Anyone who admires colonial architecture is bound to fall in love with the stunning historical centres in Ecuador’s cities and towns. Paired with a vibrant culture rich in colourful traditions, Ecuador has a lot to offer its visitors.
Quito (2850m)
Even though it’s a large city, Quito retains its historical charm. Street after street are filled with lovely colonial heritage buildings allowing you to wander and absorb the history. Many of the streets end in typical Spanish squares. Plaza Grande (also called Plaza Independencia) is a large tree-filled square with park benches and sidewalks. It is a popular place for locals to hang out. In the middle of the square is a statue to honour those who first called for Ecuador’s independence.
Cathedral of Quito is on one end of the square. The Cathedral is a large white-washed building. It may look plain at first site, but its wonderful domed entrance will change your opinion.
Colonial buildings, Quito 
Plaza Grande, Quito 
Independence Monument, Quito 
Cathedral of Quito 
Cathedral of Quito 
Plaza Grande and Cathedral de Quito
Our favourite spot in Quito was the large Plaza de San Francisco. The open cobblestone courtyard sits in front of the oldest church in Quito. Iglesia de San Francisco’s gorgeous stone entryway is flanked by two tall towers giving a grand appearance. The rest of the plaza is surrounded by lovely colourful colonial buildings now acting as shops and cafes.
Looming high above the square is El Panecillo hill. On top of the hill is the Virgin of Quito statue which can seen from many parts of Quito.
Iglesia de San Francisco, Quito 
Virgin of Quito statue above Plaza de San Francisco 
Domes of La Compania de Jesus Church, Quito 
Virgin of Quito statue above colonial buildings 
Virgin of Quito statue above colonial buildings
An interesting neighbourhood is Guapulo. Narrow colourful streets and stairs take you down the hill to reach this interesting artist neighbourhood. On the walk downhill we had a great view of Church of Guapulo with its round domed roofs.
Guapulo, Quito 
Iglesia de Guapulo, Quito
Cuenca
Cuenca is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Ecuador, and for good reason. It is easy to spend a few days strolling along the cobblestone streets admiring the gorgeous Spanish colonial buildings. This area is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the amount of incredible architecture in the historical centre. Each street seems to lead to one of the many colonial churches in the city.
San Francisco Church, Cuenca 
Iglesia San Sebastian, Cuenca 
Colonial building, Cuenca
Parque Calderon is the main square in downtown Cuenca and is a great spot to people watch. The park is often filled with locals meeting with friends on one of the many parks benches. In addition to this local atmosphere it is bordered by some of the most magnificent architecture. At one end of Parque Calderon is The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception of Cuenca, known as New Cathedral. It is most recognizable for its large blue and white domes poking up from the centre. Construction began on the cathedral in 1885 and lasted for almost a century.
The other sides of the park are lined by lovely stone historical buildings completing the park’s allure.
New Cathedral in Parque Calderon, Cuenca 
New Cathedral in Parque Calderon, Cuenca 
Domes of the New Cathedral, Cuenca 
New Cathedral, Cuenca 
Colonial building, Cuenca 
Colonial building, Cuenca
We were in Cuenca on Christmas Eve when the whole town takes part in the Pase del Niño parade. Spectators came dressed in their best traditional Ecuadorian outfits. The parade was lively with the expected Christian costumes and decorations, but also many traditional dancers and musicians.
Local family dressed up for the parade, Cuenca 
Pase del Niño parade, Cuenca 
Pase del Niño parade, Cuenca 
Pase del Niño parade, Cuenca 
Christmas Eve celebration, Cuenca
Ingapirca
Built on a lovely hillside in the Southern Sierras, Ingapirca is one of Ecuador’s only Inca ruins. It was built over a pre-Incan Canari village and there is a mix of both building styles at the site. It is easy to distinguish the typical Inca style with smooth rocks and seamless joints from the more rustic looking Canari walls.
It’s a small site, but since it’s close to Cuenca it makes a nice day trip. There are very few tourists so you can enjoy the site at your own pace.
Ingapirca 
Ingapirca 
Recreation of a building, Ingapirca 
Typical doorway, Ingapirca 
Local lady, Ingapirca
The main feature is the Temple of Sun which sits on the edge of a steep ravine. It’s a large sun-dial structure that is the only one of its kind in the Incan empire. This temple was apparently not only used as a calendar, but also for sacrificial rituals.
Temple of the Sun, Ingapirca 
Temple of the Sun, Ingapirca
There’s a small hike outside of the park where we found another typical Incan landmark. Cara del Inca is a large face of a god on the side of a mountain. It was thought to protect Ingapirca.
Cara del Inca, Ingapirca
Riobamba (2764 meters)
Located halfway between Cuenca and Quito, Riobamba is a great city to use as your hub for hiking Ecuador’s Mount Chimborazo. We spent an overnight in Riobamba in between climbing Cotopaxi and Chimborazo. It was New Year’s Eve so most places were closed but we were treated to a vibrant parade. Ecuadorians love parades, but in Riobamba they take to another level having close to one parade a month. For New Year’s Eve, colourful performers dress in elaborate costumes and danced along the parade route. It had a very festive atmosphere.
New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba 
New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba 
New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba 
New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba 
New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba 
New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba 
Colonial building, Riobamba
At night people carried effigies made of old clothes and adorned with masks. They represent the outgoing year and the custom is to burn these effigies at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Locals believe it will help them make a fresh start to the new year.
