FAMOUS MUSEUMSLIST of ECUADOR: 100 EXHIBITS, ADDRESSES, PUBLIC
HOURS: Archeaology, Colonial, Indigenous & contemporary Art, Natural
history.
Musems vary from world class to fun
local museums. For instance, the to non-Latin-Americans
rather unknown liberator is honored in his former
mansion, Casa Sucre. Moreover,
this lovely museum gives you an idea how noble families
lived
in the 18th and 19th centuries. The many archaeological
museums give you a perspective of pre-Colombian history
and makes you realize that there was much more than just
the Incas. When you visit the Botanical garden, the Vivarium,
or one of the zoos, you get to see some of the
highlights of the rainforest, that you usually don't get
to see when in the jungle.
This page listsfamous Ecuadorian museums and
keeps growing:
When visiting Ecuador it is a
must to go and see a few exhibits on Ecuador's
culture, history and nature. But which one to chose????
We help you make a selection by listing most famous museums in
Ecuador.
City tours
are almost daily available. Our
Andes Trek,
Ecuador
program includes the best
National Parks
of Ecuador
in the Andes as well as the famous cultural highlights,
like Quito, Cuenca and Ingapirca. Please contact us
for information,
rates
and bookings.
40+ QUITO MUSEUMS
COMPLETE LIST QUITO
MUSEUMS:
Addresses, Public hours & Theme highlights
Many
of the finest museums in Quito are all within 5 minutes' walks
from each other and the Plaza Central. Some merit at least an hour,
while others are fun for brief 10 - 15 minutes walk-ins. Entry fees
are very moderate, usually between $2 and $3 for adults.
In old
town Quito, several museums are hidden behind inconspicuous entrances.
The regulations of Quito being a cultural World Heritage Site prohibit
the placing of conspicuous boards and redesign of facades. So don't
be mislead by a modest entrance, some of the museums behind a simple
door are world class!
Keep an open eye and appreciate
what you are getting. Some museums are nothing more - and nothing less
- than a mansion or historical house in
Old
Town Quito,
but to appreciate the lives of the colonial upper class, those places
give you a true impression of the history of the country. No sophisticated
mega museum can give you an impression of what life was like when Ecuador
was developing into a nation, as those lovely - but small - museums
are offering. Don't ignore them, pay them a brief visit and let your
mind descend into a past of when Ecuador was gradually entering into
the adulthood of nations.
Dear visitor, our website gives you info about
our
National Parks Tours,
our
Galapagos programs, the
Cuyabeno Loop,
as well as our
Cuyabeno and Cofan Lodges in the Amazon.
For those who want to combine the
Exuberant Nature of Ecuador with the Famous culture of Peru, we even have a
7
days Highlights of Peru extension! Our website
gives you the best information on the internet, because we are the only tour
operator run by professional biologists. Take a look:
OUR PARKS AND TRIBES ECO TOURS
(Scroll down for the full description of the current page)
STANDARD COFAN LODGE TOUR
Start your Cuyabeno journey on
Ecuador's most scenic wide Amazon tributary, the Aguarico River. Spend 3 nights in the Cofan Lodge,
exploring the lower Cuyabeno and Zábalo Rivers.
The Cuyabeno Loop explores
the breathtaking scenery of lower Cuyabeno and Zábalo
Rivers and the Cuyabeno Lake. Watch the amazing birds and
wildlife. Pass 2 nights with the amazing Cofan Indians in
the Cofan Lodge and enjoy 2 nights of comfort in the famous
Cuyabeno Lodge.
The Lagarto Cocha Expedition on hidden
creeks and lakes is the best Amazon journey in Ecuador!
Discover Indian tribes in Ecuador, Monkeys, Sloths,
Dolphins. No other Amazon rainforest in any of the
Amazon-Andean countries can match the wildlife viewing
of Cuyabeno and it is far better than Yasuní!
The Cuyabeno Lake Program
explores all the wild places surrounding the Cuyabeno Lake.
Bonsai-shaped Macrolobia trees with the whispering of the
mysterious prehistoric Hoatzin birds and the noisy Blue and
Yellow Macaws. Our Cuyabeno Lodge is on the best location,
because we were the first and chose the best location on a
seasonal island in the Cuyabeno Lake itself.
Our Northern Andes Tour lets you get a
taste of some of the best Andean National Parks,
visiting the highest groves in the world: the Polylepis
trees, the highest mountain in the world calculated from
the center of the Earth, the Chimborazo with Vecuñas and
Lamas, the highest active volcano in the world, the
Cotopaxi.
