Quito Old Town: Small Group Cacao & Chocolate Tasting Walk

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.95 (83 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/15

Duration2h–3h

GroupUp to 7

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk Quito’s old streets, taste cacao, hear legends & church bells

You’ll walk Quito’s Old Town with a small group and local guide, weaving through plazas and churches while hearing stories you’d never find online. Taste traditional candies and real Ecuadorian chocolate along the way — plus there’s time for questions or just people-watching on Independence Plaza. This tour leaves you with more than photos; it sticks with you long after.

2h–3h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Quito Old Town and taste cacao

Visit Basilica of the National Vow
See Military Forces Palace history
Enter Archbishop's Palace
Walk around Independence Plaza
Visit Cathedral of Quito
Explore San Francisco Church
Taste traditional candies and sweets
Enjoy chocolate tasting

The Experience

I nearly tripped over a cobblestone right outside the Basilica of the National Vow — not my most graceful start, but honestly, I was too busy gawking at those spiky towers to care. Our guide, Andrés, laughed and told us about the iguana gargoyles (I didn’t even notice them at first), and then he explained how this is actually the tallest church in Ecuador. He pointed out a tiny crack in one of the stones — apparently there’s a whole legend about it that locals whisper about. The air felt thinner than I expected; maybe that’s just Quito’s altitude or maybe I was nervous to say “basilica” in Spanish without butchering it.

We wandered down toward Independence Plaza, and suddenly everything got louder — shoe shiners calling out, school kids darting around in uniforms, someone selling sweet-smelling candied peanuts from a cart. Andrés stopped us by the Archbishop’s Palace and let us peek inside at these wild velvet chairs (so much gold trim). He told us stories about bishops and Spanish governors like they were old neighbors. At one point he paused and asked if we wanted to try some traditional candies — I grabbed something sticky and purple that tasted like flowers and sugar. Not what I expected but oddly comforting.

The best bit? That moment inside San Francisco Church when the afternoon light hit all the gold leaf just so — for a second everyone went quiet. It smelled faintly of incense and old wood. Later we ended up tasting proper Ecuadorian chocolate near La Ronda street. The first bite was almost bitter, then suddenly it bloomed into this deep, earthy flavor. Andrés said real cacao is supposed to surprise you like that. I still think about that taste sometimes when I’m stuck in traffic back home.

What’s included

Your afternoon includes walking with an English-speaking local guide through Quito’s historic center, entry into several iconic churches (with optional paid entry to basilica’s main temple), stops for traditional candies along bustling streets, plus a real Ecuadorian chocolate tasting before you finish up — all in a relaxed small group setting where you can ask anything or just soak up city life as it happens around you.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Ayllu Tour