Quito Museums Private Tour: Guayasamín & Central Bank

Two museums, one morning: see how Ecuador's art tells its story

A private tour of Quito's art museums starting from your hotel, with an English-speaking guide and entry to both the Guayasamín Museum and the Central Bank Museum. You begin at the Guayasamín Museum on Bellavista hill, where Oswaldo Guayasamín's modern and contemporary work fills the Capilla del Hombre building he designed. Then you move to the Central Bank Museum to walk through rooms of pre-Inca tools and ceramics, colonial religious art from the Quiteña school, and republican-era paintings reflecting Ecuador's independence struggles.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Quito's top art museums

• Start tour at hotel at 9:00 am
• Visit Guayasamin Museum at Bellavista hill
• Explore la Capilla del Hombre building
• Optional lunch at local restaurant
• Visit Central Bank Museum
• See pre-Inca archaeological exhibits
• View Quiteña Art school collection
• Explore republican art exhibition
• Return to hotel

The experience

Guayasamín Museum sits on Bellavista hill, Quito's natural viewpoint, and holds the private collection of Ecuador's most important twentieth-century painter. The Capilla del Hombre (a building Guayasamín dreamed of for years but only saw begin before his death) now houses his modern and contemporary work. This is where the tour opens, and it's the reason the museum is known as Ecuador's best modern art space. Your guide will walk you through the collection and explain how Guayasamín worked across the world before returning to build this museum.

The Central Bank Museum comes next, and it moves backward through time instead of forward. The first room holds pre-Inca artifacts: stone and obsidian tools that grow more elaborate as you move deeper into the display, replaced by intricate ceramics from later periods. The second room covers the Spanish conquest and the Quiteña Art school: a fusion of Spanish Catholic imagery and indigenous mythology that produced some of the most detailed colonial religious paintings in South America. The final room shows republican art from the independence era, when political upheaval shaped what artists made. By the end, you've traced Ecuador's history through the objects and paintings that survived it.

The tour runs four to six hours from your hotel pickup at 9am and includes private transportation, bottled water, and entry to both museums. Your guide speaks English and will answer questions about what you're seeing. If you want lunch at a local restaurant, let the operator know in advance and it can be arranged after the Guayasamín Museum.

What’s included

• Private transportation from your hotel.
• bottled water.
• an English-speaking certified guide.
• entry tickets to both the Guayasamín Museum and the Central Bank Museum.

Before you book

Days and timesTuesday to SaturdayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to4h before

AgesAdult (19 to 65 years) · Senior (66 to 80 years) · Youth (12 to 18 years) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 37 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Guide Ecuador Travel

Is this one for you?Your guide speaks English, so you'll follow the commentary without translation or a separate audio device. The private format means the tour moves at your pace and the guide can answer questions as they come up.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 18 years); Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3).

What will I see at the Guayasamín Museum?

The Guayasamín Museum holds Oswaldo Guayasamín's private art collection, displayed in the Capilla del Hombre building he designed. The museum focuses on his modern and contemporary work and is considered Ecuador's finest modern art space.

How does the Central Bank Museum organize its exhibits?

The Central Bank Museum moves through three periods of Ecuadorian history: pre-Inca cultures with stone tools and ceramics; the colonial era and the Quiteña Art school, which blended Spanish Catholic and indigenous imagery; and republican art from the independence period.

What time does the tour start and how long does it take?

The tour starts at 9am from your hotel and runs four to six hours, including both museum visits and private transportation between them.

Is lunch included in this tour?

Lunch is not included, but you can arrange a meal at a local restaurant after the Guayasamín Museum if you let the operator know in advance.