How to Spend 3 Days in Cuenca, the Athens of Ecuador

Cuenca is one of the most beautiful cities in Ecuador, so you shouldn’t skip a visit when planning your trip. You could easily spend one day just wandering around its historic centre, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, there are also many fun full and half-day trips you can take from the city, so plan to spend around 3 days in Cuenca.

In this guide, we’ll detail all the best activities in and around the city to help you fill out your days in Cuenca. One of the most popular day trips is to Cajas National Park, which will make you feel like you’re in a totally different country. If you’d like to see some of Ecuador’s native species, then you could spend half a day hiking in Amaru Biopark. Or you could spend some time getting pampered and relaxing at an outdoor spa.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in the city, then check out our dedicated Cuenca video on our YouTube Channel. For more Ecuador videos check out our Ecuador Playlist.

About Cuenca, Ecuador

Located in the southern part of Ecuador, the beautiful city of Cuenca sits around 2,560 m (8,500 ft) above sea level and is Ecuador’s third-largest city.

Fun Fact – The city’s full name is Santa Ana de los Cuatro Ríos de Cuenca. Yes, that’s quite a mouthful, so it’s no wonder that pretty much everyone just calls it ‘Cuenca’.

If you know a few Spanish words, you’ll notice that its name translates to Santa Ana of the Four Rivers of Cuenca. There are actually four rivers running through the city, one of which crosses the centre.

Cuenca was founded in 1557 as a Spanish settlement. However, evidence shows that people have lived around the Cuenca area since around 8000 BC. If you’ve been to Peru and learned a bit about the Inca’s there, then you’ll probably know that Ecuador was also part of the Inca empire before the Spanish arrived. Huayna Cápac, the last ruler of a unified Inca empire was actually born in Cuenca. Then the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1550’s, which is when many of the buildings you can still see today were built. Cuenca regained its independence on the 3rd November 1820.

Thanks to the city’s rich history and colonial architecture, Cuenca was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, following in the footsteps of Quito’s historic centre. Today, Cuenca is a beautiful blend of colonial and modern-day facilities and it’s also the economic and cultural centre of the country. It has a very European feel to it, even though you’ll see plenty of locals still wearing their traditional Ecuadorian clothes. For these reasons, many people refer to Cuenca as ‘the Athens of Ecuador’.

How to Spend 3 Days in Cuenca, Ecuador

It’s worth noting that there are plenty of things to do in and around the city. 3 days in Cuenca will be enough to see its historic centre and do a few other activities. If you want to see more, then we recommend allocating a few extra days for this wonderful city in Ecuador.

Explore the Historic Centre of Cuenca

One of the top things to do in Cuenca is to wander around its historic centre. Since 1999, it’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, just like Quito’s historic centre.

There are plenty of points of interest within this part of the city. You can start at the lush main plaza called Calderon Park (Parque Calderón) and see inside the New Cathedral. You can even climb up the cathedrals towers to get a closer look at the iconic blue domes and an overview of the city centre.

There are many markets you can visit around the centre too. Enjoy the colourful Flower Market (Mercado de las Flores), find your next souvenir at the artisan market on San Francisco Square or taste some Ecuadorian food at Mercado 10 de Agosto.

For some peace and quiet, go for a walk or bike ride along Tomebamba River. If you follow the river all the way to the south-eastern corner of the historic centre, you can visit Pumapungo Museum. Behind the museum there’s a huge Inca ruin with a rich history that you don’t want to miss. Finally, make sure to pay a visit to one of the Panama Hat museums to learn about the history and production of these hats that are made and originate in Ecuador, not Panama as the name would suggest.

Take a Day Trip to Cajas National Park

If you enjoy nature and hiking, then you definitely need to add a visit to Cajas National Park to your 3 day Cuenca itinerary. It is probably the most popular thing to do outside of the city. Cajas reminded us a lot of Scotland, which is one of our favourite countries.

