Cuenca Travel Guide – Visit Cuenca – Budget Travel In Spain

Visit Cuenca to experience a stunning UNESCO site with a historic walled old town set in the mountains of east-central Spain. Known for its ‘hanging houses’, it is surely one of Spain’s most beautiful cities.

Sandwiched between our trips to Valencia and Madrid, I had no idea what to expect from Cuenca. It wasn’t a place I’d heard of before so I was looking forward to exploring a city that I had no prior knowledge of.

Train From Valencia To Cuenca

Getting from Valencia to Cuenca is very easy. There are around 8 trains a day and the journey takes just under an hour. The trains are clean, fast and modern.

Where To Stay In Cuenca

These are some of the best budget hostels in Cuenca, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.

• Exe Cuenca
• Green River Hostel
• Alojamiento EntreHoces
• Apartamento La Biblioteca
• Hostel La Ribera Del Jucar
• Hotel Plaza
• El Rento Alojamiento Rural

Hotel Pedro Torres

We booked a private room at Hotel Pedro Torres (map). The hotel is ideally located in the centre of the city and just a short walk from the main attractions. The reception staff were friendly and took care of our bags until check-in. The rooms were decent and a big upgrade on the grim hostel we stayed at in Valencia. Don’t expect luxury and you’ll be more than satisfied with this small hotel.

Things To Do In Cuenca

As we had a few hours before we could check into our room, we decided to go out exploring. First, we had to find somewhere to have the first coffee of the day. We found a small cafe filled with locals and had a good strong coffee and the most wonderful tomato bread.

We then decided to head towards the old town.

Once we reached the old town, it was a steep uphill climb.

Cuenca Old Town is visually stunning. There are a number of museums, churches and convents.

There are also many restaurants and bars where you can relax and enjoy traditional Spanish food and wines.

Our exploring led us to the ‘Cuenca Cathedral’ (map).

We had only been in Cuenca for a couple of hours but we were already in love with its medieval charm. We didn’t imagine it would be so beautiful.

Eventually, our exploring led us to ‘San Pablo Bridge’ (map).

This iron and wood bridge offers great views. It is the best place to observe Cuenca’s famous ‘hanging houses’ (map).

The hanging houses of Cuenca were built in the 15th century and they are now the symbol of the city. You can buy magnets, t-shirts and just about everything else with the image of the hanging houses.

One of the hanging houses is home to the ‘Spanish Abstract Art Museum – Juan March Foundation’ (map) which showcases Spanish abstract art from the 1950s to the 1970s.

After a fantastic afternoon exploring this amazing place, we decided to head back to our hotel and finally check in. Cuenca had already exceeded all our expectations.

Cuenco Nightlife

In the evening, we had decided to have a few drinks before going to a local restaurant. The first place we visited was ‘Bar Morgan Tapas Y Vinos’ (map) which is a small bar with a tapas menu as well as local beers and wines.

We ordered drinks and was delighted when they came with a plate of FREE HAM!

We moved on to a place called ‘Bar Xucar’ (don’t bother looking for it, it’s closed down) where we sat outside by the main road and drank our beer with complimentary olives.

We then headed to the lively ‘Calle San Fransisco’ which is a street filled with tapas bars. We sat outside a place called ‘Mesón La Barrica de Miguel’ (map). Once again, every drink came with free tapas. We had spicy potatoes, spanish omelette and lamb on the bone. All of the food was delicious and it was all free.

El Bodegon Restaurant

All of this free tapas meant we weren’t actually hungry and we had toyed with the idea of just drinking all night and surviving on the free tapas. However, we did force ourselves to leave and head to ‘El Bodegon’ (map).

We were lucky to get a table as it was very busy. The restaurant is wonderfully Spanish and mainly full of locals but also friendly to tourists. The atmosphere was great so we were hoping the food would match the vibes.

Thankfully, the food was good. My prawns were fresh and juicy and Joanna’s ratatouille was rich and tasty.

Bar Tu Rincon

Our bellies full, we headed to ‘Bar Tu Rincon’ (map) for one more beer. The bar has an underground vibe and it has darts, pool and music. It was a cool place to enjoy our final beer in this wonderful town.

Is Cuenca Worth Visiting?

We only had the one night in Cuenca but we fell in love with the city. The old town is stunning and the tapas bars serve good beer with delicious and FREE food. It might be overlooked by most tourists but I guarantee you will love this city. Add it to your itinerary now!