“Quito One Day Itinerary: Hidden Cafés, Rooftop Dinners & Golden Churches”
🕔 05:00–07:00 | Andes Dawn, A City of Bells and Mist
I welcomed the morning at Casa Gangotena, a charming boutique hotel located at the heart of Quito's old town, right on San Francisco Square. This 19th-century mansion, now elegantly remodeled, features high ceilings, colonial-style furniture, and graceful balconies. Outside the window, I could see domed rooftops in Baroque style and the quiet square below.
The sound of church bells floated through the mist, and the windows were still fogged up like a trace left by the breath of the night. As I pulled back the curtains, a brisk morning breeze swept in, cool and refreshing. The morning mist looked as if clouds had descended from the sky and were now perching softly upon the rooftops. True to the early morning, birds quietly sang as they stretched into the day.
🕖 07:00–09:00 | A Cup of Tea Beneath the Basilica
To reach the Basilica del Voto Nacional, I had to walk through colonial-era buildings and cobblestone streets. Each step echoed behind me, like a shadow gently following my footsteps. This basilica is famous for its Gothic design reminiscent of medieval Europe, but its exterior is uniquely adorned with animal carvings like iguanas and condors instead of traditional gargoyles.
Pigeons flitted through rays of sunlight in front of the basilica, some perched upon ledges throughout the structure. As I followed the red-brick corridor, sunlight filtered through sheer curtain silhouettes and revealed a cozy space: Café Tianguez. Here, tea made from carefully dried lavender and eucalyptus leaves was served in an elegant ceramic teapot. Its aroma held a hint of Quito’s centuries-old history, each breath a gentle dive into the past.
Outside the cafe window, dogs of all sizes trotted along playfully, their tiny behinds wiggling with each enthusiastic step as they followed their owners. Between large trees, cuckoo birds called out again and again, echoing through the peaceful morning.
🕘 09:00–11:00 | The Museum Where Stones Whisper – Casa del Alabado
A yellow taxi was parked in front of the cathedral square. I told the taxi driver to take me to the Casa del Alabado Museum. It felt like a space where the weight of the past still breathed. This serene place, a restored 17th-century building, was well-designed with a courtyard and stone-columned corridors. Dolls with sun-shaped faces and statues with owl-like eyes quietly stared at me, lined up inside glass display cases. In the center courtyard, there was a large guava tree, and I sat beneath its shade, reflecting on what I had seen in the museum, lost in quiet contemplation.
🕚 11:00–13:00 | A Walk Through the Golden Old Town
I left the museum and headed toward Calle García Moreno. Various flowers, bathed in sunlight, spread their fragrant scent across the street, and I crossed through the busy flow of kindergarten children on a field trip. As I reached the end of the road, La Compañía de Jesús, standing tall and reflecting golden light, came into view. Known as one of the most beautiful Baroque buildings in South America, its interior glowed with 23-carat gold as if snow had quietly fallen inside. As I slowly walked along the crimson carpet that looked as if it had been dyed in bright red, I felt as though I had entered a world of solemn silence and inner meditation, entirely detached from the outside world.
🕐 13:00–15:00 | Lunch at URKO – The Land of Ecuador on a Plate
I took an Uber for about 15 minutes and arrived at URKO Cocina Local, located in the artsy district of La Floresta. This restaurant presents Ecuador’s traditional flavors as a modern course meal. The trout, smoked with eucalyptus, was served in a luxurious-looking ceramic bowl, and brightly colored root vegetables and herbs—red, green, and yellow—were gently wrapped in banana leaves and placed in elegant ceramics. Next came a small dessert made with mango cream shaped like a flower, with a cranberry smoothie hidden among tiny fresh blossoms around it. Every time I brought a bite to my lips with a small, charming spoon, the breath of nature seemed to spread softly in my mouth.
🕒 15:00–17:00 | Silence on the Rooftop, Time to Sip the Clouds
Clouds flowed along the red rooftops, and I walked back to Hotel Casa Gangotena. Climbing up to the rooftop terrace, the gentle sunlight poured down, casting the massive mountains and San Francisco Square below like a painting—piercing everything with its brilliance. I slowly savored a chocolate eucalyptus cocktail. A single edible flower—orange-red with a yellow hue—floated delicately on top.
🕔 17:00–19:00 | Handmade Silence – La Ronda Street
Leaving the hotel, I walked for about 10 minutes to reach La Ronda, a street that lived up to its name as an art district, where the past of poets, musicians, and painters seemed to unfold in a continuous panorama into the present. The street was overflowing with countless handmade crafts and small workshops created by artisans. One young man was diligently making candles shaped like fruit, while an elderly woman was carving a crow from a brittle, black stone that resembled raw mineral. I bought a simple handmade dried fig snack and a mini notebook. The street was filled with the scent of medicinal herbs made from dried trees, and perhaps because tropical fruits were roasted, the air was saturated with the fragrance of tropical fruit.
🕖 19:00–21:00 | Rooftop Dinner, Tranquility Beneath the Light
I went back up to the rooftop restaurant of Casa Gangotena, Casa Gangotena Rooftop Terrace. The city’s nightscape whispered silent conversations through its dense constellation of lights, and I sat at a table quietly watched over by the lantern light hanging from the ceiling. I ordered quinoa with truffle oil and cheese from the Andes. Every moment was as still as the silent, densely lit nightscape. The white wine in my glass shimmered and rippled, reflecting the restaurant and the night view, swirling and merging with the lights. This quiet space approached me like a silent poem, and I slowly savored and sipped from the glass.
🕘 21:00–23:00 | Starlit Bath, The End of the Day
As I turned on the water in the terrace bathtub, the moonlight fell and floated, shimmering along with the water. I added a rose-scented bath salt. I preferred lukewarm water, so I made it slightly cool. I lowered myself into the gently rippling water. It felt as though the scent of Ecuador and the history of Quito seeped into my body through the swaying water. The refreshing, cool water seemed to wash away all the fatigue from my legs and the tightness in my neck and shoulders. Gazing at the clear moon hanging outside the window, I slowly closed my eyes.
🕚 23:00–00:00 | Folding the Day Like Silk
Outside, the air was chilly, perhaps because the mountains and the night had overlapped, so I quickly put on a robe. The lit candle and the thin silk curtain fluttered gently in the breeze. I quietly blew out the candle and returned to bed, pulling the blanket up to my nose and closing my eyes. I whispered softly in my heart, “I won’t forget this day when the past and present of Quito lived and breathed together.”
.jpg)