Another interesting New Year tradition in Riobamba is for men to dress as women and call themselves “widows”. They say they are mourning the past year and can be seen in the parade and on the streets. When we were leaving Riobamba a group of these ‘widows’ stopped traffic. We watched as they approached each car asking for a donation. Our guide was prepared and had a jar full of small change that he handed out. It was a fun tradition to witness.
‘Widows’, New Year’s Eve parade, Riobamba
Coming Next: Seven Summits – Climbing Aconcagua
For extra pictures from Ecuador click here. For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
Monkey's Tale 
Great post 😁
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Thank you so much 🙂
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Beautiful architecture, countryside and people. Thanks for sharing. Allan
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Thanks Allan, Ecuador is a special place. It’s not very large, but has so many different things to offer.
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Wow, your shots are really amazing 😍
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Thank you so much!!
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Ecuador is such a fascinating country. We really enjoyed our trip there 2 years ago. 3 weeks was not enough time! Highlights for us were the Basilica Del Voto Nacional, climbing up inside the church spires and be rewarded with a great city view. We Loved the Otavalo Market and Termas Papallactas outside of Quito. Did you make it to the Galapagos? It was a huge bucket list item for us and the best part of our trip. Your photos and post are wonderful!
Cheers!
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Thank you! We loved Ecuador too! We were in Galapagos for over a week both on an island tour and diving it was amazing. But between that and our hiking we didn’t spend as much time enjoying the cities and towns. We’ll have to go back 😊
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I can only agree with you, downtown Quito is a beautiful colonial city to visit with so much local colour. However, the altitude may require some time to adapt. Thank you for showing me less known but equally interesting destinations.
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You brought me back to an unforgettable trip I took to Ecuador back in 1989. I really enjoyed roaming around Quito, and especially as you pointed out, around the Plaza de San Fransisco. The nighttime photo of the cathedral is especially beautiful. I remember liking Riobamba too, but didn’t see a parade. It must have been so thrilling to be there during the holiday celebrations. I recall enjoying Otavalo and its busy market as well.
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Ecuador is a country that I could easily return for another trip. We didn’t get to see as much of the country because we of the climbing we did. I’d love to see Otavalo and return to Quito and Cuenca. We felt so lucky to see the parades and festivals as they are so different from Christmas here. Glad we brought back those memories!
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Oh how much I enjoyed reading this post and scrolling over those colorful photos! Ecuador has been overshadowed by other South American countries, and because of that I’ve always been curious about this country. And the best thing is you went there during festivity season, so you could see those parades.
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Thanks Bama! We love Ecuador, it has everything – architecture, mountains, beautiful culture and the Galapagos. It’s people/culture are similar to Peru, they are very kind and generous. We were very lucky to be able to see the local festivals. You should definitely keep it in mind for a future trip.
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Only the old city in Quito has become quite dangerous. We stayed at the “Gran Gringo” hostel there in 1980 and there was no problem, but 20 years later the hotel receptionist (different hotel: the Gran Gringo had long since closed) told us not to go out at night, too dangerous. We moved to the “New Town”. Otavalo was my favorite in Ecuador, but overall the country is one of my favorites on that continent, since it is small and you can quickly travel to the mountains, jungle, coast, etc.
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It wasn’t dangerous when we were there – 3 years ago. We walked at night in the Old Town area and it was fine. We didn’t get to Otavalo, between the Galapagos and climbing, we didn’t have any time left. I agree, Ecuador is one of my favourites too. Maggie
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Well, it is about 20 years since I was last there, so I guess it has changed again.
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I loved looking at your photos. Felt that old familiar twang of wanderlust. It’s good to dream!
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Glad we could take you on a ‘vacation’. 🙂
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Love your post. I enjoy your writing style it transports me to far away places (to me, anyways) so beautifully. Thank you. Keep on 😊❤🙏
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Thank you so much Suzette! Especially now, we do need to be transported far away. Thanks for your kind words. Maggie
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My pleasure❤🙏
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So colorful. And that face in the mountain – I couldn’t stop looking at it!
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I know, supposedly the face natural, but it seems to good to not have at least been enhanced.
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Interesting photos!
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Thank you so much!
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Great presentation of Quito! Love your images, I find Quito is a charming city 🙂
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Stunning photos (as always), and a really interesting collection of architectural styles. To me, the buildings you’ve shown seem just as beautiful as the countryside.
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I agree, the buildings are lovely and they’re mostly very well looked after as are the streets, parks etc.
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Nice blog
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Thank you!
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How can you even choose a favourite, they all are so beautiful! I can easily see why in recent years South American country of Ecuador has attracted many visitors to its borders. its grand colonial structures are stunning but sois diverse geography and age-old traditions. Thanks for sharing and taking me on yet another amazing journey with you. Hard to believe we won’t be able to go places any time soon. Take care Aiva
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Ecuador really has it all – gorgeous historical architecture, mountains, and Galapagos! I think they are really struggling with the pandemic right now as they aren’t a wealthy nation. Hopefully you can get there one day. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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Very interesting. It looks like Spain.
Thank you for the excursion.
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Yes, the architecture is obviously based on Spanish styles which makes these cities so pretty. Some photos do look like they could be in Spain. Thanks for reading! Maggie
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