27 Mar El Virgen del Panecillo: Best Viewpoint of Quito, Ecuador

Arguably the best viewpoint within the city of Quito, Ecuador is at El Virgen del Panecillo. Here you will find a statue of a winged Virgin Mary standing on top of a globe with a serpent wrapped around her feet. The “Panecillo” part of the name comes from the fact that the hill on which the statue sits is named “El Panecillo”. Spanish conquerors thought the hill looked like a small loaf of bread, and panecillo translates to English as “small piece of bread”. Keep reading below to learn all about how you can access this view as well as additional attractions nearby.

If you are flying all the way to South America to visit Ecuador, then I must at least try to convince you to extend your trip so that you can also visit Peru. Some of my favorite attractions in Peru include Machu Picchu as well as Rainbow Mountain.

Contents:

1) Location of El Virgen del Panecillo

2) Opening Hours and Entrance Fee

3) Best Time to Visit

4) Background

5) Inside and Around El Virgen del Panecillo

6) Yearly / Monthly Events

1) Location of El Virgen del Panecillo

El Virgen del Panecillo is a winged Virgin Mary statue located within the southwestern part of the capital city of Quito, Ecuador. Moreover, it is located on top of a small hill called “El Panecillo”, hence its name.

Looking for a unique attraction just outside of the city? Then head 45 minutes north to Mitad del Mundo. Here you will find the equator line as well as a variety of shops, restaurants, and interactive exhibits.

Parking

If you decide to drive to El Virgen del Panecillo, there are a few parking lots nearby. If you do not find parking at the closest lot to the top of the hill, simply turn around and try parking at the next closest lot a bit down the road. Please keep in mind that it will be more difficult to find a spot on a beautiful weekend afternoon because everyone will be wanting to visit at that time.

View of El Virgen del Panecillo from a distance

Getting to El Virgen del Panecillo

There are a few options concerning how you can arrive at El Virgen del Panecillo. First, you can drive. As mentioned above, there are a few parking lots on the hill of El Panecillo. Second, you can hail a taxi. The total cost for the taxi will depend on from where you are departing. However, you can use an online taxi calculator to help you figure out the cost if you want to estimate a budget. For example, a standard fee might be $1 for the taxi, $1 per kilometer (~0.6 miles), and a few more dollars if you sit in some traffic.

Third, you can use public transportation. Quito has an extensive bus system that runs throughout the entire city, and thus there are multiple stops within a couple of minutes walk from El Virgen del Panecillo. Which bus stop you will arrive at depends from which direction you are coming. Bus fares will only cost you a couple of dollars per day. Fourth, you can walk to the statue at the top of the hill. However, there are a few things to note here. The walk is a bit difficult since you are hiking uphill and the city of Quito has an elevation of 9,350 feet (~2,850 meters). Additionally, a lot of sources online mention it is not safe to hike up or down the hill, mainly due to reports of theft.

Fifth, you can book a Quito bus tour. This might be the most convenient option for you if you want to easily see a few main attractions within the city, including El Virgen del Panecillo, without having to worry about transportation. They offer hop-on hop-off bus tours that last only two and a half hours.

Nearby Airport

The closest international airport to the statue is the Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport. It is located approximately 28 miles (~46 kilometers) northeast. This translates to a 50 minute drive by car or a two and a half hour trip by public transportation.

Proof that you can see El Virgen del Panecillo from almost anywhere in the city

2) Opening Hours and Entrance Fee

You can drive up the hill (aka El Panecillo) to see El Virgen del Panecillo statue and a view of the city of Quito at any time. However, there are certain opening hours if you want to enter the base of the statue, which includes a museum, as well as walk up to the viewpoint within the statue. El Virgen del Panecillo is open Monday through Wednesday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. It is then open Thursday through Sunday from 9:00am to 9:00pm.

There is no entrance fee if you only want to view the statue from the outside. However, there is a $2 entrance fee if you would like to go inside for any reason. For example, you might want to go inside to visit the museum or to head up to a viewpoint. Please also note that Ecuador’s currency is US dollars.

View of Quito from the hill around the statue

3) Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit El Virgen del Panecillo is on a clear day with few clouds in the sky. You will then have the best visibility to see more of the city of Quito in the distance. Unfortunately this means you will just need to keep an eye on the weather. It is possible you will have to adjust when you plan to visit if a storm or cloudy day rolls through.

Moreover, the most crowded visiting times will be on beautiful weekend mornings and afternoons. If you want to avoid crowds, try to plan a visit for a weekday afternoon.

How Much Time Do I Need to Visit El Virgen del Panecillo?

I would recommend you plan around 30 minutes to one hour within your itinerary to visit El Virgen del Panecillo. This will give you enough time to check out the museum as well as the viewpoint within the statue. Additionally, you can admire the architecture and design of the statue itself from outside. However, I recommend you plan a bit more time (another hour or so) if you also want to eat lunch and shop for souvenirs while visiting.

