//
You can hike from the upper TelefériQo station to the Guagua Pichincha Volcano, which is active. You should set out from the upper cable car station before 10:30. This is not an easy hike, and there have been reports of robberies. Do your research. Hiring a guide is recommended.
Even if you do not hike the entire path to the volcano, it is worth walking a short distance along those same trails to the first and second viewpoint ("mirador") for amazing city views, and (of course!) a photo opportunity with a giant swing. Use your judgment, but a guide should not be needed to the viewpoints, as other visitors frequently make the same trip and you are unlikely to be alone on that part of the path.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
It's the world's second-highest cable car. It's on the eastern flanks of the Pichincha Volcano which overlooks the whole city. It hoists visitors up to an amazing 4,000 m (12,000 feet). On clear days, you can spot half-a-dozen volcanoes and see the entire city below. The 18-minute cable car trip costs $5.25 for locals, but $9.00 (Dec 2022) for foreigners ($7.00 for children, $6.50 for seniors, and $4.00 for small dogs). There is also an express lane option for more money. Take a taxi to the base of the TelefériQo ($4-6 from La Mariscal) or ask your hotel about buses. Don't let the taxi driver make you pay for parking. They don't pay, so it is just a scam.
A museum about water's role in science and society.
This church dates to 1537 and was devoted to St Francis, since the Franciscan order was the first to settle in the area. Hence the city's official name: San Francisco de Quito. The church contains masterpieces of syncretic art, including the famous "Virgin of Quito" by Legarda. The sculpture represents a winged virgin stepping on the devil's head (in the form of a serpent) and is displayed in the main altar. The virgin would later be inaccurately replicated on top of Panecillo hill. The museum next door to the church is arranged through the monastic compound and includes access to the choir. Next to the choir you can also climb the stairs to enter the bell tower and the church roof, offering great panorama of the square.
Casa del Alabado Museum
The permanent collection is made up of pre-Columbian archaeological pieces, from most societies that once inhabited all regions of what is now Ecuador. The Alabado is organized thematically and not chronologically or geographically to allow visitors to generate their own visual and cultural connections about the pieces, in an innovative cultural framework. The works are displayed beautifully in a restored colonial building just off the Plaza San Francisco. Tours in Spanish, English or French every day, at 10:30, 12:00 and 15:30. Services for visitors with reduced mobility: ramps, lift, bathroom and wheelchair.
Church of the Jesuits
This church is regarded by many as the most beautiful in the Americas. Partially destroyed by fire, it was restored with assistance from the Getty Foundation and other benefactors. Stunning.