Six ways into this guide
Go straight to the question you came with. Each card jumps to its answer.
Lines with a Quito night
Celebrity, Silversea, Lindblad and Ecoventura, from their own pages.
Jump to lines →Baltra or San Cristóbal
Which island your flight lands on depends on the ship.
Jump to destinations →TCT, bag check, check-in
The order you do things at UIO before the flight.
Jump to the counters →Flying into UIO
Taxi, bus, and why the city is a long way off.
Jump to getting here →Twelve hotels, ranked
From the airport shuttles to the old-town mansions.
See the hotels →Starting in Guayaquil
At sea level, and where most Quito flights stop anyway.
See Guayaquil →In brief
A Galápagos cruise from Quito starts with a flight, not a gangway. You fly from Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) to Baltra or San Cristóbal, and the ship’s naturalists take it from there — Celebrity says its guides take you to the ship at Baltra.
Most scheduled flights stop in Guayaquil on the way. Ecoventura says its Sunday Avianca flight lands in Guayaquil and you stay on board; Voyagers says most services route through Guayaquil with a stop of about 40 minutes, and Avianca flies direct to Baltra on select days. Silversea’s charter for Silver Origin skips the stop. Check your own ticket.
The airport is at Tababela, about 18 km east of Quito, per Wikipedia. By road it’s further: Casa Gangotena’s blog puts the old town about 43 km and an hour away, and Diario Expreso says about 40 minutes from the centre-north in normal traffic, up to an hour in heavy traffic. That’s why many people sleep by the airport the night before an early flight, not in the old town.
Then there’s the altitude. Quito sits at about 2,850 m, per Casa Gangotena; the airport is lower, about 2,400 m, per Wikipedia. On a one-night stay, that means taking it slowly — walk at an easy pace, drink more water and go light on alcohol the first evening, as the hotel advises. If you have a heart condition, talk to your doctor before you go.
Entry is simple for Americans: travel.state.gov says a visa is needed only for stays over 90 days in a 12-month period, and your passport must be valid six months beyond arrival. Ecuador is at Level 2, exercise increased caution (issued August 18, 2026). The Level 4 areas are in parts of Guayaquil and nearby Durán, Esmeraldas, El Oro and Los Ríos; Quito isn’t on that list. The same page says robberies have happened in the UIO arrivals area, so use the hotel shuttle or an airport taxi.
Who starts a Galápagos trip in Quito
Deployments change every season, so this roster is dated and sourced. Nobody boards a ship in Quito: these lines start the trip here and fly you out.
Lines we confirmed include these, checked against each line’s own pages on October 18, 2026. Celebrity Cruises includes a coach-class flight from Quito to Baltra and two pre-cruise Quito nights on its 10-night-and-longer cruisetours, with Celebrity Flora and Celebrity Xpedition named; its 10-night Inner Loop meets you at the Quito airport on 18 December 2026, flies you to Baltra on the 20th, and ends with a night at the JW Marriott Quito. Seven-night cruises don’t include the flight. Silversea has flown a charter from Quito to San Cristóbal for Silver Origin guests since 5 July 2025, with pre- and post-cruise hotel stays in Quito, per its press release; its voyage pages say charter flights and hotels are included when the destination requires them. Lindblad Expeditions runs a Galápagos Escape that meets you in Quito for a hotel night; the group flight to Baltra is added at extra cost, on National Geographic Islander II, with Gemini joining in 2027. Its Exploring Galápagos, on National Geographic Endeavour II, also starts and ends in Quito. Ecoventura sells Avianca seats from Quito or Guayaquil to San Cristóbal every Sunday, and asks you to arrive in Ecuador at least a night ahead; it doesn’t include a hotel.
Sources, read October 18, 2026: celebritycruises.com (Galápagos FAQ and the Flora Inner Loop itinerary), Silversea’s July 2025 press release and silversea.com, expeditions.com and ecoventura.com. Confirm your own ship, flight and date before you book around them.
Where you can go
From Quito, the flight lands at one of two airports. Baltra (Seymour) serves ships that start near Santa Cruz, such as Celebrity Flora; San Cristóbal serves Silver Origin’s charter and Ecoventura. Your line decides, not you.
Destinations
Where a Quito departure goes
The two island airports, the visitor sites, and the other mainland gateway.
Showing all 8
Where the flight lands
3Baltra or San Cristóbal, depending on the ship.
Before and after
3The other gateway, and how to choose a ship.
A day in the city
2What the cruisetours fit in before the flight.
Old town
Quito
Celebrity’s tour visits the San Francisco and Santo Domingo monasteries.
Mitad del Mundo
The equator
Celebrity’s Quito tour includes the equator line at Half of the World Park.
No destination matches that. Clear the filter to see all 8 again.
A free day first: Celebrity’s 10-night cruisetours give you two Quito nights and a guided city day before the flight. If you’re booking the city on your own, put the old-town night first and the airport night last.
The counters at UIO, in order
Here the “terminal” is the domestic departures area at UIO, and the order matters. First the Transit Control Card: US$20, issued by the Galápagos governing council, at its office before airline check-in, per the Galápagos National Park. Since 29 May 2025 you can register and pay online, per Primicias, then show the card, printed or on your phone, at the counter. Quasar says cash is preferred at the counter and suggests at least two hours if you’re buying it there.
