The Quito Stopover Guide
Two nights at 2,850 m, and you already knew what to do with them.
Almost everyone who sleeps here is on their way to the Galápagos or the Amazon. This is everything we tell those guests before they arrive — written by the people who run the house, not by a travel agency.
Your trip, by elevation metres above sea level
Every guide below is tagged with its elevation and how long it takes from our front door — because with two or three nights, those are the only two numbers that decide anything.
Start here
The twelve things worth reading before you land
Ordered by what causes the most trouble, not by what photographs best.
08:17departure Getting there
Quito to the Galápagos: the whole flight, explained
Airlines, the two airports, the INGALA transit card, the park fee, the SICGAL inspection — and why the early flight is worth the early alarm.
Read now 19°C water Before you goWhat to pack — and what to buy in Quito first
The water is not tropical. What biosecurity will take off you at the airport, and the things that cost three times more once you land.
Read now 2,850metres Your first dayLanding at 2,850 m: your first 24 hours
What altitude actually feels like, what to skip on day one, and how to be fine by the time your Galápagos flight leaves.
Read now 45km away Getting thereThe airport is not around the corner
Mariscal Sucre sits 45 km from the Old Town. Taxi, transfer or bus, what each costs, and what to do about a 3 a.m. arrival.
Read now 48hours Itineraries48 and 72 hours in Quito
Two finished itineraries, both starting on foot from our door in San Blas. Pick one and stop planning.
Read now 4,864metres Day tripsCotopaxi in a day
One of the highest active volcanoes on earth, two hours away. Honest advice on whether to attempt the refuge on your second day at altitude.
Read now SATthe big day Day tripsOtavalo, and why Saturday matters
South America's largest indigenous market. It runs daily, but Saturday is a different animal — plan your stopover around it if you can.
Read now 1,250metres Day tripsMindo: 1,600 m down into the cloud forest
Hummingbirds, waterfalls, bean-to-bar chocolate, and thick warm air. The best possible antidote to a rough first night at altitude.
Read now 3,900metres Day tripsQuilotoa: the crater lake
A long day for a very short look at something unforgettable. We'll tell you honestly whether it fits into a two-night stay.
Read now 9rooms Where to sleepWhere to stay in Quito
Old Town, La Mariscal or Cumbayá — an honest comparison of the neighbourhoods, including the case against the one we're in.
Read now ∞options ToursTours in Quito
The trips we actually run and the guides we actually trust — booked at the front desk, adjusted around your Galápagos flight.
Read now 220metres The AmazonCuyabeno: four days in the Amazon, starting at our door
Our own trip into the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve — the night bus, the canoe, the lodge, and what four days at 220 m feel like after a week at altitude.
Read nowNine rooms, one 1914 house
The guide is free. The room is better booked direct.
Lower rate than any travel site, breakfast included, and a front desk that will actually rearrange your day when the Galápagos flight moves.
See our best dealsEverything else
The details nobody tells you until you're already here
Open only what you need. Tap a heading to expand it.
When to visit Quito
Two seasons, not four, and twelve hours of daylight every day of the year.
The best time to visit the Galápagos
The wildlife calendar month by month, and the one real deadline.
Cruise or land-based?
What a cruise buys you, and why island hopping is not the cheap option.
Enough Spanish to be treated well
Twenty phrases, and the Kichwa words Ecuadorians use every day.
The walk down, step by step
Three hours from our door to the Plaza Grande, all of it downhill.
Which churches are worth the ticket
Two to pay for, one to climb, and several to walk past.
The museums worth your morning
The best one is not the one on the tourist map.
Where to photograph Quito
Six viewpoints, and why golden hour here lasts twenty minutes.
Quito after dark
La Ronda is a Thursday-to-Saturday street. Nobody warns you.
Going somewhere with no signal
Save as PDFTake the whole guide with you
There is no mobile signal in the Cuyabeno and very little on Cotopaxi. Save the guide as a PDF now and read it on the canoe.
Address, map, departure time and what to bring. Save it to your phone before you lose signal.
Download meeting point infoCuyabeno meeting point
You checked out at noon. The bus leaves at 11 p.m.
Casona 1914 is the Quito departure point for the Cuyabeno. If you're staying somewhere else and have eleven hours to fill with your luggage in tow, take a Day Use room with us instead of dragging a suitcase around the Old Town.
- RoomA private room until you leave — hot shower, a real bed, somewhere to change
- BagsSecure luggage storage, so the afternoon is yours
- BaseTen minutes on foot from the Plaza Grande — explore, come back, rest, then walk downstairs to the bus
- ReturnIt works in reverse too: land from the Galápagos at three, fly home at midnight
Gran Colombia N11-274 y Briceño · San Blas, Quito
Stay where the guide was written.
Nine rooms in a restored 1914 townhouse, ten minutes on foot from the Plaza Grande. Book direct for our lowest rate.
See our best deals See the nine roomsWhat booking direct actually gets you
- —The lowest rate we're allowed to publish, guaranteed
- —Breakfast included, served early enough for a 6 a.m. flight
- —Free cancellation, and a real person who moves your dates
- —Luggage kept safe while you're in the Galápagos or the Amazon
Updated July 2026
CASONA 1914
Quito Stopover Guide
Av. Gran Colombia N11-274 y Briceño · San Blas, Quito, Ecuador
WhatsApp +593 XX XXX XXXX · hotelcasona1914.com
Book direct, lowest rate: hotelcasona1914.com/best-deals-here