02 Sep 2025
I did the Intrepid Old Town Quito tour with Marcelo. The tour was so informative. Marcelo is very knowledgeable and his English is great. Most of the tour was outside but he did take me to see the museum at the famous San Francisco Basilica at San Francisco Plaza in Quito's Old Town. He also took me to the Mercado Central (central market) and explained the traditional foods, including exotic fruits. I learned about a lot of traditional foods and how they are prepared. I believe most tours don't include this. Marcelo was very knowledgeable about Ecuadoran history and the history of the buildings we were seeing. As I have a particular interest in modern art, he recommended a couple of museums for me to visit. When the tour ended, he explained to me how I could get back to my hotel in central Quito using the fabulous new Quito Metro. The Metro is safe and modern--much nicer than any I've seen in the US. He also recommended a vegetarian restaurant in my neighborhood and told me a safe place to buy some traditional foods (specifically the Ecuadoran corn snacks). I highly recommend Marcelo and this tour.