Quito Old Town, Cable Car & Equator tour with guide

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/27

Duration7h–8h

GroupUp to 20

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

Explore Ecuador’s capital with a local guide, private rides, and crowd-free comfort

A full-day shared tour of Quito starting at 9 a.m. from La Pradera neighborhood, combining the cable car at Pichincha Volcano, the Intiñan Solar Museum at the equator, and a guided walk through the colonial old town with its baroque churches and Independence Plaza. Private transportation and a certified guide in English or Spanish are included; the tour finishes around 4:30 p.m.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Quito sightseeing and cable car tour

Meet guide at La Pradera neighborhood
Ride cable car to Pichincha Volcano summit
Visit Intiñan Museum at equator line
View Middle of the World Monument from road
Walk through Quito's Independence Square
Explore Quito Old Town on foot
Visit Cathedral, Archbishop's palace, and La Ronda
Tour Church and Convent of San Francisco

The Experience

Pickup happens at 9 a.m. outside Hotel Casa Q. in La Pradera, and the first stop is the cable car at the foothills of Pichincha Volcano. The 15-minute ride climbs from 3,045 meters to 4,100 meters above sea level, opening up views of the eastern valleys, old town, and the north and south of Quito spread below. On the way down, the landscape shifts as you head northwest toward the Intiñan Solar Museum, which sits at the exact equator line—0 degrees, 0 minutes and 0 seconds—marking the division between the northern and southern hemispheres as established by the French Geodesic Mission in the 18th century.

At the Intiñan Museum, a specialist guide walks you through displays of Ecuador's different ethnic groups and their lifestyles. The museum's main draw is the chance to stand with both feet on the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time and photograph it. On the return toward Quito, you pass the Equatorial Monument, built between 1979 and 1982, visible from the road. The afternoon moves into the colonial center, where the walk takes you through Independence Plaza—the site of many revolutionary battles in Ecuador's history—and past the Cathedral, the Archbishop's palace, and the Church of the Society of Jesus, a summit of Latin American Baroque style. You'll also see the neighborhood of La Ronda and the Church and Convent of San Francisco, built in 1540.

What’s included

Private transportation throughout the day.
certified tour guide in English or Spanish.
visits to the cable car at Pichincha Volcano, the Intiñan Solar Museum, Independence Plaza, and the colonial churches and neighborhoods of Quito's old town.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ecuador Best Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want a full day covering Quito's main sights with private transport between stops and a guide leading the way—bring comfortable shoes for afternoon walking through the old town, as the cable car and museum visits keep the rest low-impact.