Things to do
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Casas Colgadas
Wooden balconies hang straight out over the Huécar gorge from these houses at the eastern edge of the old town, and they are the image Cuenca is known by. One of them holds the abstract art museum, so the inside can be seen too. The classic view is from the San Pablo footbridge opposite; come back after dark, when the facades are floodlit and the bridge is quiet.
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Ciudad Encantada
Wind and water have carved the limestone here into towers, arches and mushroom shapes in the pine forest of the Serranía de Cuenca natural park, reached by car from the town. One circular trail of about three kilometres takes about ninety minutes, and leaving it is not allowed. Tickets are sold only at the booth, the path does not suit wheelchairs or pushchairs, and hours change with the weather.
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Cuenca Cathedral
Facing the Plaza Mayor, the cathedral is one of the first Gothic churches built in Castile, and the interior is lighter than the heavy facade suggests. Look up at the stained glass: modern abstract windows fill the old frames, a direct link to the art museum down the lane. A ticket is needed for the nave and chapels; allow about an hour, and avoid service times.
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Hoz del Huécar
Below the hanging houses, a quiet path follows the Huécar river along the floor of its gorge, under limestone walls and orchards. It turns the old town into something seen from beneath, and the loop back up via the San Pablo bridge makes a good two hours. Wear proper shoes, carry water in summer, and walk it in the morning before the rock holds the heat.
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Mirador del Castillo
Up at the top of the old town, by the last walls of the castle, the ridge narrows until both gorges open out below: the Júcar on one side and the Huécar on the other. It is the clearest way to understand how the town is built. Walk up from the Plaza Mayor, or take the local bus, and time it for sunset, when the stone turns gold.
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Museo de Cuenca
Roman sculpture, coins and mosaics from the province's excavated cities fill this archaeology museum on a lane just behind the cathedral. It gives context for a day trip to the Roman sites nearby, and it is far quieter than the sights around the square. An hour is enough for the main rooms, and the labels are mostly in Spanish.
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Museum of Spanish Abstract Art
Inside the hanging houses, white rooms hold Spanish abstract painting and sculpture from the middle of the last century, hung in spaces with windows cut straight onto the gorge. The building is as much the visit as the art, with low beams and balconies above a long drop. Allow over an hour, and pair it with the cathedral, a few minutes away up the Plaza Mayor.
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Parador de Cuenca
Across the San Pablo bridge from the hanging houses, this hotel fills a former convent on the edge of the Huécar gorge, with rooms set around a cloister. Its terrace faces the old town, which is lit up at night, and the walk over the footbridge reaches the Plaza Mayor in minutes. Book well ahead for weekends and Holy Week, when it fills first.
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Puente de San Pablo
Iron girders and wooden boards carry this footbridge across the Huécar gorge, from the old town to the former convent on the far side. It sways a little and the drop is long, so anyone uneasy with heights should keep to the near end. The crossing gives the best front-on view of the hanging houses; early morning has the softest light and the fewest walkers.
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Torre de Mangana
A white clock tower stands on a small square on the site of the old fortress, a short climb from the Plaza Mayor. The square works as a balcony over the newer town and the Júcar side of the hill, and it is rarely busy. Ten or twenty minutes covers it, and it fits easily on the walk between the cathedral and the lower streets.