Then the bags. The park says to take your luggage to the ABG biosecurity room before check-in. Don’t pack fresh fruit, vegetables or untreated wood; Think Galápagos says you also declare seeds, live plants, camping gear and recent farm visits on the online sworn declaration, up to 48 hours before the flight, since the paper form ended on 31 January 2026.
On landing you pay the park entrance fee: US$200 for foreign visitors over 12 and US$100 under 12, children under 2 free, per the park. Galapatours says pay in cash. An ABG inspector checks your hand luggage, too.
| Terminal | Where | What we know |
|---|---|---|
| TCT counter | UIO departures, the Galápagos governing council office | US$20; buy it, or show the online card, before check-in |
| ABG bag check | The ABG room at UIO | Bags checked before airline check-in; no fresh food or plants |
| Airline check-in | UIO domestic departures | Most flights stop in Guayaquil; Silversea’s charter doesn’t |
| On arrival | Baltra or San Cristóbal | Park fee US$200 for adults, in cash; hand luggage inspected |
Send us your line and flight date and we’ll tell you which flight and which night. Ask us ↓
Sources: the Galápagos National Park’s arrival page, Primicias (May 2025 and August 2024), Quasar Expeditions, Think Galápagos, ABG on gob.ec and Galapatours, read October 18, 2026, plus travel.state.gov. Confirm with your line — flights and times can change.
Parking, in short
JW Marriott prints a US$35 weekly self-parking rate; ask whether it covers a car left while you’re in the islands. A few hotels list parking for the night, and Springhills’s listing mentions extended parking at about US$3 a night — ask before you count on it.
Most trips here start with an international flight anyway. Leave the car at home.
Getting here
UIO sits at Tababela, about 18 km east of the city in a straight line, per Wikipedia, and the road is roughly twice that. Casa Gangotena puts the old town about an hour away. The two airport hotels on our list are a short shuttle ride from the terminal.
| From | Taxi | Public transport |
|---|---|---|
| UIO — to the old town | About US$25 to 30, per Diario Expreso; about an hour, per Casa Gangotena. | US$2 buses to the Río Coca and Quitumbe terminals, then the Ecovía or the Metro, per Diario Expreso. |
| UIO — to La Mariscal | About US$25 to 30; Expreso says 40 minutes from the centre-north in normal traffic. | The Aeropuerto–Río Coca bus now runs on to El Labrador station, every 20 to 25 minutes, per Vistazo. |
| UIO — airport hotels | Not needed if you book Wyndham or Holiday Inn. | Both brand pages list a free shuttle; Holiday Inn asks you to reserve it. |
Fares come from Diario Expreso’s June 2025 report; no official airport tariff is published that we found. Entry rules are covered above. Quito Airport to your Galápagos flight has the rest.
The night before, ranked: we’ve scored twelve hotels for the night before a Galápagos flight from Quito, from the airport shuttles to the old-town mansions, on what each one or its brand publishes, plus our own distances to UIO — facts from listings are shown but earn no points. Five worth knowing:
| Hotel | Where | One thing to know |
|---|---|---|
| Wyndham | At the airport, Tababela | No. 1: a free 24-hour shuttle, a pool, a spa and a gym, per its brand page. |
| Holiday Inn | At the airport, Tababela | Ties on 67: a free shuttle you reserve, an outdoor heated pool, and pets allowed. |
| Rincón de Puembo | Puembo, below the airport | Free breakfast, a free 24-hour shuttle and a heated pool in Puembo, per Best Western. |
| Casa Gangotena | Plaza San Francisco, old town | The old-town splurge on Plaza San Francisco, about an hour from UIO. |
| JW Marriott | Av. Orellana, La Mariscal | Five restaurants and a spa; Celebrity’s post-cruise hotel. |
Flying to the Galápagos from Quito?
Send us the ship and the flight, and we’ll line up the Quito night.
Questions here come down to which island you fly to, how early the flight leaves and whether your line already books the hotel. Send the trip and we’ll sort it.
We say where each fact comes from, and date it.
Quito FAQ
Do Galápagos cruises leave from Quito?
Not by ship. You fly from Quito to Baltra or San Cristóbal and board there. Celebrity, Silversea and Lindblad all start trips with a Quito night, per their own pages.
Do flights from Quito to the Galápagos stop in Guayaquil?
Most do. Ecoventura’s Sunday Avianca flight stops in Guayaquil with passengers staying on board, and Voyagers says most services route that way. Silversea’s charter flies direct to San Cristóbal.
How much is the Galápagos Transit Control Card?
US$20, per the Galápagos National Park. You buy it, or show the card you registered online, at the governing council counter at UIO before airline check-in.
How much is the Galápagos park entrance fee?
US$200 for foreign visitors over 12 and US$100 under 12 since 1 August 2024, per the park. Children under 2 are free. You pay on arrival.
Should I stay near Quito airport before a Galápagos flight?
For an early flight, usually yes. The old town is about an hour away by road, per Casa Gangotena, and you need time for the TCT counter and the bag check.
Will the altitude in Quito affect me?
Quito sits at about 2,850 m and the airport about 2,400 m. Take it easy the first evening, drink water and go light on alcohol, and ask your doctor first if you have a heart condition.
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