Κουένκα

Late spring and early autumn are the best seasons, with warm sunny days. Summers are hot in the day, and winters are cold, with frost and occasional snow.

Holy Week (Semana Santa) is the main event, with processions through the old town. The Religious Music Week is held around the same time.

• Casas Colgadas are the famous hanging houses, with wooden balconies over the gorge. One of them houses a museum of abstract art.
• Catedral de Cuenca is one of the first Gothic cathedrals in Spain, with an unusual façade.
• Museo de Arte Abstracto Español is a museum of Spanish abstract art, inside the hanging houses.
• The Puente de San Pablo is a footbridge over the Huécar gorge, with views of the old town.
• The Plaza Mayor is the main square, with the cathedral on one side and the town hall on the other.
• The Mangana Tower is a clock tower that is a symbol of the old town.

• Walk across the Puente de San Pablo for the best view of the hanging houses.
• Take a short walk along the Huécar river gorge, below the old town.
• Try the local dishes in a restaurant on the Plaza Mayor or the old streets.

• Ciudad Encantada (about 30 km, 40 minutes by car): a park of strange rock formations carved by water and wind.
• Serranía de Cuenca (about 30 to 60 km): pine forests, rivers and walking trails.
• Toledo (about 160 km, 2 hours by car): a historic walled city.
• Valencia (about 200 km, 1 hour by train): a large Mediterranean city.

Other places nearby:

• Historic cities: Toledo and Guadalajara.
• Big cities: Madrid and Valencia.

• By air: There is no commercial airport. Madrid and Valencia airports are the closest.
• By train: High-speed trains from Madrid take about an hour, and trains also run from Valencia. The high-speed station is outside the old town, so you need a bus or taxi to reach the center. Book on Renfe.
• By bus: Coaches run to Madrid, Valencia and nearby towns.

• On foot: The old town is small, but it is on a steep hill, with stairs and slopes. Wear comfortable shoes.
• Public transport: City buses link the upper town, the lower town and the train stations.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the old town. A car helps for Ciudad Encantada and the Serranía.
• Parking: Use a car park in the lower town, then walk or take a bus up.
• Restrictions: Car access to the old town is limited.

Cuenca's food is hearty, made for cold winters. Morteruelo is a thick pâté of game and liver, zarajos are grilled lamb intestines wrapped on vine shoots, and ajoarriero is a garlic and cod dish.

The local sweet is alajú, made with almonds and honey, and resolí is a coffee-flavored liqueur.

Cuenca is a very safe city. The old town is steep, so take care on stairs and wet cobbles, and bring warm clothes in winter. The altitude is about 1,000 meters, so summer nights are cool.

Cuenca was a Moorish fortress until it was taken by the Christian king Alfonso VIII in 1177. The Gothic cathedral and the hanging houses date from the following centuries.

The city grew rich from wool and textiles, then declined. In the 1960s it became a center for abstract artists, and the old town was listed by UNESCO in 1996.

Quick practical facts for Spain at a glance: