Cuenca, where Ecuador’s ancestral roots & colonial culture collide

What a gorgeous city! Cuenca has a reputation as the Athens as Ecuador, due to its historical relevance and architectural preservation. Anyone from Cuenca will tell you it’s the most beautiful city in Ecuador; only those from Quito would challenge it. Spend your first half a day just meandering through the stunning colonial streets; the city feels very safe and it’s noticeably wealthier than the majority of Ecuador.

This guide will help you figure out where to stay, where to eat and things to do in Cuenca, Ecuador. We really recommend a quick break in Cuenca if you have time, and if you have even more time, you can go further south to Loja where you’ll find eco-efforts and yoga retreats.

How to pronounce Cuenca: KWEN-cah

After you’ve read this guide to where to stay, spots to eat, and things to do in Cuenca, Ecuador, don’t miss reading these:

• Otavalo, Ecuador – more than just South America’s biggest market!
• The Ultimate Ecuador Bucketlist – 23 unmissable experiences
• If we only had 2 weeks: Ecuador itinerary

Fantastic things to do in Cuenca, Ecuador

1. Climb the Blue Domes of the New Cathedral

The Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción is the iconic face of Cuenca, famous for its massive sky-blue Czechoslovakian tile domes. For about $2.50, you can climb the steep spiral staircase to the terrace for the city’s most famous panoramic view. It one of the most essential things to do in Cuenca to get your bearings and see the red-tiled roofline of the UNESCO centre from above.

Interestingly, the cathedral is still technically unfinished – at the front you’ll see two flat stones where two ginormous steeples were planned to go, but the architect realised the foundations were too weak and called it quits. It would have been one of the tallest cathedrals in South America if he’d have pulled them off!

2. Hike in El Cajas National Park

Should hiking be your choice of poison, one of the best things to do in Cuenca for you is to check out the El Cajas National Park, which has miles and miles of rolling green hills. Just 45 minutes from the city, El Cajas offers a rugged, tundra-like landscape with over 200 glacial lakes. In 2026, the Laguna Toreadora loop remains the most accessible trail, offering a 2-hour hike through polylepis (paper tree) forests at 4,000 meters.

From a hikers’ point of view, it doesn’t offer the most challenging of hikes, but the landscape looked gorgeous from the comfort of our bus (that’s the kind of hiking we can get behind). Head over to Living Out Lau’s in-depth guide to hiking in El Cajas National Park for more info.

Always bring a waterproof jacket and start your trip early, as the Andean mist usually rolls in by midday, dropping visibility significantly. If you don’t opt for a cushty organised trip to hike El Cajas, you can get any Cuenca bus heading to Guayaquil and ask them to stop when you pass through the park.

3. Wander the Flower Market at Plaza de las Flores

Voted by National Geographic as one of the best outdoor flower markets in the world, this teeny plaza brings an explosion of colour. While we didn’t have much use for a bouquet, we did spot some travellers buying single flowers to spruce up their backpacks!

Plaza de Flores is located right next to the Church of El Sagrario. In 2026, this remains the most photographed spot in the city, so arrive before 10AM if you want to beat the crowds.

4. Walk the Tomebamba River (El Barranco)

The Río Tomebamba flows through Cuenca, separating the Spanish colonial centre from the modern city, and we were told that the grassy banks (or El Barranco) are t”he city’s living room”. You can walk the stone paths under willows alongside the río, watching locals wash clothes in the river or students studying on the banks. We found the river itself to be surprisingly beautiful compared to the typical brown-watered rivers we’ve seen running through most South American cities.

This was such a great thing to do in Cuenca at sunset. Head towards Parque de la Madre and have a relax on El Barranco.  Keep going west, and you’ll end up in the trendy cafes of the Remigio Crespo neighbourhood.

