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Cuenca is one of Ecuador’s most elegant and beautiful cities. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Cultural site, a fact of which the locals are immeasurably proud. The easiest and most obvious thing to do in Cuenca is to simply stroll around the historic downtown, marveling at the architecture in and around the well-kept central park.
You can not walk far with running into a colonial church; Cuenca supposedly has 52, one for every Sunday of the year. The number of churches you visit will depend on your level of interest, but the La Inmaculada (the new cathedral) and El Sagrario (the old cathedral), both on the central park, should not be missed. There are also several museums of note, including the Pumapungo museum complex (also known as the Central Bank Museum) which has very good exhibits for those interested in the complete history of the region and city.
No trip to Cuenca is complete without a trip to the Mirador Turi (Turi Overlook) where you can get an overview of the city. The lookout point is on a modest hill to the south of the city and on a clear day, the view is spectacular. There is a small church there and some coin-operated binoculars.
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El Centro Interamericano de Artesanías y Artes Populares, or Museum of Popular Arts, is a small but interesting museum dedicated to the popular crafts of the Americas. The upper floors where the administration is located display mainly textiles, while the lower floors are the museum proper. The...
Cuenca, Ecuador
The Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno, west of the center of Cuenca, on the Plaza San Sebastián, has a permanent collection of contemporary paintings and sculptures. The art work is displayed in separate rooms and within the gardens, spread around two delightful courtyards. The buildings were...
Cuenca, Ecuador
The old cathedral, (El Sagrario), which sits across the park from La Inmaculada, is well worth a visit and now houses a museum. If you wander inside, you’ll see no pews or altars, but many interesting artifacts. There is even a glass window in the floor through which you can see a small...
Cuenca, Ecuador
The massive brick facade and sky-blue domes of Cathedral de la Inmaculada Concepción make the building one of the most recognizable (and photographed) in Cuenca. La Inmaculada, which is dubbed the "new cathedral" to distinguish it from El Sagrario, dates to 1885. The entrance of...
Cuenca, Ecuador
Cuenca’s beautifully tended Central Park, Parque Calderón, is an attractive, expansive area of flowers and trees. The park is dominated by a monument to Abdón Calderón, a young cuencano who fought valiantly at the battle of Pichincha in 1822, a pivotal confrontation in Ecuador’s...
Cuenca, Ecuador
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