--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in Guayaquil, Ecuador | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in Guayaquil: the Malecón 2000, the 444 steps of Las Peñas, the iguanas of Parque Seminario, the Parque Histórico, the Aerovía over the Guayas and a crab dinner in Urdesa." url: https://wimup.com/city/guayaquil type: City guide updated: 2026-10-22 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in Guayaquil Guayaquil, Ecuador · South America · By Wimup Editorial, 10 min read Guayaquil is Ecuador's largest city and its port, a hot, humid river town on the west bank of the Guayas. Most travellers pass through on the way to the Galápagos. Give it a day or two and the riverfront, the hill of Las Peñas and the crab houses repay the stop. ## Quick answer Walk the Malecón 2000 from La Rotonda north to Las Peñas, then climb the 444 numbered steps of Cerro Santa Ana to the lighthouse for the view over the Guayas. Spend an hour with the iguanas in Parque Seminario beside the cathedral, give a morning to the Parque Histórico across the river, ride the Aerovía to Durán, and end the day over crab in Urdesa. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep - **Ideal length:** 2 days - **Budget per day:** $60–120 - **Language:** Spanish - **Getting around:** App taxis, Metrovía & walking - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://ecuador.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in Guayaquil ### 1. Walk the Malecón 2000 Landmark · Malecón Simón Bolívar, Guayaquil About 2.5 km of gardens, monuments and river views along the Guayas, from the Mercado Sur to Las Peñas. Walk it early or after five, when the heat drops and families come out, and finish at the north end below Cerro Santa Ana. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Gated, with guards on duty ### 2. Climb Las Peñas and Cerro Santa Ana Neighborhood · Calle Numa Pompilio Llona, Las Peñas The oldest quarter of the city, painted wooden houses stacked up a hill above the river. Climb the 444 numbered steps past cafés and bars to the lighthouse and the chapel at the top, and stay on the numbered stairway. - **Time:** 1–2 hrs - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Sunset - **Tip:** Side alleys are not safe ### 3. See the iguanas of Parque Seminario Park · Chile y 10 de Agosto, Guayaquil A small square park where iguanas, some over a metre long, wander the lawns and doze in the trees around the equestrian statue of Bolívar. The neo-Gothic cathedral stands across the street, so see both together. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Do not feed them ### 4. Spend a morning at the Parque Histórico Museum · Av. Esmeraldas, Entre Ríos, Samborondón Old Guayaquil rebuilt across the Daule: wooden town houses moved here and restored, a cacao hacienda and a wildlife zone of native species. The best single place to understand the city that burned and was rebuilt. - **Time:** 2–3 hrs - **Cost:** Check on arrival - **Best at:** Morning - **Tip:** Taxi from downtown ### 5. Stand at the Hemiciclo de la Rotonda Landmark · Malecón Simón Bolívar y Av. 9 de Octubre The 1938 monument to the meeting of Bolívar and San Martín here in July 1822, the two liberators shaking hands under a colonnade on the river. Walk inland from it along Avenida 9 de Octubre, the city's main boulevard. - **Time:** 20 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** Start of the Malecón walk ### 6. Visit the Museo Municipal Museum · Sucre, entre Chile y Pedro Carbo The city's museum since 1908, covering pre-Columbian cultures, the colonial port and independence. The Shuar tsantsas, shrunken heads held since the early 20th century, are what most people remember. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Weekday morning - **Tip:** Bring photo ID ### 7. Tour the Museo Presley Norton Museum · Av. 9 de Octubre y Carchi Around 8,000 archaeological pieces from the coastal cultures, some dating to 3000 BC, displayed in the Villa Rosa Herlinda, a heritage mansion. It is the clearest account in the city of who lived here before the Spanish. