Ecuador
Quito in March
🌦️ Shoulder (showers)Pleasant and often rainy.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings · compact umbrella or rain jacket
Why March scores 8.8What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort8.4
- ✓Comfortable temperatures (20°C highs / 9°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 10°C)
- !Wet: ~142 mm rain, ~5 heavy-rain days
- Air quality9.7
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~7 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline6.5
- ·Increased caution
| Mar | Jul | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.8 Excellent | 9.3 Excellent |
| Season | 🌦️ Shoulder (showers) | 🌤️ Cool dry season |
| High / low | 20° / 9° | 21° / 8° |
| Rain | 142 mm | 22 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 10° | dew pt 9° |
| PM2.5 | 7 µg/m³ | 8 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Quito weather-station normals. Rainfall: Quito weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMarch 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Good Friday 26–28 Mar · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore QuitoEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyEcuador's high-altitude capital, about 2,850 m up in the Andes, known for its colonial historic centre and as a gateway to the Galápagos and Andean volcanoes.
Semana Santa processionDate variesGood Friday — usually March or April, date moves each year
A large Good Friday procession with purple-robed penitents (cucuruchos).
Why go: Crowded; arrive early to see it pass.
Where: Historic Centre
Coming up later
Fiestas de QuitoDate variesUsually late November to 6 December
Celebrations of the city's founding, with parades, concerts and street parties.
Why go: 6 December is a city holiday; some events are lively at night.
Where: Citywide
Día de los DifuntosEvery year2 November every year
The Day of the Dead, marked by eating colada morada and guaguas de pan.
Why go: Bakeries sell the traditional drink and bread in the weeks before.
Where: Nationwide
Historic Centre
One of the best-preserved colonial centres in Latin America and an early UNESCO World Heritage Site.
💡 The altitude can cause breathlessness; take it easy on the first day.
La Compañía de Jesús
A Jesuit church with an interior covered in gold leaf.
Basílica del Voto Nacional
A neo-Gothic basilica whose towers can be climbed; its gargoyles depict Ecuadorian animals.
TelefériQo
A cable car up the slopes of Pichincha volcano to about 3,900 m.
💡 Go in the morning, before clouds usually roll in.
Mitad del Mundo
A monument and museums at the equator line north of the city.
Cotopaxi National Park
A day trip to one of the world's highest active volcanoes, with walks around the base.
Locro de papa
A creamy potato and cheese soup served with avocado.
💡 Local restaurants
Hornado
Slow-roasted pork served with potato cakes (llapingachos) and salad.
💡 Markets and local eateries
Fanesca
A rich soup of grains, beans and salt cod made only during Holy Week.
💡 Restaurants during Easter week
Empanadas de viento
Large, puffy fried empanadas with cheese, sprinkled with sugar.
💡 Cafes and street stalls
Canelazo
A hot drink of cinnamon, fruit and sugarcane alcohol.
💡 Bars in the old town
Toquilla straw hats
The so-called Panama hats are actually woven in Ecuador.
💡 Hat shops in Quito
Otavalo textiles
Woollen goods, tapestries and embroidery.
💡 Otavalo market, a day trip north of the city
Ecuadorian chocolate
Bean-to-bar chocolate made from local cacao.
💡 Chocolate shops
Tagua carvings
Small figures and jewellery carved from the hard tagua nut.
💡 Craft markets