Self-Launched Quito Mini Adventure: Volcano Views, Old Town & Craft Beer in 3 Days
3 days · Quito, Ecuador
G Adventures charges £495
No-markup version: ~£146 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of G Adventures' 3-day Quito Mini Adventure, built for solo travellers who'd rather assemble the pieces themselves. You'll do the same big beats — the Teleférico cable car up Volcán Pichincha, a self-guided walk through the UNESCO-listed Old Town (Palacio Arzobispal, La Compañía), a chocolate and coffee tasting, and craft beer at a local pub — but with a hostel bed instead of a group hotel, city buses and the Metro instead of a tour van, and self-bookable tours via GetYourGuide or directly with Quito operators. Days 2 and 3 can be reshuffled freely; everything here is bookable 1-3 days ahead. Costs are approximate per person, based on current budget traveller rates.
Day-by-day
Arrive in Quito — settle into the New Town
Quito (La Mariscal / New Town)
Land at Mariscal Sucre Airport (UIO), which sits ~1 hour north-east of the city near Tababela. The cheapest reliable option is the Aeroservicios airport bus to the old airport terminal in the city (~£6-7 / $8), then a short taxi or bus to your hostel (~£4-5). A taxi direct from the airport taxi desk runs about £24 ($30). Check into a hostel in La Mariscal (New Town) or the edge of the Old Town — this puts you within walking distance of restaurants and a short trolley/Metro ride from the historic centre. Spend the late afternoon orienting yourself: walk Plaza Foch for a feel for the neighbourhood, buy a SIM card (Claro/Movistar, ~£5-10), and sort a transport card for the Metro/trole. Eat dinner at a local comedor or market stall — a set lunch or dinner of soup, rice, plantain and meat runs £3-5. Get an early night to acclimatise; Quito sits at 2,850m and even light activity can leave you puffing.
🚌Aeroservicios airport bus (~£6-7) + short taxi to hostel (~£4-5). Metro/trole single rides ~£0.25.
🛏Hostel dorm in La Mariscal (~£10-14/night)
- →Airport bus to Quito city centre
- →Orientation walk around Plaza Foch and La Mariscal
- →Pick up local SIM card
Volcán Pichincha cable car, Old Town walk & craft beer
Quito (Teleférico + Centro Histórico)
Start early — the Teleférico de Quito cable car up Volcán Pichincha opens around 8-9am and clouds roll in fast. Buy your ticket on arrival (approx £6-7 / $8-9; there's a small discount for foreigners who show a passport at some windows, otherwise just pay full price). Ride to 4,050m for panoramic views over the whole city and the surrounding volcanoes — bring a warm layer, it's cold and windy up there. Note the altitude; take it slow and skip the hike further up the ridge if you're feeling the elevation. Come back down, then catch a taxi (~£3) or the trole to the Centro Histórico. Lunch at a local restaurant — try locro de papa (potato and cheese soup), llapingachos or seco de chivo, roughly £4-6. Then self-guide the Old Town on foot: Plaza Grande, the Presidential Palace exterior, the Palacio Arzobispal's courtyard arcade, and the gold-leaf interior of La Compañía de Jesús (entry ~£4). Add a chocolate and coffee tasting — several small cacao shops around the Old Town offer walk-in tastings from about £8-12; pre-book on GetYourGuide if you want a set time (roughly £15-20 for a guided tasting). Finish with a craft beer flight at one of Quito's microbreweries or pub-bars (Bandido Brewing, Cherusker, or a taproom near La Mariscal) — £5-9. Tipping ~10% in restaurants is customary.
🚌Trole/Metro to the Teleférico area (~£0.25), taxi down to Old Town (~£3), walk everything in the centre, taxi back at night (~£3).
🛏Same hostel, La Mariscal (~£10-14/night, breakfast included at most)
- →Teleférico de Quito cable car to Volcán Pichincha viewpoint (~£7)
- →Self-guided Old Town walk: Plaza Grande, Palacio Arzobispal, La Compañía (~£4 entry)
- →Chocolate and coffee tasting in the Centro Histórico (~£10-15)
- →Craft beer flight at a Quito microbrewery (~£7)
Free day — Cotopaxi volcano or Mindo cloud forest, then onward
Quito → Cotopaxi / Mindo → Quito
Check out early and stash your bag at the hostel (most hold luggage free). Use the free day for one big day trip — book the night before via GetYourGuide, Klook, or directly with a Quito agency. Option A: Cotopaxi National Park full-day tour, roughly £35-50 with transport, guide and park entry — typically a 7am start, a hike to the José Rivas refuge at ~4,800m (weather-dependent), and a drive to the Limpiopungo lagoon. Option B: Mindo Cloud Forest on your own — take a bus from Quitumbe or Ofelia terminal (~2 hours, ~£2-3 each way) and pay for tubing, the Mariposario butterfly farm and the Tarabita cable car as you go, roughly £25-35 all in. Option C: stay local — a City Tour plus the Mitad del Mundo equator line monument (half-day, £15-25). Return to Quito by late afternoon, grab a final meal, and head to the airport by Aeroservicios bus + walk or taxi (~£10 total), or stay an extra hostel night if your flight is early. If you're kicking on to another leg of a longer trip, this is the point to link up with your next destination rather than joining a group.
🚌Cotopaxi tour transport included (~£35-50 all-in) OR public bus to Mindo (~£5-6 return) + local transport; airport bus ~£7 for departure.
🛏Not included on departure day (add a hostel night ~£10-14 if needed)
- →Cotopaxi National Park day tour (~£35-50) or Mindo cloud forest DIY (~£25-35) or Quito city tour + Mitad del Mundo (~£15-25)
- →Optional: luggage storage at hostel (usually free)
- →Final meal in La Mariscal (~£5-8)
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£146 | £495 |
| Duration | 3 days | 3 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £349 per person (71%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£146
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Self-Launched Quito Mini Adventure: Volcano Views, Old Town & Craft Beer in 3 Days cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £146 per person for 3 days in Quito, Ecuador. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £495 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £146 — a saving of roughly £349 (71%) per person.
How long is the Quito, Ecuador trip?+
This itinerary runs 3 days, covering 3 day-by-day stops through Quito, Ecuador.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a city-breaks, culture, foodie trip through Quito, Ecuador, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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