In the Region of Castile-La Mancha, between the Júcar and Huécar river canyons, you will find the city of Cuenca. Its historic centre looks out over rocky canyon walls in the Cuenca Mountains and the ruins of its Moorish castle.

The cobbled medieval streets that give the city its character begin beside the parish church of Nuestra Señora de la Luz, next to the San Antón bridge, here we begin our tour.  The first stop is the church of San Felipe Neri, a sober construction which hosts the singing of the traditional “Miserere” on it’s steps during the Easter period. On the other side of the Plaza del Carmen you can climb to the Plaza de la Torre Mangana, a former watchtower for Cuenca and one of the symbols of the city.

Before reaching the Plaza Mayor, you walk through the Plaza de la Merced, where you can see examples of Cuenca Baroque in the church and convent of La Merced. In the Plaza Mayor stand the arches of the Town Hall and the Gothic Cathedral. Built on the site of a former mosque, its structure alternates between Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements, the result of a long period of construction. Its unfinished monumental façade accompanies the wooden balconies and wrought iron grilles of the square's aristocratic houses, whose ground floors are occupied by inns. 

On the narrow streets between the Cathedral and the Casas Colgadas you will find charming corners where there are little arches and fountains.  The Casas Colgadas (hanging houses), date from the 15th century. One of the houses contains the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art, one of the best in Spain. The wooden balconies hang over the course of the Huécar, but you have to cross the river to get one of the best panoramic views.

On the way to the highest point in the city, interesting religious buildings like the churches of San Miguel and San Pedro, and the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias await. It is worth doing this tour when it is dark and the whole city is lit up. Another possibility is to walk around the Rondas, paths offering the best views of the gorges and the city, integrated into the natural environment.

Additional Places of Interest

Cuenca is only one of many points of interest in the province. Some 30 kilometres from the city you will find the first hills of the Cuenca Mountains, home to the Enchanted City, made up of weird and wonderful formations that have been carved out of the huge limestone rocks by wind and water erosion. To walk around the full route you need to allow about 2.5 hours.  Please note that it is a walkway through a forest so if it has been raining you will need wellingtons or hiking boots that you don't mind getting muddy.

South-east from Cuenca, nature and popular architecture make up a unique landscape, where streams, waterfalls and lakes give way to renaissance convents, cave paintings and monumental sites, made up of fortresses, walls and Gothic churches. 

The western part of the province offers us an historic route on which Tarancón, Uclés and Saelices (with its Roman ruins of Segóbriga), are some of the points of interest.

The southern area is called “Wet La Mancha”, where you can join Ruta del Quijote (Quijote’s Road) to the windmills of Mota del Cuervo and spectacular castles like Alarcón and Belmonte, where a number of movies have been shot including scenes from El Cid.