From Belmonte and Alarcón, we traveled to Cuenca, our last overnight stop in Spain before heading back to Madrid for our trip home.
Cuenca is 138 km or 86 miles southeast of Madrid. By train, it is less than one hour, making it a great day trip if you have the time. (This map shows our general car travel route in Southern Spain).
The old town of Cuenca has a spectacular setting, sitting on a steep ridge surrounded by deep gorges carved by the Júcar and Huécar rivers on either side – a very strategic site for a military stronghold, and that is how Cuenca began back in 714 AD. Cuenca has had its economic ups and downs over the centuries and lucky for us, it’s been well-preserved and is recognized as a World Heritage site. The main tourist site is the old town itself. It is a steep climb up into the old town from the newer part of the town below, especially if walking. Cuenca is definitely worth a stop as part of your tour of Spain.
We stayed in the 18th century Hospederia Seminario Conciliar de San Julián, in the heart of Cuenca’s old town, a great location and hotel for tourists.
Views of the Old Town, Cuenca. The lower image shows the exterior of the 12th century Gothic Cathedral (the façade had to be rebuilt in the 1900s’ after collapse from a lightening strike, it never was finished).The Cathedral is one of the earliest Gothic structures in Spain.Left: interior view of Cuenca Cathedral – life sized images of the Last Supper – Christ and the Apostles. Right: View of Cuenca’s old town (Cathedral in right of image), with the newer part of Cuenca in distance.Views of Cuenca from the gorges – there are a few bridges crossing the Huécar River – you get a great view of the town sitting on top of the cliffs from the San Pablo Bridge (in the background).
Casa Colgadas
The houses as shown in these images are “hanging” on the edge of the cliff and known as the “Casa Colgadas” of Cuenca, they are a famous tourist sight, although there’s really not that much to see. They were built in the 14th – 16th centuries and are the only remaining examples in Cuenca. It’s really amazing they’ve survived at the edge of the cliffs for hundreds of years.
Everywhere you go in Cuenca there is interesting architecture – buildings are positioned so compactly in the maze of alleyways it’s sometimes hard to get a good perspective and figure out how to navigate access to various buildings and churches.We enjoyed just wandering around the old town.
The Independent Tourist 