Our National Parks Tours take you on a fantastic
journey along the best possible sample of Andean and coastal
parks. They have been designed to complement
Galapagos and/or Amazon cruises. They can start from different places, particularly Quito,
Guayaquil and Cuenca. While the full program lasts 9 days, it is possible to
make a limited selection of parks, like the 6 days' "Andes
and Coast" module.
We have a fabulous selection of Galapagos
programs, including cruises, island hopping, scuba
diving or relaxing on one of the many different hotels
varying from modest inns to deluxe resorts.
A fabulous program for visiting the most
famous cultural highlights Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu and the
Sacred Valley. At the same time it serves as the Lima hub
for the Peru National Parks Tour. This module is an
extension to our National Parks Tour Ecuador and/or Galapagos National Park
and/or Amazon Cruises.
Historical mansion with
exposition dedicated to María Augusta Urrutia, giving an impression
of the lives of the colonial nobility and art of Victor Mideros.
Printing Center dedicated
to the study and development of the art of knowledge of printing, offering
artists a place for production and marketing of their products.
Instituto Ecuatoriano
de Cultura Hispánica
Olmedo Oe5-74 & Benalcazar
9-13
Museum with works of
the Quito School of Art of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, as well
as a library. The colonial mansion also serves for cultural center performances.
Wax museum with historical
moments and figures in the former Quito prison. An interesting historical
building with a restored part of the catacomb that traverse the Plaza
de la Independencia, connecting churches and palaces.
Museo Etnográfico Amazónico
Av. 12 de Octubre 23-116
& Wilson
9-13, 14-17:30
Museum of the seven
Ecuadorian Amazon tribes.
Museo Arqueológico Antonio
Santiana
Av. América & Pérez
Guerrero, Un. Central, Fac. de Filosofía
8-17
Oldest archaeological
museum of Ecuador with 2 exposition rooms and library with publications.
Museo Camilo Egas
Venezuela N9-02 & Esmeraldas
T-F 9-13
Museum in colonial mansion
dedicated to the art works of Camilo Egas.
Ecuadorian restored
train station is both a museum and the departure point for the
Quito - Guyaquil railroad renowned for the Devil's nose pass. The restored
train service became in operation again in 2014.
* Monday - Friday is
not mentioned. If Monday closed: T-F. Saturday (Sa) and Sunday (Su)
closed unless mentioned with different opening hours.
National
Museum of Ecuador
The best museum of Ecuador, is the National Museum of Ecuador
(Click for opening hours), just north of oldtown Quito is famous,
for its golden mask and many other great up-to 5500 year old archaeological objects. All objects are tastefully displayed
with outstanding bilingual explanations in modern glass
showcases, artfully distributed in large modern museum rooms.
The National
Museum of Ecuador and40 Quito musems with addresses, hours
and themes are an absolute must for any visitor to Ecuador. Themes:
Pre-Colombian objects,
Gold Room, Religious Colonial. One needs at least an hour to
briefly wander through the museum, but I have personally visited it several
times, each time discovering some fascinating object I had not noticed before.
The bilingual explanations are excellent, very modern and entry is
totally free (1500+ items).
Professionally
designed and displayed pre-Colombian history of Ecuador. Excellent bi-lingual
texts!
The "gold
Room" displays a collection of some of the most fascinating pre-Colombian
golden jewellery and artefacts.
Particularly
the coast of Ecuador has been studded with pottery.
Often layers
and layers of smithereens, but wonderful in tact graves have also been found
and some beautifully displayed artefacts can be found in the National
Museum Ecuador.
Countless artefacts are displayed in the Archaeological Room.
The museum
shows some fabulous reconstructions of burial sites:
Tastefully
displayed in the Gold Room (Sala del Oro), countless golden artefacts are
displayed in show cases, grave reconstructions and on replica mannequins.
The Colonial
Art room show cases beautiful artefacts from churches and well-to-families.
A "custodia" = Sacred receptacle for keeping a symbolic peace of holy bread
or wafer.
Gold-leaf
covered woodcarving of saint.
Replica on
manequin of golden crown
City Museum
of Quito
City Museum
of Quito (Museo de la Ciudad de Quito) is located in the former Hospital
San Juan de Dios. Its modest $3 entry fee is well worth your money. The
museum gives a great impression about Quito's early days and its history.
