At the Basilica del Voto Nacional in Quito, Ecuador, US$2 buys you a ticket to see parts of a church you may never have seen, and might not ever get to see, including the insides of the ceiling and the clock and bell towers. The basilica is lovely, and it's worth a stroll through the quiet, wax-scented interior for a look at the gilded iconography in the twenty-four chapels. This is free.
Afterwards, any acrophobics in your party should wait in the church, or perhaps head up to the café on the third floor for some refreshment, while those who are comfortable with extreme heights get down to business.
A Unique View: Climb Inside the Basilica’s Clock Tower, Bell Tower, and Ceiling
From the top of the ordinary stairs on the third floor, visitors can climb a winding metal staircase to the inside of the clock tower, where it’s possible to walk around a narrow and not entirely sturdy walkway to see the inner workings of the clock and a small photo exhibit.
From there you can keep going up, climbing increasingly narrow metal ladders out through the roof and into the inside of the bell tower. (Don’t be caught off guard when the bell tolls on the hour - it's loud when you're standing right underneath it!) From the bell tower and the chambers above it, you can peer out from the ornate openings to see stunning views of Quito, including El Panecillo ("Little Bread Loaf"), the famous 200-meter high hill, topped with a statue of the winged Virgen de Quito.
When you've had your fill of the bell tower, you can descend back down and cross to the other side - you'll be walking through the eerie open space between the ceiling and the roof of the church, several stories above the center aisle. The walkway is a narrow wooden path with rope handrails that bounces dramatically if multiple people walk on it at once. The plain gray stone below, sifted with black grit blown in by a chilly wind, is a sharp contrast to the warm, gilded interior just below you.
Quito Basilica’s Unusual Gargoyles
Once up the ladder and outside, you can visit another tower, and clamber around the roof for an up-close view of the basilica's gargoyles. These gargoyles represent animals indigenous to Ecuador, so rather than your typical frightening gargoyle creatures, you'll see giant turtles, anteaters and sloths.
Details: Visiting the Basilica, One of Quito’s Top Attractions
The Basilica is located on Venezuela Street, near the Plaza de la Independencia. If you're staying in Quito’s Old Town (a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site), you've probably already glimpsed the Basilica's neo-gothic spires stretching past your neighbors' roofs and into the sky. If you're staying in the New Town's trendy Mariscal Sucre neighborhood, you'll have to take a taxi or trole to the Basilica. Either way, it's not to be missed.
Caution: At over 2,800 meters/9,180 feet, Quito's elevation is high enough that altitude sickness, while uncommon, is possible. Pay attention to how you feel; you do not want to be surprised by a bout of lightheadedness while climbing down a narrow ladder on the outside of a church tower.
The Basilica is open to the public from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.
Read about more top sights in Ecuador.
Megan Lyles - Megan Lyles is a native New Yorker who has traveled extensively in the United States, Eastern and Western Europe, South and Southest Asia ...
