East of the city in the Tumbaco Valley, Cumbayá enjoys a warmer climate. In the last decade, it has become the neighborhood of choice for Quito’s wealthy young families and the ex-pat population. Quality of life is high on the agenda. Large villas and boutique developments house a cosmopolitan population that combine global lifestyles with local community culture.
The colorful tree-lined and graffiti-adorned streets of La Floresta are home to Quito’s liberal, creative crowd. Mid-century villas are interspersed with neighborhood restaurants, studios, shops, universities, and food kiosks.
The chic avenue of handsome residential towers largely built in the second half of the last century has some of the best views west over the city, and east down over Guápulo into the valley of Cumbayá. Restaurants and cafés at street level cater to a sophisticated and urbane crowd.
The 16th century, hilly heart of the colonial capital was the first to be classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Latin America. The cultural heritage of the Old Town is unique and vibrant. At present, the museums, restaurants, and hotels are bustling with tourists and government employees that work in the neighborhood.
This downtown metropolitan district of impressive towers and mixed-use developments takes its name from the leafy recreational park it frames. Combining business and residential, leisure, and pleasure, it is the dynamic heart of contemporary Quito, where the city’s young professionals live, work, and play.
La Mariscal was Quito’s first modern quarter beyond the Old Town. It is home to some of the city’s early 20th century planned streets and modernist architecture, though today it is better known as the backpacker quarter, centered on the bars and hostels of Plaza Foch.
