While wandering around colonial Quito, you'll probably pass through the Plaza Grande several times. Its benches are great for soaking up the Andean morning sun and watching the bustle all around. On Monday, the changing of the guards takes place on the plaza at 11am.
The white building on the plaza’s northwest side with the national flag flying atop is the Palacio de Gobierno, the seat of the Ecuadorian presidency. On the southwest side stands Quito’s cathedral.
On the northeast side of the plaza, the Palacio Arzobispal, a former archbishop’s palace, is now a colonnaded row of small shops and restaurants.