Many colonial
scenes are realistically and artfully displayed in the historical building
of the hospital. Well worth a visit. The hospital's beautifully restored
chapel is now primarily used for musical and other living arts performances.
Casa del
Alabado Museum of Pre-Columbian Art
The Casa
del Alabado, Museum of Pre-Columbian Art is a museum in a beautiful
colonial mansion in old town Quito. The museum is dedicated to Ecuadorian
pre-Columbian art and well worth your visit.
Carmen Alto
Convent Museum
The Carmen
Alto Convent has a religious museum with religious paintings and statues.
Beautiful court yard of the convent.
San Francisco
Convent Museum
Better designed
than the previously listed museum, the San Francisco Convent Museum, to
the right of the Church, also houses a collection of religious art pieces
and paintings. Moreover, it gives a great view over the convent's premises
with 2 beautiful patios and a unique view over the church from the otherwise
inaccessible balcony.
Courtyard
San Francisco Convent Museum
Exposition
San Francisco Convent Museum
Sucre Museum
In 1828,
the liberator and first president of Ecuador bought this house as his residence,
but only lived there briefly until he was assassinated in 1830. It is a
beautiful colonial mansion with a collection of weapons and wonderful furniture
of the period. The house gives a splendid impression of how the upper-class
and nobles of the day lived in Quito.
The Sucre
Museum.
The court
yard of the Sucre House.
The living
room of the Sucre family.
The saddle
room of the Sucre House.
Banco Central
Museum
Formerly
the home of the national archaeological collection including the renowned
Golden Sun Mask, the beautiful neoclassical former Banco Central building
is now a monetary museum, which still is worth visiting even though it no
longer has the prestige of its former archaeological collection, even if
if were just for seeing the building interior.
Centro Cultural
Metropolitano
This free
cultural center of Quito in a neo-classical building across the street from
the palace has frequent expositions and is well worth walking in. It has
beautiful court yards and a library.
Above left:
Centro Cultural Metropolitano entrance.
Above right:
Exposition hall.
Left: Court
yard Centro Cultural Metropolitano.
National
Cathedral Museum
The National
Cathedral Museum or Museo Catedral Primada de Quito, is a must as it is
the home of the most beautiful room of Quito, the Sala Capitular, which
I consider the Versailles Ball Room of Quito and a must see. It further
houses a smaller chapel behind the Cathedral, with the Mausoleum of Sucre
and a great collection of religious are. The entrance is little known
and located at Calle Venezuela 3-117 & Espejo.
The inconspicuous
entrance of the National Cathedral Museum.
Quito's "Versailles
Ball Room", the Sala Capitular, the most beautiful room in Quito in one
of the finest museums in Quito, the National Cathedral Museum.
Beautiful
robes and miters of the early bishops of Quito are guarded in the treasure
room.
The Admiral Sucre Mausoleum in
the Chapel of the National Cathedral Museum.
The Chimbacalle
Railroad Station used to be the Quito central railroad station during the
19th and 20th century until the railroad system fell became dysfunctional
in the 80s. In 2008 the government started restoring the
railroad system
of Ecuador into its former glory and since 2014, it is possible again to
ride the fabulous train from Quito to Guayaquil, passing through the Devil's
Nose Pass.
One of the
finest colonial mansions, from the street, the María Augusta Urritia House-Museum
appears rather inconspicuous. Located on the García Moreno street just past
the Jesus Compañía church, this museum is a must to see for a brief walk-in
visit to get an impression on how the upper-class lived in the 19th and
early 20th centuries.
Built in
1873, the Observatory of Quito is the oldest on the continent. Renovated
in 2009, it is both a museum of historical instruments and open to the public
for star gazing on cloudless nights.
The Botanical
Garden of Quito in the Carolina Park has a great selection of incredibly
beautiful native flowers you will have difficulty finding in the wild. A
must for every ecotourist. As they are all within 100m of each other, you
may also enjoy visiting the Museum of Natural History and the amphibians
and reptiles collection at the Vivarium.
A small museum
in a beautiful mansion with colonial art.
Cultural
Center La Casa de Juan Café Sibarí with performing arts.
Aquarelle
Museum of the work of Muñoz Mariño.
A shop on
Plaza San Fransisco, Tianguez has a nice terrace.
The Wax
Museum in Quito in the former city jail not only has historical scenes like the
French Geodesian mission in wax statues, but also some very interesting
catacombs that run under the Plaza Central, connecting palaces and churches.