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Afternoon - **Tip:** Pair with 9 de Octubre ### 8. Ride the Aerovía to Durán Landmark · Estación Malecón, Guayaquil The cable car opened in December 2020 to link Guayaquil with Durán across the Guayas, with three stations on the Guayaquil side. Ride it as a commuter does and you get the best moving view of the river and the old centre. - **Time:** 45 min return - **Cost:** Low fare - **Best at:** Late afternoon - **Tip:** Pauses in river alerts ### 9. Eat crab in Urdesa Food · Urdesa Central, Guayaquil Guayaquil eats crab with a wooden mallet, a bib and a cold beer, and Urdesa holds the best-known crab houses. Order the cangrejo criollo or the crab in garlic or coconut sauce, and go in a group. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** $$ - **Best at:** Evening - **Tip:** Go hungry, in a group ### 10. Walk the dry forest at Cerro Blanco Park · Km 16 Vía a la Costa, Guayaquil Some 6,000 hectares of tropical dry forest on the city's western edge, one of the last of its kind on the coast and home to the endangered great green macaw. Trails run from the visitor centre into the hills. - **Time:** Half day - **Cost:** Small fee - **Best at:** Early morning - **Tip:** Weekdays by booking ## Best museums in Guayaquil Five collections beyond the two in the Top 10, from contemporary art on the Malecón to the songs of Julio Jaramillo. 1. **MAAC** (Museum · Malecón y Loja · Malecón 2000): Anthropology and contemporary art at the north end of the Malecón, with a large Manteño collection. Repairs have closed it for long spells, so check first. 2. **Museo Nahim Isaías** (Museum · Pichincha y Clemente Ballén · Centro): Colonial religious art and painting in a downtown building near Plaza de la Administración. Free, with ID at the door. 3. **Museo de la Música Popular Julio Jaramillo** (Museum · Edificio Astillero · Puerto Santa Ana): Photographs, scores and personal objects of the city's great pasillo singer, with a history of Ecuadorian radio. 4. **Barcelona and Emelec museums** (Museum · Edificio Astillero · Puerto Santa Ana): Two football club museums under one roof in the old shipyard building, for the city's fierce derby. 5. **Casa de la Cultura, Núcleo del Guayas** (Cultural centre · 9 de Octubre · Centro): Exhibitions, a cinema and a programme of talks and concerts on Avenida 9 de Octubre. ## Best restaurants in Guayaquil Crab, ceviche and coastal home cooking, mostly in Urdesa and the old centre. 1. **Red Crab** (Seafood · $$ · Urdesa): The city's best-known crab house, with branches in Urdesa and Samborondón. Order the crab in garlic or encocado. 2. **Lo Nuestro** (Ecuadorian · $$ · Urdesa): Ceviche, encebollado and menestra served in an old wooden house with shutters and period furniture. 3. **Picantería La Culata** (Coastal · $ · Centro): Encebollado, bolón and encocados at a casual downtown picantería on General Córdova. 4. **Cocolón** (Ecuadorian · $$ · Kennedy): Modern Ecuadorian cooking in a bright room near the Hilton Colón and Mall del Sol. 5. **La Pepa de Oro** (Ecuadorian · $$ · Centro): The Grand Hotel Guayaquil's restaurant, a reliable stop for Ecuadorian classics a block from the cathedral. 6. **Palo Ceviches** (Ceviche · $ · Urdesa): A casual, modern ceviche bar on the main strip in Urdesa. ## Best bars & cafes in Guayaquil Live music on the steps of Las Peñas, a terrace on the river and the café chain the whole country runs on. 1. **Diva Nicotina** (Bar · Live music · Las Peñas): A small bar at the foot of the Cerro Santa Ana steps that packs out on live-music nights. 2. **La Cueva** (Jazz club · Las Peñas): A jazz club opened in 2025 in a stone cave-like room, where the bar La Paleta used to be. 3. **Puná Terraza Bar** (Bar · Terrace · Puerto Santa Ana): A newer terrace bar on the Puerto Santa Ana waterfront, for a drink over the Guayas. 4. **Sweet & Coffee** (Café · $ · Citywide): Ecuador's home-grown café chain, with good cakes and a branch in most neighbourhoods. ## Best parks & nature in Guayaquil Five places to get out of the heat and the traffic, from orchids on a hillside to a mangrove island. 