El Virgen del Panecillo on a cloudy day in Quito

4) Background

First and foremost, the statue stands on a hill within the city of Quito known as El Panecillo. El Panecillo translates to something similar to “small piece of bread” in English. The hill has an elevation of 656 feet (~200 meters). However, you might be wondering how the hill received such a unique name. When the Spanish conquerors saw the hill, they thought it looked like a small loaf of bread.

Nevertheless, the hill’s name is Shungoloma in the Quechua language. This translates to “hill of the heart” in English. Previously, the Inca used the hill as a site for worship.

Construction of El Virgen del Panecillo

The local government and authorities began to play with the idea of building a statue on the hill due to its unique location overlooking most of the city of Quito in the 1950s. Construction started a little over a decade later in 1971. The main sculptor of the statue was Agustín de la Herrán Matorras. Agustín was actually located in Madrid at the time, so he built the sculpture in Madrid. How did it end up in Ecuador? Well, they shipped the pieces from Spain to Ecuador by boat. They then constructed the statue one piece at a time once all the pieces arrived in Ecuador. Moreover, the statue is made up of over 7,000 individual pieces.

The inauguration of the statue occurred in 1975. Its final height is 135 feet (~41 meters). That height makes it the largest statue in all of Ecuador. Moreover, it is the tallest aluminum statue on the planet as well as the tallest statue of Virgin Mary with wings. Additionally, it is even taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue that stands in Brazil.

The Basilica del Voto Nacional, which is also located in the capital city of Quito, was undergoing construction at the same time as El Virgen del Panecillo. However, its construction lasted a lot longer, and it is said to be unfinished even today.

Close-up view of El Virgen from its base

Statue Components and Description

El Virgen del Panecillo is a statue of the Virgin of Quito. However, it is also known by a variety of other names. For example, it is also known as the Virgin of the Apocalypse, Dancing Virgin, and Virgin de Legarda.

The statue is actually a replica of a much smaller wooden sculpture created by the artist Bernado de Legarda in the 1730s. You might be wondering why the Virgin Mary has wings in these creations. Wings are included because that is how the Virgin Mary is described as looking in the Apocalypse.

El Virgen del Panecillo thus includes a Virgin Mary with wings. The crown on Mary’s head has 12 stars, which represent the 12 apostles or the 12 tribes of Israel. Additionally, Mary is standing on top of a globe, which represents the world. Lastly, Mary is holding a chain that leads down to a snake, which represents the snake from the Garden of Eden.

Looking out into Quito from the area surrounding the statue

5) Inside and Around El Virgen del Panecillo

When you first enter the base of the statue, you can take some time to explore the museum there. The museum is all about the statue, so you can thus learn information on its meaning, construction, etc. Additionally, there are multiple stained glass windows with different depictions of the Virgin Mary.

While inside the statue, you can also climb a narrow staircase to a viewpoint. The viewpoint is located around the feet of the Virgin Mary, and from there you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city of Quito.

Looking for another beautiful view in Ecuador? Then head to the Swing at the End of the World in Baños. You can enjoy swinging over a cliff’s edge while viewing the stunning scenery of Baños and the Tungurahua volcano.

Another view of the city from El Virgen del Panecillo

Opening Hours and Entrance Fee

Remember, there are restricted visiting hours if you want to go inside the statue to explore the museum or look out over the city from the viewpoint. El Virgen del Panecillo is open Monday through Wednesday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. It is then open Thursday through Sunday from 9:00am to 9:00pm. Additionally, there is an entrance fee of $2 per person.

Additional Attractions Nearby

Not only can you visit a museum and head to a viewpoint within the statue, but you can also quench your hunger and need for souvenirs while at El Virgen del Panecillo. There are a variety of restaurants and food stalls at the top of El Panecillo hill. You can thus stop by one or two for a quick bite to eat. Moreover, there are some shops and souvenir stalls here as well. Be sure to check them out so you can grab something to bring back for friends and family.

El Virgen del Panecillo shining in the sun

6) Yearly / Monthly Events

In addition to the attractions mentioned above, the city also hosts a few events at El Virgen del Panecillo every month / year.

First, they generally set up a giant nativity around the statue at Christmas every year. Second, they hold Holy Mass one Sunday a month in the chapel within the base of the statue. Third, there is the Pilgrimage of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in March of every year. People walk from the Basilica del Voto Nacional to El Virgen del Panecillo.

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Be sure to visit the legendary swing in the town of Baños while in Ecuador: The Swing at the End of the World.

Baños also holds a variety of stunning waterfalls: Pailón del Diablo Waterfall near Baños.