You can easily reach the park’s main visitor centre from Cuenca. After registering, you can pick one of the many hiking trails to complete. There are easier and more challenging trails to choose from depending on how much you like hiking. For reference, we picked Route 1 which is a 5.5 km long loop passing a few of the lakes and the beautiful polylepis tree forest. You could easily be back in Cuenca by the early afternoon if you arrive for opening time (8AM).

However, if you’re after a multi-day hiking experience and have all the camping gear, then you can even camp in Cajas overnight.

How to get to Cajas National Park? The most affordable way to reach Cajas is on a local bus leaving from the main bus terminal to Guayaquil. A one-way bus ticket is less than $3 USD and it takes just under an hour to reach the visitor centre.

Entry fee: free of charge. $4 USD for overnight camping.

See Ecuador’s Native Wildlife at Amaru Biopark

Ecuador has very diverse wildlife. You’ll have the chance to see quite a few native animals if you visit places like the Ecuadorian Amazon or the Galapagos Islands. We’ll never forget seeing anacondas, tarantulas, caiman and pink dolphins during our stay in the rainforest. However, it’s almost impossible to see animals like jaguars and Andean bears in their natural habitat.

Luckily, Cuenca is home to a huge rescue centre called Amaru Biopark. It’s important to highlight that it’s a non-profit conservation organization and not your typical zoo! The rescue centre is committed to the conservation of biodiversity and also saves animals from bad situations like illegal trafficking. So you might also see a few non-native animals such as lions.

The animals at Amaru Biopark have plenty of space to roam around. What we loved about this place is that sometimes there was no fence or glass between us and the animals. Don’t worry though; you only really get that close to some colourful native birds who happily and unknowingly pose for photos.

How to visit Amaru Biopark? It’s worth noting that the trails connecting the animal enclosures are quite long, windy and there are lots of ups and downs. So, make sure to wear comfortable and supportive shoes. You’re basically going on a big hike when you visit.

We also recommend allocating a good couple of hours for your visit as this place is huge to walk around. You can start one of your 3 days in Cuenca by visiting the park and then spend the afternoon exploring more of the historic centre. Since it’s located a bit further outside of the city, we suggest taking a taxi there. It should cost you around $6-8 USD one way.

Entry fee: $8 USD per adult. They’re open from Monday to Sunday between 9AM and 4PM.

Enjoy a Spa Day in Baños

Now, you might be thinking that we’re trying to send you on a day-trip to the adventure capital of Ecuador. Although often just referred to as Baños, the city that’s located at the foot of the impressive Tungurahua volcano is actually called Baños de Agua Santa.

In this case, we’re talking about a place just outside of Cuenca called Baños de Cuenca, which is often just referred to as Baños as well, just to confuse you a little more. With many spas in the vicinity, this area of Cuenca is the perfect place to come to relax.

After a little research we visited Piedra de Agua which has a fantastic 2-for-1 promotion on Mondays and Fridays. For only $35 USD, two of you can enjoy their Outdoor Spa Circuit which includes red and blue mud therapy, contrast pools (yes, the cold one is really cold!) and box steam baths. The guided circuit is around 1.5 hours long and afterwards you have unlimited access to the swimming pools and Turkish Baths. On top of that you can also enjoy 2-for-1 cocktails from Monday to Friday. There are other promotions during the week as well, so it’s worth checking their website.

Even though we don’t normally book spa treatments (this was probably our very first one), we couldn’t say no to such a great offer.

How to get to Baños de Cuenca? You can take a taxi from Cuenca or take a local bus. A taxi should be between $5-10 USD one way. The bus is only about $0.30. However, you would need to buy a bus card (~$2 USD) which you can then use on most local buses around Cuenca.

Enjoy the Views from Turi Viewpoint

One of the best places to appreciate the scale of Cuenca is Turi viewpoint (Mirador de Turi). Situated above and to the south-west of the city centre, you get some pretty amazing views from this vantage point.

You can walk from the historic centre, however we suggest either getting a taxi or a local bus up to the viewpoint. A taxi should cost you less than $5 USD one way. The bus is only $0.30 USD, but you would need to purchase a bus card first which is less than $2 USD.

