Quito: The Best Photo Spots
Quito’s altitude works in a photographer’s favor: thinner air usually means clearer light, and the city’s setting between Andean volcanoes gives even simple street shots a dramatic backdrop.
1. The TelefériQo summit. The cable car climbs from around 2,950 to 4,050 meters on Pichincha’s slopes, and the view from the top station over the entire Quito valley, with snow-capped volcanoes on the horizon on a clear day, is the single best panorama near the city. Go in the morning; afternoon cloud usually rolls in and closes the view down.
2. El Panecillo at sunset. The winged Virgin statue and the panorama over the Old Town’s rooftops are best in the last hour of light. Take a taxi up rather than walking; the route has a real mugging history even though the summit itself is safe and patrolled.
3. The Basílica del Voto Nacional’s towers. Climbing the steep stairs and ladders inside gets you level with gargoyles carved as Galápagos iguanas and tortoises, plus a rooftop view over the Old Town’s colonial roofline that most visitors never see.
4. Plaza Grande. The main square, framed by the presidential palace, the cathedral, and colonial arcades, is the classic Old Town shot, and it photographs differently at different hours as the light moves across the surrounding facades.
5. La Compañía de Jesús, exterior and interior. The carved stone facade is striking on its own, and the gold-leaf interior, an exact quantity that’s genuinely disputed, so don’t expect a hard number from any guide, is one of the most photographed church interiors in South America.
6. La Ronda in the early evening. The colonial lane’s lanterns and cobblestones photograph best just after dusk, while there’s still enough foot traffic and light to make the street feel alive. Stick to the lit main street.
7. Mitad del Mundo, with the context. The famous equator monument makes for a fun photo, but it actually sits about 240 meters off the true GPS line; the real equator is next door at Museo Intiñan. Shoot both if you want the full, slightly absurd story rather than just the one iconic shot.
Read more: for the fuller list of sights behind these photo spots, see our things to do guide, and for the Old Town’s deeper history, our Quito Old Town piece.