If you only visit one museum in Ecuador, make it this one. Even if you're not an avid museum visitor, it's easy to spend an hour or two getting lost in the maze of exhibits, from ancient artifacts to contemporary paintings.

There are five main sections in the museum: Perhaps the best known is the Sala Arqueología, which features artifacts from all over the country stretching back to precolombian times. Some of the home exhibits taken from ancient tribes - tools, decorated plates and furniture, etc - are particularly interesting if you have visited or plan to visit any of Ecuador's indigenous communities, where they still use similar objects and imagery today.

Other areas are the Sala de Oro, which has a good collection of gold objects from before colonisation, The Sala de Arte Colonial, the Sala de Arte Republicano and the Sala de Arte Contemporáneo, each with a good cross-section of work from it's respective period.

All five areas are very well laid out, with explanations in English and Spanish alongside each display. At $1.50 for as long as you want to stay, there's really no excuse to miss it.

Location:
12 de Octubre y Patria
La Mariscal, Quito, Ecuador

Museum

Price Description: $1.50 - $2

Relative price: Budget

Open Hours from:Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Open Hours to:Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Days Closed:Monday. Christmas, New Years and Good Friday

Travel Skills: None

Contact Information:
Phone: 593-2-222-3259

Academia Latinoamericana - Learn Spanish in Quito, Ecuador All levels. The most effective methods. University credit through New Mexico State University. Reasonable rates & more www.latinoschools.com

4 & 5** Custom & Scheduled Tours by www.SouthAmerica.travel Create your own travel itinerary with our custom Travel Planner, or choose from one of our 100s of carefully designed itineraries. Special escorted departures. SouthAmerica.travel

Reviews

Traveler Reviews of Museo Nacional del Banco Central del Ecuador

Very Informative

I really enjoyed this museum. It has such a large quantity of things to see, I think I was there for over two hours! Anyone in Quito needs to go to this Museum.

Traveler from Minnesota, USA on Jun 01, 2007

Great Museum, very interesting

I really liked this museum, it was fascinating. Plan to spend a good couple of hours here - there is a huge amount to see.

Traveler from London, UK on Feb 08, 2006

Would definitely visit the museum again!

Amazingly beautiful. Museum very well laid out and easily navigated. Astounding displays.

Traveler from Wisconsin, USA on Jan 24, 2006