Plaza Foch Quito| What to expect, Highlights, Pros & Cons
The capital of Ecuador, Quito is a northern city located in the Andean foothills. Sitting at an elevation of over 9000 feet above sea level, Quito is the second highest capital city world wide. The most populated city, it is home to a number of attractions and tourist locales.
Plaza Foch claims the crown of traveling hot spots, acting as the epicenter of nightlife, food, and live events. Although relatively tame and relaxing during the day, Plaza Foch (also known as Foch Square) offers a wide variety of entertainment and excitement to carry you through the night.
Main Attractions in Plaza Foch
As the sun falls, Foch Square comes alive with music, live entertainment, and various cultural events. Your first stop should include one of the traditional Ecuadorian restaurants, with many featuring rooftop seating and delicious tapas. Due to the popularity of Plaza Foch, the dining options are numerous and well worth investigating prior to visiting. The area as a whole can be quite pricey, so be prepared for inflated prices at the bars and eateries.
Progressing past the meals, your nightlife experience continues with a wide selection of bars and clubs. Foch Square is most notorious for its drinking, dancing, and partying, so this can either be a selling point or detractor depending on your idea of excitement.
Although some may say Plaza Foch caters a little too heavily towards tourists, it still boasts an exciting and vibrant nightlife well worth visiting while in Quito.
Walking the Streets of Plaza Foch
Below you can see footage of the various nightlife in Plaza Foch, featuring endless restaurants and bars throughout the bustling city streets. With loud music and a party-like atmosphere, this neighborhood of Quito caters to the young and young at heart.
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Strong Points of Plaza Foch
As mentioned previously, the strong points of Foch Square center around the various nightlife options. However, there are other attractions outside of the partying including live music and entertainment. Home to the Quito Blues Festival, artists flock from all over the world for this yearly music gathering. Held every August, it is a natural host due to the area’s tendency for live shows and performances.
Although relatively hectic at night, heavy police presence can be a comforting sight amidst numerous party goers and drinkers. Due to its popularity, Plaza Foch is extremely accommodating to travelers and promises to never provide a dull moment.
During the day you can experience a calmer side of Plaza Foch with their expansive open-air markets. Artists and craftsmen showcase clothes, jewelry, and other homemade goods throughout an impressive number of street vendors.
Downsides of Plaza Foch
Obviously this area of Quito caters to a younger audience, which is its biggest con when traveling to this location. While this may be the highlight of your trip as a youthful tourist, Plaza Foch is far from family friendly. If you are looking for a calmer atmosphere, visiting during the day can be a great way to experience the area while avoiding the nightly chaos.
Although there are a number of hotels and accommodations, the prices see a pretty steep increase around this area. Obviously this is to be expected in any tourist hot spot, but the restaurants and bars pull no punches when it comes to settling your bill.
Aside from the seemingly endless nightlife options, there aren’t too many other staple attractions in this area. However, if you venture slightly outside this area, Amazon rainforest day trips, tours of the Cotopaxi Volcano, and cable car tours of Quito can all be exciting adventures outside of barhopping.
Final Tips
If going out on the town and dancing the night away is your style of fun, Plaza Foch is a great choice when traveling through Ecuador. Because of the overwhelming number of clubs, bars, and restaurants, investigating which establishments are most appealing to you should be done prior to roaming the streets. Also the “Foch” is the starting point for almost every day trip surrounding the area of Quito (like the Quilotoa Crater).
While there are some day time attractions, Plaza Foch is ultimately a nightlife locale filled with drinking, dancing, and delicious food, so keep that in mind before your next trip.