jenneepoo

Hello! We're off to Ecuador in about a month, and have been reading lots of travel blogs. In too many of these blogs, the writers reference having been mugged in Quito. I've seen so many of these posts that I'm getting nervous about being in Quito, and we'll be there for a few nights.
My question: Does anyone have an opinion on just how dangerous Quito currently is? I live in a big city, been to many other big cities, I know the normal dos and don'ts, but I'm kinda freaked about all the horror stories. Anyone been lately and have thoughts/opinions on the topic?
Thanks a bunch!

glover

We used Quito as a base for two weeks in Ecuador this July - staying altogether maybe 4 nights there. Always at the Hotel Santa Barbara (a lovely hotel quite reasonably priced) in the La Floresta area. We walked from the hotel to restaurants in the New City (about 6 blocks or so)- in the very early eve when it was not yet dark and there were still many people about. Another eve we were trying to find a restaurant several blocks behind Sofitel Hotel and I admit to being a litte freaked by how rather dark and empty of people it looked back there. ...

One eve when we were going to go (fairly early) to a restaurant within about 8 blocks of hotel, Gloria, the very wonderful staffer at Santa Barbara, advised a cab - noting it would be safer. We noticed that at that restaurant, as well as at others that were quite well publicized, we were among very, very few diners. This may not be true of Old Town, where we didn't end up spending any evenings or dining. We got the impression not many people went out for dinner at night. . . though never really knew.

We got a lot of different opinions on this issue from locals. One local cab driver told us (and I had read same some place) "the city is much safer now. The govt. has worked to make it so for tourists. Not enough tourists know this."

On the other hand, another private driver we had looked at us like we were nuts when we told him we'd walked down "the back way" from one of the well known restaurants on the hill (the one with the statue, have forgotten name). This was after lunch, so broad day light. A walk that had been suggested by one of our travel books. Yet this driver thought it not a good idea.

So those are just the impressions we had. Having said that, we certainly didn't feel threatened. We live in DC, so just exercised normal caution we would in big city.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

I feel reasonably safe in Quito, but I always take a taxi at night, even if I'm going just a few blocks.

The Old City is safer than it used to be. There seem to be a lot more police about, and I know the city government is making a concerted effort to make that area more safe and inviting at night. Still, I'd never think of going anywhere there on foot at night if I were walking any farther than from the Plaza Grande to one of the big hotels just off the square.

Things have become dicier at night in the New City, especially in the La Mariscal district. Everyone calls that neighborhood "Gringolandia." If you're going out at night, have your hotel get a taxi for you. When you're ready to leave, have the restaurant or bar get a taxi for you. Taxis are cheap. The meter drops at something like 35 cents. It's good insurance.

The hill that glover mentioned is the Panecillo. Day or night, you should take a taxi up, have the driver wait for you, then take a taxi down. You're perfectly fine at the top, but the way up and down is not safe for walking.

Quito is a wonderful city. Don't let this freak you out, but do take some precautions.

Javelina

We heard tons of horror stories before we went, and we were pretty freaked out. When we went 3 years ago, we played it safe and we were fine.

One of the things that freaked me out were all the horror stories about people getting their bags slashed, so I got a PacSafe pack (you can google it). It has a wire mesh built in so it can't be slashed, great product!

Here is my review of Ecuador, I put a bunch of safety tips in it.
http://www0.epinions.com/review/trvl...t_297806302852

pnb

We just spent 10 days in Quito and I honestly was not afraid. We walked around the old town with no problem, walked in the shopping malls, etc.

That being said, you should still be safe. We took cabs everywhere and didn't walk around at night.

While we had no problems, crime is still a problem. My husband has family in Quito and his cousin's cell phone was stolen right out of her pocket near San Francisco. There were lots of people around, it was a gathering of many schools in the city. From what we heard, cell phones are a hot commodity and are stolen frequently.

mmb23

I just got back from a week in Quito last night, and I was a bit concerned about safety after reading posts here and on trip advisor. We were a party of two 30-something women doing Spanish school and a homestay. Overall, I felt safer than I expected to, though we generally were back at the homestay by 8 pm and then studied/hung out at night. A few tips the school told us on the first day that might help:
1. put your passport in the safe and only carry a copy with you. If for some reason you must have it with you, use a concealed money belt and do not take out the real passport.

2. never carry more than $20 in cash, and try to keep it in two different pockets/places. (Our homestay mother suggested the bra as a great place to stash money--seriously--but we never tried it.)

3. don't carry anything in your knapsack that you aren't willing to lose, and carry it in front of you on the ecovia/buses, in Old Town and Mariscal, and anytime you're in a crowded place.

4. take taxis after dark; taxis with a square posting with numerals on the door are registered, and they recommended only using registered taxis. They also suggested having the restaurant or bar call a taxi for you.

5. keep your wits about you and don't drink too much, especially if you live at a lower elevation and are not fully acclimated to the altitude.

We had no problems, but did hear of two students who were pickpocketed on public transit. Overall, though, we felt safer than expected and had a great trip.

Jeff_Australia

Hello,
I returned from Quito at the end of January. It depends on what you mean by dangerous. If you call being robbed dangerous, yes Quito can be a dangerous place.I spent about 3 months there. From my experience and listening to stories of theft and attacks from the people I studied spanish with, it can be a dangerous place.I know people who had knives pulled upon them so they could be robbed. I know people who had their cameras stolen on the trolley bus. One guy I know went out alone at night in the Mariscal to get a pack of smokes and was attacked by a group of guys - they took his mobile etc. I myself was walking home at about 3.30am in the morning, I had a guy try to attack me. The impression I got was not to walk around in the dark, especially alone, take a taxi if you can. When you go out only take the money you need. After all this though I would not have any problem going back to Quito and really want to, it is a great place, you just have to be weary as you do in any other city.

kayess10

I went to the Galapagos Islands in January - on the way there I stopped in Guayaquil for a few days - in the middle of the afternoon on my second I got in a taxi in the downtown - to go to see a tourist attraction on the outskirts of the city - on the way there the driver took me into a dead end street in a quiet neighborhood where two of his friends were waiting - with a gun - took my camera and lenses, money and a few other items - the desk clerks in the hotel were not i