5. Discover the Panama Hat Museum (Homero Ortega)

Despite the name, the famous Panama Hat actually originated right here in the Azuay province of Ecuador, and has never been mass-produced in Panama. The mix-up came about due to the fact that Ecuador was not historically a trading hub, so shipped to the US via Panama back in the day, and then good old Teddy Roosevelt sealed the deal by wearing one on a press trip to see the building of the Panama Canal. Oops.

In Cuenca, the hat is something that locals are very proud of, and they’re still made in the same way in workshops across the city. At the Homero Ortega Museum, you can see the entire weaving process from toquilla straw to the snazzy finished product. It’s a fascinating look at local craftsmanship, and you can even customise your own authentic panama hat to look stylish on your travels.

6. Explore the Pumapungo Archaeological Park

If you want to learn more about Ecuador’s ancestral roots, the Museo Pumapungo is a must thing to do in Cuenca. It’s free, and goes through the history of the earliest humans in Ecuador to each of the different tribes and their customs today, including an exhibition on the rites & rituals of the tribe famous for their head-shrinking (plus there are a few real heads, or tzantzas, on display!). In fact, Museo Pumapungo holds one of the most significant collections of indigenous artifacts and shrunken heads  in South America.

You can also see the original ruins of an ancient civilisation’s palace, which is located at the edge of the museum’s historic centre. This site contains the ruins of Tomebamba, the ‘second capital’ of the Incan Empire. You can walk through the ancient stone foundations and terraced gardens that once housed a sun temple and a royal palace.

Around half of the museum has been translated into English; if you don’t speak Spanish you can still enjoy the models and artefacts (plus, free).

7. Soak in the Baños de Cuenca Thermal Springs

For a recovery day, head to the respite of Baños de Cuenca (not to be mistaken for the popular town of Baños de Agua Santa, which is 6 and a half hours away from Cuenca!) to soak in toasty volcanic thermal springs rich in minerals.

Piedra de Agua is the local favourite thermal spring for 2026, offering underground steam rooms and red/blue mud baths built directly into the rock.

It’s a literal hidden gem where you can escape the mountain chill for a few hours of affordable luxury, but if you want to feel like you’ve really gotten the most out of the trip out of Cuenca, this organised group takes you there on an e-bike through the hills.

8. Take in the View from Turi Lookout

The Mirador de Turi offers a sweeping view of the entire valley and the surrounding Andes.

While the view is the main draw, the 2026 expansion of the Adventoura park at the top now includes extreme swings and glass walkways for thrill-seekers.

You can reach the top via a $3 taxi ride or by braving the 400+ stone steps from the bottom of the hill.

9. Try some of the local delicacies

Cuenca is the perfect place to try Agua de Pitimas, a medicinal herbal water made by the local nuns, or espumilla, the unmeltable ice cream, both much-loved local delicacies in Ecuador. See more in the Where to Eat & Drink in Cuenca section, below the things to do!

There are loads of street food stalls and little mama & papa shops selling all different types of food, so a street food tour is a no-brainer thing to do in Cuenca for foodies!

10. Watch a spiritual cleansing

And indigenous tradition seen often in Cuenca is spiritual cleansing, known as ‘La Limpia’ (The Clean). This is done to rid Cuencans not only of illness, but of bad spirits and negative energy, and anything that might be obstructing either their emotions or their thoughts. The ritual is performed by elders, and includes hitting the subject with leaves and spitting on them at the end.

As you walk around Cuenca, you’ll see this as a fairly regular ritual, being done in plazas and small shops or homes. At the traditional local market, Mercado 10 de Agosto, you’ll catch a glimpse of La Limpia all over.

11. Learn about Cuenca from a local

As with any city, we think the best thing to do in Cuenca on your first day would be to sign yourself up for a city tour. That will take you through a fair few of the things to do in Cuenca above, and teach you both the history and current-day culture of the city as you go. This is the most highly-rated group walking tour, but if you want to do it without other tourists, check out this private city tour.

