CITY LINE + PAPALLACTA HOT SPRINGS I 2 DAYS / 1 NIGHT | FROM $520

Quito - Iglesia de la Compañía - Panecillo - Intiñan Museum - Papallacta Hot Springs

Our tour begins at approximately 8:00 AM at the designated meeting point. We will first visit the Basilica del Voto Nacional, a neogothic religious building in Quito's historic center. Known for its impressive size and style, it was considered the largest neogothic temple in the Americas and the tallest religious temple in Hispanic America until 2017. It is located in the Santa Prisca sector, at the intersection of Carchi and Venezuela streets, next to the Oblate Fathers' convent.

Next, we will head to the historic center and visit Plaza Grande, the main square of the capital, the political and historical center of Ecuador, and the symbolic seat of the President of Ecuador. Located at 2818 m.a.s.l. (9,245 ft.), its main feature is the Independence Monument, dedicated to the heroes of the August 10th, 1809 independence movement, known as the First Cry of Independence in Spanish America.

We will then visit the Iglesia de la Compañía, one of the city's major tourist attractions and an invaluable artistic and economic heritage for the country. You will be able to enter the church and appreciate its rich architecture and interior decoration, entirely covered in gold leaf.

Following this, we will visit San Francisco Plaza, the largest square in Quito's historic center, dominated by the impressive façade of the San Francisco Church and Convent. This area has been a significant urban landmark since colonial times, with its central fountain providing water to residents for centuries.

We will conclude our historic center tour with a visit to the Panecillo, a natural elevation at 3,000 m.a.s.l. (9,842 ft.). It is the city's most important natural viewpoint, offering a panoramic view of Quito's urban layout, from the historic center to the northern and southern extremes. The Panecillo is crowned by a giant aluminum sculpture, the Virgin of Quito, created by Spanish artist Agustín de la Herrán Matorras, based on a work by Bernardo de Legarda, a prominent representative of the Quito School.

At around 12:30 PM, we will head to a typical restaurant in the historic center for a delicious lunch. At approximately 2:30 PM, we will arrive at Mitad del Mundo, an iconic site in Ecuador, as the country is named after the Equator, the imaginary line dividing the planet into the northern and southern hemispheres. Here, you can visit the Intiñan Museum, offering an interactive tour showcasing the history of our ancestral peoples and the magnificent effects of the sun in our solar cylinder. Travel back in time through century-old huts, discover and understand the Earth's physical phenomena with our didactic examples, and observe the sun's path (Intiñan) in the Acoratene.

In the afternoon, we will take the road towards Baeza to reach Termas Papallacta, where we will rest for the night in preparation for the next day's adventures.

Included: accommodation at Termas Papallacta in a Standard Double Room and lunch.

Not included: breakfast and dinner.