Parque El Ejido 🇪🇨

Located along Avenue Patria in Quito's Itchimbía neighborhood, Parque El Ejido is the city's third-largest park, offering a vibrant mix of history, culture, and nature. As you wander through its late 19th- and early 20th-century European-style layout, you will discover asymmetrical curved pathways leading to a central circular space connecting the surrounding avenues.

History runs deep here: originally established in 1535 for grazing livestock, it later served as a historic execution ground and the site of 1912's "La Hoguera Bárbara" before officially becoming a public recreational green space in 1922. Today, you can marvel at roughly 1,470 native plant species alongside Quito's highest concentration of heritage trees, including specimens over a century old like yellow trumpetbush, alder, and cedar.

Visit on the weekend to experience a lively open-air gallery along Patria Avenue where local art and handicrafts are exhibited and sold. You can also catch performances by street artists, savor traditional Ecuadorian dishes at an open-air food court operating since the 1960s, or watch locals play traditional sports like ecuavoley and "cocos." Children can enjoy playground equipment like slides, swings, and seesaws, making it a rich stop in the heart of Quito.

What to see at Parque El Ejido

• Weekend open-air art and handicraft gallery along Patria Avenue
• Highest concentration of century-old heritage trees in Quito
• Traditional sports courts for ecuavoley and "cocos" games
• Historic open-air food court serving traditional Ecuadorian dishes since the 1960s

Visiting tips

Visit on the weekend to browse the vibrant open-air art market and watch traditional games of ecuavoley and cocos.

How long: 1-2 hours · Best time: Weekends

How to get there & what’s nearby

Parque El Ejido is easy to reach on Quito’s public transport, and pairs naturally with Cathedral of Quito and Basilica of the National Vow. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Quito travel guide.