I tend to make some really interesting travel decisions for various reasons. Cuenca might be one of my best of all time. I googled “Where is the Best Christmas Celebration in Ecuador”. The search results said “Cuenca has the biggest Christmas Eve Celebration in all of Ecuador. I read that there would be an all day parade, and I couldn’t find much other information at all. Well, that was all I needed, I booked us 3 days in Cuenca.
The parade is called the “Pase del Nino” and is celebrated with a literal full day event. Different groups from all over the area parade through the streets in their beautiful dress, perform dances, give out food and drinks, and celebrate together. I will write another post about this entire experience soon.
I am so thankful that we came to this part of Ecuador. Cuenca city had so much to offer! Amazing mountain views, stunning colonial buildings, absolutely fantastic food, lively streets, super kind and welcoming locals, there was NOTHING that I didn’t LOVE about this place. So here is your guide for things to see, do, eat, and enjoy when you’re visiting Cuenca. If you can visit for Christmas or New Years you’ll get to see some special celebrations as well!
Practical Information
How to get there
By land: We got a ride to Cuenca from Guayaquil and it took about 3.5 hours. Our hotel arranged transport for us and it cost $100 for 2 people for the ride. It was a wild ride through some crazy mountains and some of the most beautiful scenery. It was also INCREDIBLY foggy, sometimes you couldn’t even see directly in front of the vehicle. I wouldn’t have wanted to drive it ourselves and I’m glad we had a driver. You could drive from other parts of mainland Ecuador as well, but it would be a long drive.
You could also take a bus, which I am sure would be more affordable, but when we’re on short trips like this, time is money. I prefer to get where we’re going as quickly as possible.
By air: Cuenca has a small airport. You can arrive there from the major airports of Ecuador. We actually flew from Cuenca to Quito to travel onwards to the Galapagos Islands.
Currency
In Cuenca the currency is the US dollar. You can easily get money from ATM machines and banks. You can also use credit card almost everywhere. I would recommend some cash for markets, street vendors, etc.
Weather
Due to its location in the mountains, the temperatures in Cuenca don’t vary extremely during the seasons. The temperatures remain generally between 40-70 degrees celsius year round. They do have a dry and wet season, with dry season being June to September. However, we visited in “wet” season and only had some short bursts of rain that went away quickly. We had sunny days and overall VERY nice weather. Make sure to google before you go and be prepared for some layers.
Where to Stay
Itza Boutique Hotel
This hotel was absolutely LOVELY! The decor in our room was beautiful it felt like we were staying in a palace. We had high ceilings, balconies, and so much natural light. The staff here were incredibly kind and helpful with absolutely anything that we needed. We also arrived a day late due to a flight cancellation in the US and they were SO kind and accommodating and did not charge us for the missed night. This kind of customer service doesn’t always happen (cough cough Holiday Inn). The rooftop restaurant and bar was the most stunningly decorated and we loved spending time up there. It had a small balcony that we were able to sit on and sip drinks. We were able to watch sunset over the city and the beautiful domes of the cathedral. The location was perfect and we could walk to everything we wanted to do within the city. You can check out & the hotel here : Itza Boutique Hotel
We absolutely loved our hotel, but if you’re looking for something else, our guide on our walking tour showed us two other spots that I thought looked incredible! He walked us through the Hotel San Juan which had the most incredibly beautiful interior. It was an old colonial mansion, converted into a hotel. He said it was one of his favorite places in Cuenca and I certainly trust his recommendation so I wanted to add it here.
Another spot that he highly recommended and also showed us around was Hotel Santa Lucia House. This spot looked just stunning as well, it has great reviews, and a great location.
Where to Eat
Dinner at El Mercado
We had Christmas Eve dinner here and it was perfection. If you’re visiting, and they have any sort of tasting menu going on here I would HIGHLY recommend it. I would recommend it regardless, but the tasting menu was such a lovely experience. Every bite was so delicious, the portions were perfect, the wine was wonderful, and the service was so kind and helpful. It would be an excellent place to book for sunset time as it has such a lovely view out the back windows over the river. It is listed as one of the best places to eat in Cuenca and I would 100% agree with that ranking. You can make a reservation through their website.
LaMaria Cucina Libre
We ended up here on a whim, not a plan and thank goodness we didn’t miss this place! We were googling a good place to have lunch while walking around and actively looking at the same time (never a good combo) and this place came up. It is a very unassuming spot and you have to go inside and upstairs to find it. The food here was some of the best of our entire trip to Ecuador. We LOVED the oxtail croquettes and I will dream about them until I have them again someday. I had an awesome shrimp ceviche here and Griffin had a meat dish with a cheesy risotto. Everything was so nice, the staff was lovely, and I highly recommend this spot. My only regret is that we didn’t have time to go back and eat there again.
Sunrise Cafe
This spot is excellent and was a perfect start to our time getting to know Cuenca. It is a small little no frills spot with great homestyle Ecuador cooking. They had huge portions at very small prices and we loved our meals here! I had a shrimp and vegetables dish and Griffin had chicken. This place is an awesome budget spot and not to be missed.
