Shutterstock. All other photos by Rachel Chang.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Confession. For years I dreamed of going to the Galapagos Islands, but I had no idea what country it was in.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16104,"featured_media":38515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1313],"tags":[106,782,66,38],"class_list":["post-38502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-ecuador","tag-galapagos","tag-galapagos-islands","tag-south-america","ipf_region-ecuador"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 Awesome Things To Do In Quito, Ecuador | Intrepid Travel Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While I was researching my first trip to Ecuador, I quickly learned that Quito, the capital city, is a destination worth exploring on its own.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Quito and beyond: 3 things to do in Ecuador after a Galapagos trip\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Confession. For years I dreamed of going to the Galapagos Islands, but I had no idea what country it was in. But as I was planning my first-ever completely solo trip on Intrepid Travel\u2019s Galapagos Encounter, I started researching the city where the trip started \u2014 Quito, Ecuador \u2014 and quickly learned that while many people pass through as a launching point for their island adventures, the capital city is quite a destination of its own.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-30T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-01-25T17:22:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"450\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rachel Chang\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rachel Chang\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/\",\"name\":\"3 Awesome Things To Do In Quito, Ecuador | Intrepid Travel Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-30T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-25T17:22:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/ff77384e439e60dbabfdd0ba7e830bdc\"},\"description\":\"While I was researching my first trip to Ecuador, I quickly learned that Quito, the capital city, is a destination worth exploring on its own.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":450,\"caption\":\"Colourful houses in Quito, Ecuador\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Quito and beyond: 3 things to do in Ecuador after a Galapagos trip\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\",\"name\":\"The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"description\":\"adventure news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/ff77384e439e60dbabfdd0ba7e830bdc\",\"name\":\"Rachel Chang\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce5d63bc682aebadb06aec5a07f4d61e9a078284419fd62cada532a5a9b09cf6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce5d63bc682aebadb06aec5a07f4d61e9a078284419fd62cada532a5a9b09cf6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rachel Chang\"},\"description\":\"While chasing celebrities as an editor at teen and entertainment magazines, Rachel fell in love with international travel \u2014 and discovered the joy of solo travel. She\u2019s written for Travel + Leisure, airbnbmag, Mic\u2019s Out of Office, Mental Floss, Huffington Post and Travelzoo, and shares her adventures near and far on Instagram (@RachelSChang) and Twitter (@RachelChang).\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/rachel-chang\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3 Awesome Things To Do In Quito, Ecuador | Intrepid Travel Blog","description":"While I was researching my first trip to Ecuador, I quickly learned that Quito, the capital city, is a destination worth exploring on its own.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Quito and beyond: 3 things to do in Ecuador after a Galapagos trip","og_description":"Confession. For years I dreamed of going to the Galapagos Islands, but I had no idea what country it was in. But as I was planning my first-ever completely solo trip on Intrepid Travel\u2019s Galapagos Encounter, I started researching the city where the trip started \u2014 Quito, Ecuador \u2014 and quickly learned that while many people pass through as a launching point for their island adventures, the capital city is quite a destination of its own.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2019-10-30T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-01-25T17:22:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":800,"height":450,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rachel Chang","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Rachel Chang","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/","name":"3 Awesome Things To Do In Quito, Ecuador | Intrepid Travel Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-30T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2022-01-25T17:22:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/ff77384e439e60dbabfdd0ba7e830bdc"},"description":"While I was researching my first trip to Ecuador, I quickly learned that Quito, the capital city, is a destination worth exploring on its own.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg","width":800,"height":450,"caption":"Colourful houses in Quito, Ecuador"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/top-things-to-do-in-quito-ecuador\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Quito and beyond: 3 things to do in Ecuador after a Galapagos trip"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/ff77384e439e60dbabfdd0ba7e830bdc","name":"Rachel Chang","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce5d63bc682aebadb06aec5a07f4d61e9a078284419fd62cada532a5a9b09cf6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ce5d63bc682aebadb06aec5a07f4d61e9a078284419fd62cada532a5a9b09cf6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rachel Chang"},"description":"While chasing celebrities as an editor at teen and entertainment magazines, Rachel fell in love with international travel \u2014 and discovered the joy of solo travel. She\u2019s written for Travel + Leisure, airbnbmag, Mic\u2019s Out of Office, Mental Floss, Huffington Post and Travelzoo, and shares her adventures near and far on Instagram (@RachelSChang) and Twitter (@RachelChang).","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/rachel-chang\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Intrepid-Travel-Ecuador_Quito_architecture_ss_1018810372.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-a10","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38502"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":80321,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38502\/revisions\/80321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}