Fodor's Expert Review Malecón 2000

Guayaquil's riverfront promenade anchors the city's rebirth. After years of neglect, the 26-block street has been transformed into one of the city's most pleasant attractions. As you stroll along the Río Guayas, you can relax on benches in shady parks or poke into numerous shops, restaurants, the contemporary art museum (MAAC), South America's first IMAX theater, and a planetarium. So open and airy is the complex that the World Health Organization has given the Malecón one of its "Healthy Public Space" designations. Ample security and gates at the entrance to the complex keep things safe, even late at night. Across the street from El Malecón is the Palacio Municipal, considered the country's best examples of neoclassical architecture. Beside the adjacent Palacio de la Gobernación is Parque Sucre, a sliver of greenery dedicated to war hero Mariscal Antonio José de Sucre.