First Impressions of Quito Ecuador ¦ Is It Safe To Visit¿

Welcome to Quito, Ecuador, the capital and second biggest city in Ecuador. San Francisco de Quito sits at over 2,800 meters or 9,000 feet above sea level, making it the closest national capital to the sun. With an estimated population of 2.8 million people, this charming city is known for having one of the most beautiful historic centers in all of South America. In this video, I will show you the best things to do in Quito, the best places to eat authentic Equatorian food, and everything you need to know about this beautiful city. Thanks for watching and welcome to Quito. So today, I'm going to be showing you the beautiful city of Quito, Quito, Ecuador, the second highest city in the world. Actually, this is the highest capital city in the world, but La Paz, Bolivia is higher. However, Bolivia is not a capital, so this is technically the highest capital in the world. So if you're planning a trip to Quito or you are curious to see how this city is like, in this video, I'm going to show you the main attractions of the city. I'm going to give you information to plan your trip. I'm going to recommend you places to eat and give you information to give you an idea of how Quito is like. This city is very similar to Bogota. So I was in Bogota a few days ago, and I think it's a little bit similar. The weather is definitely very similar. It's very cloudy, very gray, and the architecture, there's a lot of similarities. So behind me is La Basilica del Voto Nacional, which is the main cathedral in Quito, and I feel like this is one of the symbols of the city. It is located right in the middle of Quito. We just got here. This is the center, the historic center of Quito, and it looks beautiful. By the way, I didn't know this, but Ecuador, the main currency here is the dollar. We just came from Panama, and also in Panama, they use the dollar. In Ecuador, it's the same thing. You don't need to exchange your dollars. People here don't use sucres anymore. They only use the dollar. Some people told us before we came here that we should be careful because it's not that safe. We've been here three days, and so far, we felt quite safe. Apparently, Quito has one of the most beautiful and well-preserved historic centers in all of Latin America. One fun fact is that this is the first city in the world to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Okay guys, so we are about to enter the main church of Quito. This church is very impressive from outside. Look at the architecture. This architecture is neo-gothic, and apparently, it's one of the most beautiful churches in all of South America. We're gonna go inside right now and see how it's like. Come on. Wow. This is La Basilica del Voto Nacional, and it's a Roman Catholic church. Its construction began in 1892, and it was designed by the architect Emilio Tarlier. Almost 100 years later, the temple was finished and opened to the public in 1988. It is the largest neo-gothic basilica in the Americas, and one of the most beautiful temples in all of South America. So, I'm about to try one of the most typical dishes here in Quito, apparently. So, I am at the Central Market, and I asked the ladies what they recommend, and a lot of stalls sell this dish. So, this is called Corvina. It's a fish. It has potatoes, and then on the side, they give you ceviche, and they give you this popcorn. All of this food cost us $8 in total, so it's very affordable. So, if you want to try authentic food in Quito that is cheap and delicious, I recommend coming here. The market looks really clean, like the tables, everything looks very clean. Oh, wow. It's really good. It's very fresh. Now, I'm gonna try the Corvina. Oh, my God. This is actually very, very good. The fish is very tender. It has so much flavor. Wow. I also ordered this drink called Jugo de Guarnabana. Oh, my God. This is so good. It's very fresh. Very fresh. It's not that sweet. It's a little milky, as you can see, and it's amazing. Very good. If you come to Quito and you want to try some local dishes, I recommend you come here. It's very good. Okay, behind me is La Catedral Metropolitana de Quito, which is the main church of the city. It's located in the main square. This is the main square of Quito, and it's beautiful. Something I like about this area is that it's very pedestrian, so most of the streets that surround this square are only for pedestrians, so you can just walk and don't worry about the cars. Another thing that I want to mention is that so far, I've been feeling really safe here. Before I came to Ecuador, a lot of people told me that Ecuador was becoming dangerous, that they should be careful, things like that, but honestly, so far, I can tell you that I have felt really, safe. We walk around the neighborhood, and it feels completely fine. So, as I mentioned before, the historic center of Quito was the first capital city in the world to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and let me tell you, this city has some of the most beautiful temples and churches I've ever seen. They have so many details, so much gold, and they're absolutely amazing. So, now it's time for my favorite part about traveling, which is food. You're probably wondering, what are the best places in Quito to have authentic Ecuadorian food? Well, I'm going to show you my favorite restaurants that I tried on this trip. The first one is this restaurant called La Vid. This restaurant is located right in the heart of Quito, in the main square. This restaurant offers authentic Ecuadorian food, and it was delicious. I highly, highly recommend it. Only a few blocks up, you will find this beautiful hotel called Casa Angotena, which has probably the best rooftop in the city. If you're like me, and you like to have a drink and enjoy a beautiful view, this is definitely a place that you must visit. You can just chill there, and relax, and enjoy one of the most beautiful views in the city. If you want to have an epic meal, I highly recommend you check out this restaurant called Somos Ecuador. This was definitely my favorite restaurant in the city. The food was absolutely amazing. So much flavor, so authentic, and it's a place that I highly, highly recommend you check out if you're visiting Quito. I'm going to give you guys a big tip in case you're traveling abroad and you don't have internet. So on this trip in Ecuador, I don't have internet because I didn't buy a sim card. Usually that's what I do when I travel. I buy a sim card, that way I have internet everywhere I go. But on this trip, I didn't want to do it because I'm going to be here only for two days, so I didn't think it was worth it. So what you can do is you can download the map of the city that you're visiting. That way you have the map on your phone all the time, even if you don't have wi-fi. So that's a very useful tip because believe me, sometimes you get lost and you need to know where you are located. So go to Google Maps, on the menu you press download offline map, and that way you will have that map on your phone all the time, even if you don't have wi-fi. You're welcome. Okay guys, so we just arrived to a place called Mitad del Mundo. This is the middle of the world apparently and it's located 45 minutes away from Quito. So if you want to come here, the easiest way is by Uber. We came here by Uber and the Uber cost $7 approximately. This has been actually one of my favorite places in Quito. It's very beautiful. There's like a replica of a small Ecuadorian town and it's lovely, very very nice. This monument you see right there, that is the middle of the world apparently. However, let me tell you, it's not really the middle of the world. Experts say that this is not accurate. So the actual middle of the world is located somewhere there in the mountain, a little far from here. That's the actual middle of the world, but this is the touristy part. So yeah, if you come to Quito, this is definitely a place that I highly recommend you visit. It's very beautiful and there's lots to do. There's a lot of souvenirs, there's like wine samples and there's a lot of things to do. So highly highly recommend it. We found this beautiful stall that sells typical chocolates from Ecuador. So if you come to the middle of the world, I recommend. I bought the one with maracuyá. It's delicious and we're gonna try wine with berries wine. Wow. So I am in a park called Parque La Carolina. This is a very popular park here in Quito and it's located in the north of the city. Actually, I'm staying very near here. I'm like three blocks away from here because I have a friend that lives here and he told me that this is one of the best areas to stay in the city because it's a very commercial area. There's a lot of shopping malls, there's a lot of cafes, restaurants and it's a beautiful area. So if you're visiting Quito and you want to stay in a nice area, I recommend this area. So this park is called La Carolina and all the area around here is a very good area to stay. So what do you think about Quito? Isn't it beautiful? If you enjoyed this video and you'd like to support this channel, all I ask from you is to give this video a thumbs up. That way you will help this video reach more people and help other travelers. I have lots of videos on the way so make sure you subscribe to this channel if you don't want to miss them. If you'd like to support my work, the easiest way is with a super thanks or Paypal. Thank you very much for watching and I see you guys on my next video. Adios!