Cuenca, Ecuador – Full of Urban Charm

Bigger, bustling Quito may get more of the glory, but after spending a week on the ground in both locales, it’s smaller-scale Cuenca – Ecuador’s third-largest metropolis – that wins hands-down for urban charm. It’s little wonder that this colonial city, with roots dating back to the indigenous Canari people, and later, the conquering Incas, has proven so attractive to legions of settlers.

It lies tucked away into a verdant Andean valley where four rivers meet. In fact, affordable Cuenca is now luring a new flock of settlers, with a recent wave of American retirees making it one of the most popular expat pensioner communities in the Americas. After a week of clobbering Cuenca’s cobblestones, here with a budget-friendly cheat sheet on what to do – and where to sleep – on the cheap.

What to Do: Uncover Cuenca’s charms simply by ambling. Its UNESCO-protected old town is filled with colonial-style balconied buildings with tucked-away courtyard oases, domed churches, and manicured plazas, all set alongside the stroll-worthy pathways of the Tomebamba River. On the main square, peek in at the New Cathedral (free), the city’s largest structure, showcasing a mix of Romanesque and Gothic styles, and, just across the way, visit its predecessor, the Old Cathedral, the oldest building in Cuenca, dating back to the mid-16th century; it now functions as a museum of religious art (admission $2).

Authored By Elissa Richard – See the Full Story at Sherman’s Travel Blog

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