national museum quito

louised247

This museum takes you through the various developmental stages of Quito and its environs. I particularly liked the old photos which showed Quito when it was still quite small. The size also was just right - not too big and not tiny.

Explorercouple

Nice place to visit with exhibits featuring many of the pre-Columbian tribes including the Incas and other Ecuador/Amazon cultures. The first floor has artifacts and displays from tribal life. The second floor is mostly art depicting the usual Christianity themes. If you have been to Italy and/or Portugal you will find the paintings and other art very familiar. What we enjoyed most were the displays on the first floor. They included human and animal figurines, pieces of pottery, jewelry, tools, arrowheads and more. There are also several well done dioramas to enjoy. It is free to visit the museum and you should probably budget 1 to 2 hours depending on your interest in museums and/or history. Cameras and backpacks are not allowed, bet they offer a free "check-in" service for them.

232irinac

a great Museum, a great journey, a great value is great what you can see. Here inside find can be a great treasure

705stephenh

A concise and well presented history of the region from the beginning of mankind, good displays, helpful commentary and well worth an hour or so of your time if you want a feel for the past.

Radmrjg

The National Museum was very close to the Hilton where we stayed to we went there one morning. We got there shortly after it opened. There were very few visitors -- mostly school groups and their teachers and guides. We spend about one and one half hours in the museum enjoying the displays of pre-Columbian art and other exhibits. It is free and worth spending 1-2 hours.

lovesisrael

This museum had no admission fee!! It was very well set up, and gave us a real background of the country. All captions were in Spanish and English, so it was easy to follow

dougj726

Impressive large, modern, museum covering the city's thousand years of history. Well organized. Wide variety of historical artifacts detailed dioramas, and art from all periods of the country's past. Many items labelled in both Spanish and English. You must check backpacks, etc. at the desk upon entering the museum. Nice little cafe off the lobby. You will often encounter somewhat boisterous school groups on a field trip with their teachers.

DavidinFlorence

There is more here than you can possible absorb, so just enjoy what you can. Also, go around the building to the entrance to the Museum of Modern Art which has some very interesting and arresting works.

Titamargs

This is a very good museum that would be even better with better lighting. Really well covered the early tribal history & beautiful dioramas. It had English translations for most of thedisplays which was really nice. The dioramas were great. Especially liked the exhibits on the history of metal working techniques and the various alloys they used. Was definitely worth the walk in the rain.

Sweetbug

Disappointed that we didn't find any shrunken heads... but aside from that it was great. Take a tour! The guides are great, and you can do it in English for free, you get so much more out of it. Highly recommend not skipping this.

jude077

A superb collection of pre-Colombian artefacts - some fantastic pieces. Free entry. Cafe not open on Sunday. Some of the cases were unlit (I assume the bulbs had gone) which was a little annoying. However plenty of information in English and Spanish. Wished they had spread the collection over the two floors so the pieces could be seen better. The upstairs is a not very interesting collection of Spanish religious works which look very banal in comparison to the pieces downstairs.

jocelyns970

Free entry too! Allow 1 1/2-2 hrs, there's a lot to see. There is also a colonial religious art section upstairs.

Globe_trot_a_lot

Great, free, museum in the center of the city -- tours are given in very clearly spoken Spanish. Unknown if anything is available in English.

abhijitg2015

The collection of indigenous artifacts at the National museum weaves a comprehensive history of the rich Andean heritage -- both technological and cultural -- that seems to me critical for a rapidly modernizing world to understand and thereby to appreciate how much our past has shaped the world we now live in. Excellent displays and descriptions. Kept me occupied for over four hours.

jacqui3744

Follow the numbers on the cases (I didn't!) To follow the history of Ecuador.Good models of how people lived, lots of ceramics and some stunning Gold & other metal decorations Takes you from early man's settlement to the rise of Independance.Free entry. Gift shop & cafe were closedGreat potential, worth an hour of your time