20 great museums are among the top tourist attractions of Guayaquil,
Ecuador
Museum / cultural center
Opening hours
Address
Theme
Botanical Garden
8-16
Cerro Colorado, Ciudadela
Las Orquideas, Av. Francisco de Orellana
A great place to eat a sandwich while
enjoying some mostly native 700 plant
species in natural landscaping and and greenhouses, as well as a
butterfly house.
Casa de La Cultura including
the Museum of Prehistoric Art, Carlos Zevallos Menéndez
Tu-Fr 10-18 Sa 9-15
Carlos Cevallos Menéndez
de Octubre 1200 ?Avenue and Pedro Moncayo
Archaeological, historical museum with a
good collection of pre-Colombian golden art
artifacts as well as paintings and sculptures from the colonial period.
Friends of Sumpa
Museum
Th-Tu 9-12:30 15-17:30
Vía La Libertad in the town
of Salinas
Archaeological
museum: highlighting the Santa Helena Peninsula cultures.
Anthropological and Contemporary
Art Museum of the Central Bank
8-18 Sa-Su 11-13
José de Antepara and 9 de
Octubre
More than 50,000 archaeological
artifacts,
3,000 modern art artifacts and a library of archaeological, historical and
modern art.
Banco del Pacífico Museum
Tu-Sa 9-18
P. Icaza 133 and Av. Pichincha
Archaeological
artifacts, as well as a permanent exhibition of 19th-century South
American art.
Museo Coronel Felix Luque
Plata
Tu-Sa 10-14
Plaza Colon S/N
Fire Fighters Museum.
Museo Farallón Dillon
8-13
Ballenita
Lighthouse overlooking the
Guayas River.
Francisco Campos Museum
8-12 14:30 -18:30
Campos Lizardo Garcia 225
and Velez
Bae Calderon Historic Museum
Tu-Fr 9-16 Sa-Su 10-14
Cañar & 5 de Junio
A floating museum
of the Ecuadorian Navy.
Museo Miniatura
Malecóm Simon Bolivar
Scenes in miniature about
the history of Guayaquil.
Guayaquil in History Miniature Museum
Malecon boulevard
Historic scenes of Guayaquil.
Municipal Museum of Guayaquil
9-12 15-18
Sucre & Chile
Exhibits of, ethnology,
Archeology, historic documents,
photographs and personal objects of people playing a role in the
independence of the city at the beginning of 19th century.
Popular Music Museum of Guayaquil, Julio Jaramillo
Bottom of Santa Ana Hill
Popular music
museum.
Beer Museum
Bottom of Santa Ana Hill
The history of beer
making.
Footbal Museum
Bottom of Santa Ana Hill
Highlighting the
football teams of Guayaquil.
Admiral Illingworth Marine Museum
8-12:30 14-16
Naval Base, Avenida 25 de Julio y El
Tiburón
The
Gunboat Calderon with which Captain Rafael Moran Valverde, fought in the
battle of Jambeli.
Contemporary Marine Museum
8-12:30 14-16
Marine instruments, weapons,
scale models, pictures and documents showcasing the Navy since 1941.
Presley Norton Museum
Tu-Sa 9-17
9 de Octubre and Carchi
Archaeological museum about the "Life and Customs of the
Settlers of Ancient Ecuador". The objects belong to the periods;
Formative (4200 BC – 500 BC), Regional Development (500 BC – 500 AD) and
Integration (500 AD – 1530 AD).
Nahim Isaias Museum
Mo-Sa 10-17
Clemente Ballen and Pichincha
2nd floor
Paintings, sculptures and other
artifacts from the 15 to the 18 hundreds.
Historic Park
We-Su 9AM–16:30PM
Av Rio Esmeraldas,
Guayaquil 092301, Ecuador
Guayaquil Open Air museum where important historical
buildings of the 19th century have been rebuilt after removal brick by
brick. Great native species zoo in a natural mangrove setting.
El Mongote Real Alto Museum
Su-Fr 9-17 Su 9-16
Carretera to San Linas Chanduy
Archaeological site museum of the real
dig.
Museo Luis A. Noboa Naranjo
Martes-Jueves: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Viernes y Sábados: 9:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Domingo: 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
P. Icaza & General Córdova
Private collection of paintings of the late Ecuadorian
entrepreneur, Luis Noboa Naranjo, representing a sample of the most
important contemporary Ecuadorian painters.