1. **Jardín Botánico de Guayaquil** (Garden · Las Orquídeas · Norte): Native plants and orchids on the slopes of Cerro Colorado in the north of the city. 2. **Parque Samanes** (Park · Samanes · Norte): A very large city park in the north, with sports fields, lakes and paths along the Daule. 3. **Malecón del Salado** (Promenade · 9 de Octubre · Centro): The second riverfront, on the Estero Salado tidal arm, with walkways and restaurants. 4. **Isla Santay** (Reserve · Río Guayas · Río Guayas): A protected island of mangroves opposite the city. The footbridge from Guayaquil has been shut since a ship struck it in November 2025, so check access. 5. **Parque Centenario** (Square · 9 de Octubre · Centro): The largest square in the centre, on Avenida 9 de Octubre, around the independence column. ## Best markets & shopping in Guayaquil Panama hats, tagua and crab, bought where Guayaquil buys them. 1. **Mercado Artesanal** (Market · Baquerizo Moreno y Loja · Centro): Over a hundred stalls of Panama hats, tagua carvings, textiles and ceramics from all three regions. 2. **La Bahía** (Market · Street · Centro sur): The sprawling street market south of the centre for clothes, electronics and everything else. Keep valuables out of sight. 3. **Mercado Caraguay** (Market · Seafood · Sur): The riverside fish and crab market, where the city's cooks buy at dawn. 4. **Mall del Sol** (Mall · Norte): The largest mall near the airport, air-conditioned and useful for anything you forgot. ## Best neighborhoods in Guayaquil Five districts, each with a different reason to stay. 1. **Las Peñas** (Neighborhood · Old town · Las Peñas): The painted hillside quarter at the end of the Malecón, quiet by day and lively at night. 2. **Centro** (Neighborhood · Downtown · Centro): The grid between the Malecón and Parque Centenario, with the museums, the cathedral and the big hotels. 3. **Puerto Santa Ana** (Neighborhood · Riverfront · Puerto Santa Ana): The regenerated shipyard north of Las Peñas, with riverside towers, museums and bars. 4. **Urdesa** (Neighborhood · Dining · Urdesa): Leafy streets of restaurants and bars around Víctor Emilio Estrada. Where the city eats out. 5. **Samborondón** (Neighborhood · Suburb · Samborondón): Malls, gated suburbs and newer hotels across the Daule, comfortable but car-dependent. ## Best day trips in Guayaquil Mangroves, dolphins, beaches and the high páramo, all within a few hours by road. 1. **Puerto El Morro** (Day trip · About 1.5 hrs · Guayas): Boat trips through the mangrove estuary to see a resident colony of bottlenose dolphins. 2. **Manglares Churute** (Day trip · About 1 hr · Guayas): An ecological reserve of mangroves and dry hills south of the city, with canoe trips. 3. **Playas** (Day trip · About 1.5 hrs · General Villamil): The nearest beach town, about 90 minutes by bus from the Terminal Terrestre. 4. **Salinas** (Day trip · About 2.5 hrs · Santa Elena): The big resort town at the tip of the Santa Elena peninsula, with a long city beach. 5. **Montañita** (Overnight · About 3 hrs · Santa Elena): The surf village up the Ruta del Spondylus, better as an overnight than a day. 6. **Cajas National Park** (Day trip · About 3 hrs · Azuay): Lakes and páramo above 3,000 metres on the road to Cuenca, a long but dramatic day. ## Festivals & annual events in Guayaquil (2026) - **Carnaval** (February or March): Two days of water fights and beach trips. Much of the city heads to the coast. - **Semana Santa** (March or April): Holy Week processions downtown, and fanesca, the Lenten grain soup, on every menu. - **Simón Bolívar's birthday** (24 July): Bolívar was born on 24 July 1783, and the date opens the city's July celebrations. - **Fiestas Julianas** (25 July): The founding of Guayaquil, with a student parade, floats on 9 de Octubre and dance at La Rotonda. - **Raíces** (Late July): The city's big food fair at the Centro de Convenciones, where huecas compete for the top prize. - **Independence of Guayaquil** (9 October): The 1820 independence, marked with parades, concerts and a local holiday. - **Día de los Difuntos** (2 November): Families visit the Cementerio General and drink colada morada with guaguas de pan. - **Años Viejos** (Late December): Hundreds of artisans sell papier-mâché effigies on calle 6 de Marzo, burned at midnight on 31 December. ## Must-try