Quito
Entertainment

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Quito and its surroundings offer a wide range of choices for entertainment, which guarantee you a good time either alone or in company.

On Avenida 6 de Diciembre and Patria you will find an important gallery of modern art in the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana, which exhibits works by Ecuadorian artists. On weekends, at the nearby Feria de Exposiciones Artesanales del Parque El Ejido, you will find a wide variety of Ecuadorian handicrafts. A little further towards the south, in the border of the historical center, you can visit La Iglesia del Belén, a very old church which has an image of Christ by Caspicara, important sculptor and painter of the colonial period. In front of this is the El Churo de la Alameda, a spiral-shaped construction from the beginning of the 20th-century, which was one of the main viewpoints in the city. From here, head to Avenida 12 de Octubre, just a few blocks away, where you can hop on a bus that will take you to the Mitad del Mundo area. There you will find Balneario de Granilandia with green spaces, games for children, swimming pools for adults and kids, and restaurant services.

Another interesting destination, towards the Guayllabamba Valley, is the beautiful city Zoo, with species from all over Ecuador. You will see, for instance, a variety of birds from the coast, the mountains and the east, as well as the anteojo bear from the Andes, and the condor, symbol of Ecuador. A more active alternative to pass the afternoon is ice skating at the Vía Ventura, a modern complex on the way to Tumbaco, which also has pool tables, a bowling alley, food court and cinema.

Returning from any of these diversions, go to the Parque de La Carolina, in the north of the city, which has a playground, boats and bike tracks.

To enjoy Quito’s nighttime entertainment, you might begin with a movie. For this you have two alternatives: Multicines del CCI, a modern eight auditorium complex featuring the latest releases, and the Octaedro, a small and cozy cultural theater which shows movie classics. Both are located in the north of the city. Alternatively, you could try more traditional entertainment by checking out the Ballet Folclórico Jacchigua, which performs colorful folk dances at the Hotel Aeropuerto.

Later on, there are several options for having a drink: Café Libro, a cultural café, with literary circles and live shows in the north side, Pobre Diablo, with photography exhibitions, good music and snacks of chopped steak, plantain, corn and other typical Ecuadorian ingredients, located in the central-north area, or the elegant ambience of Pims, a more intimate cafe-bar.

When it comes to partying the night away, you can choose between the San Antonio de Cabeza, an exclusive place located in the residential area of the north, Papillón, in the night club area of the central-north, Zulu, also in the north and a good place to listen and dance to electronic sounds, and Mack’s Entertainment in the south of the city, which plays many different kinds of music, from tropical to electronic, classic to contemporary.