Tag: colonial

Itinerary: 2 days in Quito

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Quito is Ecuador’s capital. It sits high up in the mountains and has beautiful colonial architecture in a serene setting. It’s likely you will spend a day or two here if you are going anywhere else in Ecuador so take your time, enjoy it, it doesn’t feel like a big city until you see the urban jungle sprawled out from high up Vulcan Pinchincha.

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away:

Quito has multiple connections to many other locations in Ecuador and beyond as big cities do. We arrived in Quito via Otavalo (3 hours by bus to the North Terminal) and left on a bus to Banos (4 hours by bus from the South Terminal). The distances in Ecuador are refreshingly short after Colombia.

Note: Both regional bus stations are approximately 30 minutes from Centro Historico in opposite directions. Make sure you know which one you will need to take a bus from and taxi to the correct one (The taxi should cost approximately 7 dollars). Quitumbe is the South Terminal and Carcelen is the North Terminal.

Accommodation:

 I recommend Community Hostel in Quito – they have a great vibe, organise lots of activities and serve up a wonderful breakfast! You can book through booking.com.

Food:

Enjoy the great free breakfast at the hostel, look for a restaurant that does a cheap ‘Almuerzo’ set menu for lunch and then you can splash out on dinner. Calle La Rhonda has nice restaurants and bars.

Top Tips:

  1. Despite using USD Ecuadorian coins are unique to the country and useless outside of Ecuador so try to use your coins up as tips etc.
  2. Centro Historico (and many other parts of Quito) are not safe at night. Be careful – wander in the daytime and at night stick to lighted streets and get restaurants to call a taxi home for you. 

DAY 1

If its a clear day, take a taxi to the TelerifiQuo which is the cable car up to Vulcan Pinchincha (swap your mornings around if the weather is bad as you need a nice clear day for this). The Telerifiquo opens at 8am, costs approx $9 USD and takes 10 minutes to reach the top. The cable car offers beautiful views over the city and there are a few photo opportunities – a swing looking out over the city and some tame llamas. You can also do a hike right up to the top of the volcano (be aware you will need to allow a few extra hours if you are going to do this hike and only go if the weather is very calm – the conditions can get dangerous up this high).

Spend the afternoon in the old city. Spots of interest include:

  1. La Iglesia de Santo Domingo (a church in the distinct ‘Quito school’ architectural style)
  2. Museo de la Ciudad which details the history of Ecuador
  3. Plaza de San Franscisco
  4. Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus
  5. Plaza Grande
  6. Basilica de Voto Nacional
  7. La Casa de La Moneda (a money museum)
  8. Calle La Rhonda (picturesque street)

Once you have toured all the key landmarks in the historical center head back to Calle La Rhonda for the evening as at night this street comes alive with food, artisans, games and music. The street itself is safe so you can wander up and down enjoying the atmosphere and get dinner and drinks.

DAY 2

 In the morning, get up early and wander the Mercado Central to experience the morning hustle and bustle and then taxi to Capilla del Hombre Art Gallery. This gallery explores the suffering of indigenous and poor people in Ecuador and the building overlooks the city. Allow 2 hours to explore here. Entry includes a free tour in English. From here, you can have a wander around the La Floresta neighbourhood which is filled with art galleries and eateries and stop for lunch.

In the afternoon, head to Mitad del Mundo. You can get transport here from Community Hostel whether or not you are staying here – the transport will take you to both main ecuator sites. Although neither site is exactly on the ecuator its still a fun trip and photo spot. Take your passport as you can get it stamped with a souvenir stamp here.

Erika xx

Cartagena Photo Essay

If you would like practical tips on visiting Cartagena – please see my post on this part of Colombia here.

The old town of Cartagena, despite being the most visited and only truly touristy part of Colombia – remains one of the most beautiful, romantic and fascinating cities in the world. Give me Cartagena over Paris any day.

sdr

Magical right?

Erika xx

Itinerary: 4 days in Cartagena and its surrounds

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to book a stay I may earn a commission at no cost to you

Cartagena is a city of contrasts between old and new, wealth and poverty, old-fashioned and edgy. But most of all its beautiful, romantic and fascinating.

GENERAL INFO

Getting there and away: Cartagena has flights and trains connecting it with all the main centres in Colombia. We arrived in Cartagena via overnight bus from Santa Marta (approx. 6 hours, 40,000 COP – the last bus is at 10pm).

We left Cartagena on a flight to Medellin (I have also taken the bus between Cartagena and Medellin and that is a loooong journey but perfectly manageable if you have the time).

Accommodation: We stayed at Hotel Leyendas del Mar which was located in the Getsemani area and nice enough but note that it does not have a 24 hour reception (not great when arriving in Cartagena in the early hours of the morning). I always recommend checking current deals on booking.com as the best value hotels change constantly particularly in places like Cartagena and its a great site for specifying preferences for a specific stay ie. breakfast included or luggage storage.

Food: I don’t really need to recommend any specific food locations here – Cartagena has plenty of decent food spots. Don’t expect amazing local food – but there are some really nice restaurants if you have the cash to splash and the standard of food everywhere is good. Lots of international options.

The only MUST TRY I have for Cartagena is the coffee. I don’t mean any special brewed luxury coffee in a cafe. I mean the street coffee. In Cartagena I live off the street coffee. You will locate it as soon as you get there. There are men wandering around all the streets of the old city with coffee in these big thermoses they carry around with them. Its served black and very sweet in a little plastic cup and its so cheap. The stuff is addictive. I have tried to re-create it. I can’t.

Top Tip: Don’t underestimate how fulfilling it is just wandering around in Cartagena and don’t forget to allow time for this. All of the charm of this city is found in exploring haphazardly with no idea where you are going.

DAY 1

On your first day in Cartagena, head down to the port and take a boat to Playa Blanca. It is exactly what it sounds like – an island slightly off the coast of Colombia that it is possible to visit in a day trip with a white sand beach and lots of facilities for tourists such as cocktails, beach massage, deck chairs for rent and places to eat.

Its a nice place to while away the day and enjoy Colombia’s Caribbean coastline as the beaches in Cartagena itself aren’t worth going to. Eat some fresh fried seafood and sip a cocktail on the beach for a day.

DAY 2

Take a tour to Cartagena’s Mud Volcano – this is quite far out of town and you will find tours available online – half and full day tours. The full day tours include another excursion and most tours include lunch. Mud is meant to have healing properties and the mud volcano is set up as a crude ‘spa’ – you can get a massage in the volcano covered in mud and then wash off in the nearby river.

If you have time after arriving back from the Mud Volcano I suggest checking out the Getsemani neighbourhood and the street art on Calle de la Sierpe – this is an edgy, artsy neighbourhood just outside the walls of the old city.

DAY 3

Bright and early on Day 3, head down to the port again and take a pre-arranged boat to La Casa en el Agua. Check out my full post on La Casa en el Agua here.

DAY 4

The boat back from La Casa en el Agua arrives back 2pm. Spend the rest of your 4th day in Cartagena wandering in the walled city.


If you prefer to have a destination or you have extra time, you can visit the Castillo San Felipe or the Inquisition museum. Make sure to head up onto the walls of the old city for sunset and watch from Cafe del Mar which has a view over the water (get there early for seats by the edge of the wall).

Erika xx