Cuenca
Travel Guide > South America > Ecuador > Cuenca
In this Article
- Introduction
- Neighbourhoods
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting There
- Getting Around
- Eat
- Drink
- Sleep
- Work
- Learn
- Keep Connected
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Introduction
Cuenca is a cit in the southern central part of Ecuador and is the country's third largest city with well over half a million people, more so in the total metropolitan area. The city is located at an elevation of more than 2,500 metres above sea level which gives the city quite a cool climate compared to what you expect elsewhere on the equator.
The citycentre of Cuenca is one beautifully preserved colonial area which is therefore placed on the Unesco World Heritage List.
Neighbourhoods
Sights and Activities
The centre is on the Unesco World Heritage List and contains beautiful buildings like:
- Old Cathedral (Iglesia de El Sagrario)
- Monastery of El Carmen de Asuncion
- Park Abdon Calderon
- Monastery and Museum of La Concepcion
- House of the Ecuadorian Culture
- Municipal Museum Remigio Crespo Toral
- Museum of the Central Bank
- Museum of the Aboriginal Cultures
- Church of Santo Domingo
- San Blas
- Ruinas de todos los santos
Events and Festivals
Weather
Cuenca enjoys generally relatively warm/mild days but rather chilly nights when jackets are definately a good idea. Average daytime temperatures don't vary too much througout the year with around 22 to 24 degrees Celsius and nights are between 6 and 8 degrees Celsius in most months as well. June to December is the dry time of year though with regular overcast. January to May (especially from March onwards) is the wet season, thought it is generally quite sunny, warm and dry for most of the day with some (heavy) downpoors later during the afternoon.
Getting There
By Plane
Aeropuerto Mariscal Lamar serves Cuenca. Flights exist to and from Quito and Guayaquil with Aerogal, Icaro, LAN Ecuador and TAME.
By Train
By Car
Localiza offers rental cars to explore the region.
By Bus
There are daily buses to regional destinations like Ingapirca, Jima, and Gualaceo, Chordeleg and Sigsig.
Buses leave hourly for Machala (4 hours) and Guayaquil (3,5 to 5,5 hours, depending on the route taken). Buses to Quito take 10-12 hours, while buses for Riobamba and Ambato take 6 or 7 hours respectively. Buses also go to Loja (hourly, 5 hours trip) and to Macas via Guarumales or via Limon.
By Boat
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Budget
| Property | Address | Type | Popularity |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Casa Naranja | Mariscal Lamar 10 38 & Padre Aguirre | Hostel | 58 |
| Casa del Barranco | Calle Larga 841 y Luis Cordero | Guesthouse | 80 |
| Casa Ordoñez | Mariscal Lamar 859 | Hotel | - |
| Hostal Macondo | Tarqui 11-64 y Mariscal Lamar PO Box 597 | Hostel | 87 |
| Hotel La Casona | Miguel Cordero 2124 | Hotel | 84 |
| Hotel Tomebamba | Bolívar 11-19 General Torres | Hotel | 27 |
| Posada del Angel | Bolivar 14-11 y Estevez de Toral Cuenca-Ecuador | Hostel | 87 |
| Posada del Rio | Hermano Miguel 4-18 | Guesthouse | 80 |
Mid-Range
Upscale
Work
This is version 4. Last edited at 18:46 on Aug 17, 09 by Utrecht (+48). 2 articles link to this page.
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