Riobamba
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Riobamba

Riobamba

Andean Ecuadorian town known for Saturday markets, Chimborazo views, and train trips through the sierra.

Riobamba is a small town in the Andes. It is mainly popular with travelers because of its Indian markets. The town is filled every Saturday with woolen blankets pigs and produce. The market frequented by Amerindians from the neighboring villages sprawls through several town squares and streets.

The town houses a good museum, the Museum of Sacred Art (paintings sculptures and jewelry) housed in the old Convent of the Sisters of the Conception.

The city itself has some fine old buildings and pretty views of the surrounding peaks. It also makes a good base for visiting Chimborazo.

A cool thing to do is to take a 3-6 hour train trip through the Andean Sierra on one of the oldest trains in the world to a place called "Nariz Del Diablo", or "Devel's Nose". The trip starts every Sunday morning at 6 p.m., at Riobamba's train station. The cost should be around $14 for a ticket. The proceeds go to reparation of their antequated railroad system. Wear a light jacket and be sure to bring food and water.

Guide

Eating Out

Riobamba is a working Andean city rather than a culinary destination, but it eats well in its own way. The most memorable meal you'll have here is at the Saturday market, where women cook hornado (whole roast pork, slow-cooked overnight) and llapingachos (fried potato patties filled with cheese) at open-air stalls — a plate costs next to nothing and tastes better than it has any right to.

The city centre has plenty of cheap lunch spots (almuerzos) offering a set menu of soup, rice, protein, and juice for a dollar or two. Caldo de pata — a thick soup made from cow's foot — is the local Sunday hangover cure and turns up at market stalls. For something different, ceviche de chochos (made with lupini beans rather than seafood) is a distinctly Andean version of the coastal dish.

Pizzeria D'Baggio — Av. Daniel León Borja 33-24 y Miguel A. León, two blocks from the train station toward the bus terminal. A longstanding local favourite that takes its pizza seriously — thin-crust, wood-fired, absurdly cheap. Often recommended by travellers for a break from the set-menu circuit.

Café del Tren — near the train station, around Parque Maldonado. A pleasant spot for breakfast or coffee before an early departure; set-menu lunches draw a mix of office workers and passing travellers.

Guide

Getting There

Riobamba sits on the Pan-American Highway and is well connected by bus. Buses from Quito take around 3.5 hours and leave from the terminal at Quitumbe; several companies run this route throughout the day. From Guayaquil it's a similar 3.5–4 hours, climbing dramatically through the Andes as the road gains over 2,000 metres of altitude. From Cuenca, count on around 4–5 hours.

The city's main bus terminal (Terminal Terrestre) is south of the centre on Avenida de la Prensa. Taxis from the terminal to the city centre are cheap and take under ten minutes. The train station, used for excursions rather than intercity travel, is a short walk from the historic centre near Parque Maldonado.

Guide

Things to Do