The tips-only Free Walking Tour (meeting at 10am at Plaza Calderón) is also a really interesting option in Cuenca, albeit overcrowded. They could really do with a second shift or another English-speaking guide on this one, as walking the tiny alleyways of an artisanal village or crowding around one market stall is pretty awkward when there are 30 of you, each with a large, intrusive camera. Either way, the tour was worth it, and we stopped off at some pretty cool places that we probably wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Where to stay in Cuenca

Our hostel pick: Pepe’s House

We stayed at this B&B that decided to make use of its attic space and create some dorms. The weirdest thing about this place is that if you book alone, you get a full double bed all to yourself, and couples get a discounted rate for sharing one bed. This was honestly one of the best all-nighters we’ve had (after backpacking for so long, ‘all-nighter’ has come to refer to a really good sleep rather than a really cool party).

Pepe’s House itself is a renovated colonial house and it is stunningly beautiful, not to mention peaceful. The only downside is the breakfast, which although good quality, as a dorm-dweller you’re only entitled to a tiny roll plus one egg or a small bowl of cereal or a cheese toastie, whilst private-roomers get access the a whole table of food. You can pay a small amount to upgrade breakfast, though!

Our hotel pick: Hotel Boutique Santa Lucia

While the area was lovely around us, there was more going on east of Plaza Calderón, so if your budget stretches a little further (because you don’t need to spend much for a very comfortable stay in Cuenca), we recommend focusing your search in that area. For example, have you ever seen anything as opulent as Hotel Boutique Santa Lucia for less than $130/£100 a night?!

Where to eat and drink in Cuenca

The main street of bars is on Calle Larga or the streets immediately off it. Here, you’ll find a range of small to mid-sized bars, which offer everything from family-friendly outdoor patios, craft beer pubs and microbreweries to neon lights and karaoke. Monday Blues is a cool place for a beer or two, absolutely littered with trinkets from the owners’ many travels. The best atmosphere in the area (mid-week at least) is probably to be found at Cigale, which is a hostel that hosts live music and is a favourite amongst locals.

For eats, there are a huge number of little restaurants that offer Menu del Dias for £2-3. Worth trying if you haven’t already is a Seco de Carne (seco translates as ‘dry’ but actually means stew). We hope you like lentils and beans; they’ll turn up on practically every Ecuadorian plate. For Ecuadorian food from a chain, try out Copellias (pictured) or Cositas; both offer traditional food of great quality and fairly low prices ($3-8) and have multiple outlets in Cuenca.

The top floor of Mercado 10 de Agosto offers a range of very typical dishes, one to definitely try is the pulled pork (expect to see a full pig stretched out on the stall) and Papas Locas (using a potato dish as an excuse to eat everything else in your house).

If you’ve already had enough of Ecuadorian cuisine but don’t want to stray too far from the path, Rinconcita Colombiana is a great little Colombian restaurant, but it only seems to be open for lunch. As always, your best deal is to throw away la carta and instead opt for the set Menu del Dia, which includes a drink, starter and small dessert for $2.50.

And for any Brits who’ve had enough of the whole continent’s cuisine who just want to feel a bit at home again, head to Jai Ho, a top-rated Indian restaurant in Cuenca.

As a decidedly middle-class city, Cuenca has an abundance of hip coffee shops and health bars. Pick up a revitalising shot of ginger and all sorts of other cleansing good-stuff to clear your system of the filth of Máncora or Montañita at El Tokte. Next to it is a small shop where everything sold is made of coconut. Andy’s idea of heaven!

Now that you’ve read this guide to where to stay, spots to eat, and things to do in Cuenca, Ecuador, don’t miss reading these:

• Otavalo, Ecuador – more than just South America’s biggest market!
• The Ultimate Ecuador Bucketlist – 23 unmissable experiences
• If we only had 2 weeks: Ecuador itinerary

Recommended stay to enjoy all the things to do in Cuenca: 2-3 days

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Last Updated on 23 March 2026 by Cuppa to Copa Travels