dishes in Guayaquil, Ecuador - **Encebollado**: Tuna, yuca and pickled onion soup, the city's breakfast cure. - **Cangrejo criollo**: Boiled mangrove crab cracked at the table with a mallet. - **Bolón de verde**: A fist of mashed fried plantain with cheese or pork. - **Arroz con menestra y carne asada**: Rice, lentil or bean stew and grilled beef. - **Ceviche de camarón**: Shrimp in lime and tomato, with popcorn and chifles. - **Encocado**: Seafood or crab stewed in coconut milk. - **Seco de chivo**: Goat stewed in naranjilla and beer, served with rice. - **Guatita**: Tripe and potato in a peanut sauce. ## Guayaquil transport & airports - **José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport (GYE)** (GYE): The main gateway for the coast and the Galápagos, about 5 km north of downtown. A taxi to the centre takes around 20 minutes. [Website](https://www.tagsa.aero/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Terminal Terrestre** (Bus): The long-distance bus station beside the airport, with frequent buses to the coast, Cuenca and the rest of the country. - **Metrovía** (BRT): Bus rapid transit on dedicated lanes, four trunk lines through the centre. Fares run 40 to 45 cents, paid by card. - **Aerovía** (Cable car): The cable car from the Malecón to Durán across the Guayas, opened in December 2020. Service pauses when debris drifts on the river. ## Guayaquil at a glance - **Country:** Ecuador - **Region:** Guayas Province, on the west bank of the Guayas River - **Population:** 2.75M in Guayaquil canton (2022 census) - **Founded:** 1538 at its present site, celebrated on 25 July - **Nickname:** La Perla del Pacífico - **Language:** Spanish - **Currency:** US dollar (USD), adopted in 2000 - **Time zone:** UTC-5, no daylight saving - **Calling code:** +593 4 - **Airports:** GYE - **Power:** 120V · Type A & B - **Emergency:** 911 police, ambulance and fire ## Interesting facts - Guayaquil is Ecuador's most populous canton, ahead of the capital, Quito. - Bolívar and San Martín met here in July 1822, and no record of what they said survives. - The city declared independence on 9 October 1820, two years before Pichincha freed Quito. - The monigote effigies burned at New Year trace to a figure drawn by a local cartoonist in 1918. - Cerro Blanco on the city's edge is one of the last coastal dry forests and shelters jaguars. ## Guayaquil travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in Guayaquil? Two. One for the Malecón, Las Peñas, Parque Seminario and the downtown museums, all walkable. The second for the Parque Histórico, the Aerovía and a crab dinner, or a trip out to the mangroves or the coast. ### Is Guayaquil safe for tourists? Guayaquil has had high levels of violent crime in recent years. Keep to the Malecón, Las Peñas, the centre by day and Urdesa, use app taxis, do not walk far after dark, and check your government's travel advice before you go. ### When is the best time to visit Guayaquil? June to November, the dry season, when it is cooler and less humid. December to May is hot and wet, with heavy afternoon rain, but it is also beach season on the coast. ### Is Guayaquil a good base for the Galápagos? Yes. Most Galápagos flights leave from Guayaquil or stop here on the way from Quito, so it is the natural place to spend a night before or after the islands. ### What should I eat in Guayaquil? Encebollado for breakfast, crab for dinner, and a bolón de verde in between. Ceviche de camarón and arroz con menestra are on every menu, and Urdesa is the place for the crab houses. ## Nearby guides - [Cuenca](https://wimup.com/city/cuenca.md): Ecuador · 10 picks - [Quito](https://wimup.com/city/quito.md): Ecuador · 10 picks - [Iquitos](https://wimup.com/city/iquitos.md): Peru · 10 picks - [All of South America →](https://wimup.com/south-america): 32 cities Part of the [Ecuador guide](https://wimup.com/country/ecuador.md) · [South America](https://wimup.com/south-america.md) ## Sources - [Guayaquil tourism board](https://ecuador.travel/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [José Joaquín de Olmedo Airport (GYE) (official site)](https://www.tagsa.aero/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.