Zaza 360
This is the restaurant on top of the Itza Hotel that we stayed at (mentioned above). I recommend coming here for the views! Truly there can’t be many better views in all of Cuenca. The food here was great and the vibes were very nice! We also hung out up here for a drink, but I am not sure how that would work for non-hotel guests. I recommend coming up around sunset time, enjoying a drink, and then staying for dinner. It really is a lovely experience.
El Confesionario
This spot can be found in a somewhat hidden little square right by the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción. The view here is absolutely perfect as you can see the domes of the cathedral. We just had snacks and a drink here, but I wished we’d had time to go back. They had an excellent “carmenere” which is one of my favorite wines from Chile and we had a nice snack of guac and fried cheese. I was so glad we found this spot!
Things to see and do
Take a walking tour of the city
We were very lucky that our tour company was so kind and flexible. When our tour to the National Park got cancelled due to our late arrival, they arranged for us to have a private walking tour during the Christmas Eve Parade instead. This was an incredibly unique experience as we got to learn about the parade from a local, and we felt welcomed and including in a different way than we would have on our own.
Cuenca is such an amazing city and has so many hidden surprises. Our guide took us into a number of buildings that we’d never have walked into on our own, taught us so much about the city and its history and people, and was so incredibly kind. We tailored the tour to be exactly what we wanted and we enjoyed every minute of it. Even if you’re not there for the holidays, I highly recommend Cuenca Bestours and you can book a custom walking tour with them so that you get to see and do exactly what you’d like!
You can find a link to their tours here —-> Private Walking Tour of Cuenca Your way
Paseo artesanal El Calderon
This is a super charming square full of things to do. It is honestly easy to miss, you could walk right by the entrance on the street without seeing it. So make sure you check for it on the map! It has a bunch of little spots to eat, a small artesanal market with vendors selling nice little souvenirs and handcrafts, and has a really neat view of the cathedral domes as well. It makes for a nice little stop and a peaceful space amongst the business of the city.
Check out the Churches
Although we are not very religious people, we love checking out the interior of churches in places that we visit. The architecture is often beautiful and they are always unique to see. Cuenca is full of churches big and small, and they are worth checking out. At the Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción you can also go up to the roof and get some wonderful views over the city and see the beautiful blue domes close up!
Museo del Sombrero de Paja Toquilla
The “panama hat” has a long history in Cuenca and this museum showcases how the hats were made, and has a lot of beautiful hats for sale. It also has a cafe that has really nice views over the river and is a great and peaceful spot to relax and take in the views with a coffee.
Walk along the river
The path along the river is so beautiful to walk along. I wished I had time to go for a run here on one of our mornings. You can also rent bikes to ride along as well.
Visit The Markets
Markets and squares are always such wonderful and lively places and in Cuenca they are some of the best. The markets in Cuenca are all named after important dates in Cuencas history. We were taken to the “Mercado 10 de Augusto” by our walking tour guide and we loved getting a chance to see it. We happened to be there on a day when the healers were in the market, they were doing their healing practice with herbs, it was extremely interesting to see. They use their methods to find out what is “wrong” with you and then they make a special mixture to heal you and cleanse you of bad luck. We saw a few people doing it, they were getting slapped with plants all over their bodies and then sprayed with a mixture made by the healers. In the past, the healers actually used to spit/blow the “medicine” on people, but that stopped during covid times and now they use a spray bottle.
Plaza de las Flores
This is a famous flower market and it is seemingly open and bustling at all times of day. They sell all kinds of flowers and it really is a lovely small square.
To go along with these theme of healing & flowers, there is also a place called the Carmen Monestary that serves a very popular healing drink made from flowers (50 different types) and herbs. It is called “Aguita de Pitimas” and people line up for it!
In the same small square there are also some stalls selling souvenirs and other handicrafts, and even some nice food carts.
Plaza de San Fransisco
This is the main square of Cuenca and it is quite large. There is always something going on here, many pop up markets as well as regular stands are here. This is a gathering place for many and was always full of people no matter what time of day we passed through. We were here during Christmas so it also housed a very large “Christmas Tree”. There were also some realy beautiful shops around this square selling the traditional Ecuadorian clothing that many wore for the Christmas Eve celebrations.
Calderon Park
This was another lively spot that we passed through a number of times. This park is beautiful and is right in front of the Cathedral so we passed through this area often. Another place where people love to gather day and night. There was always something going on here, some live music, or carts selling snacks, etc. It is a beautiful place to sit and relax and people watch as well.
Day trips outside of Cuenca
We didn’t have as much time in Cuenca as we planned due to a flight delay coming from the US. But we had planned to go on a day hike in Cajas National Park. We got to drive through a bit of the park on the way to Cuenca and I wish we’d gotten the chance to hike here. We did however, get the chance to do a tour with Cuenca Bestours and they did an excellent job. Based on that walking tour, and their amazing communication, I would highly recommend them.
You can find the tour we were going to do here —> Cajas National Park Tour
We were interested in a number of tours but didn’t have time for as many due to the parade and Christmas Eve celebrations! We were also interested in the Ingapirca Site tour. It is definatley something we’ll look into next time we visit.
This post may contain affiliate links which support my work on this blog and finding these amazing experiences. There is NO cost to you if you use these links and it helps me to keep this blog AD free!