There are quite a few cafes and restaurants up there along with a small church too. A bit further down the road there’s also an adventure park. If you’ve been travelling around Ecuador, then you know by now that there are always some adventurous activities you can do anywhere you go in the country. Here you can go zip-lining, try the scenic swings or get in the ‘crazy ball’.

You can wander around the viewpoint for free, but there’s a small entry fee for the Extreme Park. Mirador de Turi is definitely a great way to end one of your 3 days in Cuenca.

How to Get to Cuenca

Bus: The most affordable way to get to Cuenca is by public bus. You can reach Cuenca from many popular destinations such as Quito, Guayaquil, Baños and Riobamba. From most places, the bus ride will only take a few hours. The main bus terminal is called Terminal Terrestre, and is located pretty close to the airport. You can take a taxi or local bus from there to the historic centre. You can find buses from Quito, Guayaquil and Baños on this website.

Flight: You can also fly to Cuenca from Quito or from Guayaquil. The city is served by Mariscal Lamar International Airport (CUE), located quite close to the centre. Normally the flight time is very short, taking between 30 minutes to an hour. From the airport, you can get a taxi or a local bus to Cuenca’s city centre.

Where to Stay for 3 Days in Cuenca

Since Cuenca is on many travellers itineraries, as well as being a popular city with expats and digital nomads, it has a variety of accommodation options.

If you only have 3 days in Cuenca, then we recommend staying somewhere in the city centre. It’s a very beautiful area and you’ll be close to many of the main attractions, restaurant, cafes and even the bus terminal and airport.

Below are some good hotel and hostel options depending on your needs and budget:

• Selina Cuenca
• Hotel Casa Merced
• Floré Hotel Boutique
• Mansion Alcazar

Is Cuenca Safe to Visit

We personally found Cuenca safe. It’s actually known to be safer than Quito. That being said, we were still careful walking around with our cameras and phones and always put them away when we didn’t need them.

Pickpocketing and other petty crime can happen, like it does in any big city in the world. The only thing you can do is to stay vigilant, especially in more crowded areas and on public transport. Perhaps use a money-belt that can be easily concealed. During our Amazon Rainforest visit, a lovely couple told us that someone stole their small handbag with their phones and money in it whilst they were in Quito.

Protests due to political unrest can also happen across the country. Always check the government’s website and the local news for more information about the current situation.

We never go anywhere without travel insurance, which can protect you against a lot of unfortunate events that can happen during your travels. We use SafetyWing, but there are plenty of travel insurances to choose from depending on your needs.

How to Get Around Cuenca

Walk: Cuenca is a very walkable city, especially its historic centre. It’s easy to navigate and most points of interest are relatively close to one another; before you know it, you’ll have walked around all day.

Taxis: If you want to visit a few places like Turi Viewpoint or Amaru Biopark that are a bit further from the centre, we recommend using taxis. They are pretty affordable and most of them will use a meter. If they don’t, then make sure to agree on a price before your ride. It depends on the traffic but you really shouldn’t pay more than $5-8 USD to visit any of the places we’ve mentioned in this post (excluding Cajas National Park).

Public Transport: Cuenca actually has a tramway, which just gives the city even more of a European feel. Tranvia de Cuenca is a relatively new addition to the city but it gets you from A to B very quickly. In addition, you can also reach a few destinations located further from the centre by bus. You would need to buy a travel card first then top it up with credit to use the buses and trams. This is very common in most cities across South America.

Final Thoughts on 3 Days in Cuenca, Ecuador

We really enjoyed our stay in the city and were there for 2 weeks. 3 days is a good amount of time to see the best of Cuenca and to also do a few longer activities such as visiting Cajas National Park or relaxing at the spa. However, there’s plenty more to do in the vicinity of the city like visiting other towns. So if you can spare a few more days, then we highly recommend extending your stay.

Have you ever been to Cuenca? If so, how long did you stay for and what did you do during your time there? What was your favourite activity? If not, would you add Cuenca to your Ecuador itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.