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Travel Tips for Quito, Ecuador

The currency of Ecuador is now U.S. dollars. The replacement of the former currency of Sucres was completed on 9th September 2000. Watch out for fraudulent banknotes. Coins are designed for Ecuador and are the same size and weight as U.S. coins. There is also a one-dollar coin unique to Ecuador.

By international standards, Quito airport is small and basic (although major changes are now under way). On arrival at immigration you will be given a tourist visa form valid for up to 90 days. Do not lose this! In the airport international arrivals area there is a small tourist information desk. ATMs that take Visa/Plus and Mastercard/Cirrus are located on the outside of the airport building by the domestic terminal (turn left out of the international arrivals exit).
All taxis are registered and have meters (not always used at night or on Sunday). The fare from the airport to Mariscal is about $5.
The airport tax for international departures is $25 payable after you have checked in. When you depart you may find that paying $10 plus tax for entry to the VIP lounge is worthwhile. You get a BIG lounge, comfortable sofas, use of the telephone for local free calls, free drinks, sandwiches, cable TV, magazines and priority boarding. (Rather better than the spartan facilities for other mortals.)

In Ecuador time is often shown differently. For example, 22h30 is equivalent to 10:30 p.m.

The international telephone dial code for Quito is ++593-2. Note: all six figure numbers in the provinces of Pichincha (includes Quito) and Guayas (includes Guayaquil) are now preceeded by a 2.

Many hotels, restaurants and cafes show their prices without the inclusion of sales tax and service charge. Watch out for this.

I found the people of Ecuador in general and Quito in particular to be outstandingly friendly, kind, hospitable and helpful. When visiting this country one needs to be aware of, and be sympathetic to, the dire economic situation in which many of the population find themselves and to keep a sense of proportion in financial dealings.

WARNING. When you make cash withdrawals from ATMs be sure to keep the printed withdrawal slips, then check your statement when you return home. There have been several reports in the past of some banks deducting a withdrawal twice from an account. It has been reported that Banco de Guayaquil is the main culprit. (It happened to me on an earlier visit.)

The information and prices in this guide are accurate to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing but they could all change tomorrow due to the inflation suffered by Ecuador; asi es la vida.


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