Experience the best of Cuenca
Cuenca is a high Andean city in southern Ecuador, a UNESCO-listed colonial centre with a blue-domed cathedral, flower markets and four rivers.
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Cuenca sits at about 2,500 metres in a basin of the southern Andes, and its historic centre is listed by UNESCO. The Tomebamba River runs beside the old quarter, with colonial houses overlooking its banks. The New Cathedral, with its three blue domes, faces Parque Calderón, and the nearby flower market sells roses and orchids. Spanish settlers founded the city in 1557 close to the Inca city of Tomebamba.
The Pumapungo museum and its ruins beside the river show remains of the Inca city. Cuenca is closely tied to the making of Panama hats, woven in Ecuador from toquilla straw. Nearby, Cajas National Park, a plateau of lakes above 3,000 metres, makes a day out, the craft villages of Gualaceo and Chordeleg make textiles and silver jewellery, and Ingapirca, the largest Inca site in Ecuador, lies to the north.
Mote pillo, hominy scrambled with egg, is a Cuenca breakfast, and hornado, roast pork, cuy and humitas, steamed corn cakes, feature on local menus. The air is cool and thin, and the heaviest rain falls from February to May.
- Free cancellation on 94% of experiences
- 4.9 across the top 19
Top experiences in Cuenca
![Full-Day Tour, Ingapirca Archaeological Site and Incan mountain face from Cuenca]()
Free cancellation
Go beyond Cuenca
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Guayaquil · 149 kmSeminario Park (Parque de las Iguanas)
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Guayaquil · 149 kmMalecon 2000
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Baños · 179 kmCasa del Arbol Swing
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Baños · 179 kmCascada Manto de la Novia
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Quito · 302 kmCotopaxi National Park
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Quito · 302 kmBasilica of the National Vow (La Basílica del Voto Nacional)
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Mindo · 318 kmMindo Butterfly Farm (Mariposas de Mindo)
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Mindo · 318 kmMindo's Cable Car (Tarabita de Mindo)
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Otavalo · 358 kmPlaza de los Ponchos
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Otavalo · 358 kmSan Pablo del Lago
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Chiclayo · 441 kmRoyal Tombs of Sipan Museum
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Chiclayo · 441 kmTúcume (Valley of the Pyramids)
Questions about Cuenca
- What is there to do in Cuenca?
- We list 123 experiences in Cuenca. The largest groups are day trips (29), city tours (9).
- What is the most popular experience in Cuenca?
- By number of traveller reviews it is "Amazing Cajas National Park Tour from Cuenca", rated 4.9 out of 5 from 263 reviews.
- How long do tours and tickets in Cuenca take?
- The typical experience in Cuenca lasts about 7.5 hours; the middle half run between 4 hours and 8 hours.
- Can I cancel a booking in Cuenca?
- The operator lists free cancellation on 94% of the 123 experiences we hold for Cuenca. The cut-off differs by experience and is shown on each product page before you choose a date.
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