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Ecuador · Pichincha

Quito: how to get there and around

Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.

Quito is the capital of Ecuador (Pichincha), 2,854 m (9,364 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), 22 km (14 mi) from the centre. It has 1 railway station on record, including Estación de Tren de Chimbacalle, Quito. Our booking partner lists 947 places to stay.

Key facts

Population2.8 million
Elevation2,854 m (9,364 ft)
Area372 km²
Time zoneAmerica/Guayaquil (UTC-5 now)
CurrencyDollar (USD)
Dialling code+593
Driving sideRight
Plug typesNEMA 1-15, NEMA 5-15
UN/LOCODEECUIO
People are calledQuitonian
Coordinates-0.23, -78.525
Quito

Open Quito in Google Maps

Daylight in Quito runs from about 12 h 9 min a day in late June to 12 h 10 min in late December (computed for -0.23° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.

Getting there

Quito is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), 22 km (14 mi) from the centre, whose 13,445-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Cotopaxi International Airport (LTX, 76 km).

Flights to Quito: every airport, routes and times

By rail: stations on record include Estación de Tren de Chimbacalle, Quito. Trains to Quito

Buses to Quito · Driving and car hire

Where to stay

Our booking partner lists 947 places to stay in Quito. Of the 459 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (218), and 19 are five-star. Across 151 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 9 out of 10. Guests have left 54,891 reviews in total.

Hotels in Quito: the full picture, and book

Our booking partner lists 76 hostels in Quito, out of 947 places to stay of every kind — 8% of everywhere it lists in the city, which puts it in the top tenth of the cities we hold hostel figures for — a well-established backpacker trail. Across 18 hostels with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.8 out of 10, 0.2 below the 9.0 its hotels average. Guests have left 6,780 reviews across them.

Hostels in Quito: the full picture, and book

What people come for

UNESCO World Heritage in the city: Historic Center of Quito.

Tours, tickets and day trips from Quito

Nearby cities, and how to get between them

Twin towns and sister cities: Kraków, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Santo Domingo, Cali, Coral Gables, Buxton, La Paz, Louisville, Taipei, Valparaíso, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Tegucigalpa.

Common questions

Which airport serves Quito?

Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO), 22 km (14 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.

How big is Quito?

About 2.8 million people live in Quito, across 372 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).

What time zone is Quito in?

America/Guayaquil, currently UTC-5.

What currency is used in Quito?

The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.

Are there hostels in Quito?

76 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Quito.

How many hotels are there in Quito?

Our booking partner lists 947 places to stay in Quito, bookable on this site.

Which cities are near Quito?

Guayaquil (266 km), Cuenca (301 km), Santo Domingo de los Colorados (72 km), Pasto (212 km), Ambato (114 km).

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.