The cities of Quito and Cuenca represent the very best of urban Ecuador - two historic cities nestled in the Andes Mountains. Quito was the very first UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site for its beautiful and well-preserved historic colonial center. Cuenca was also subsequently designated as a World Heritage Site in 1999 for its equally well-preserved colonial center.
While Quito is the cosmopolitan capital city of Ecuador, perched on the equator line and combining a thriving new town alongside its historic center, Cuenca is a tranquil colonial jewel in the south of the country. Both contain a wealth of fine musuems, galleries, churches, plazas, botanical gardens, and other tourist attractions.
In addition there are many options for day tours from both Quito and Cuenca that explore the volcanos, national parks, traditional towns, crafts-producing communities, thermal springs, and other attractions. While you can easily spend at least a week in each of these marvelous cities, you may not have that much time. Email us for suggestions of how to put together a package to fill the time you have available.
Click on the options below to explore each of these cities in more detail.