Tours & Activities in Cuenca
Visit the city of Cuenca, walking through its streets, learning the history of this medieval city, in broad daylight and downhill!
A route for lovers of cities with history, art, culture and nature, all of which come together. Immerse yourself in a World Heritage city that is unique in the entire world. This route is ideal for getting lost, while learning about its history, in the streets of Cuenca.
From the viewpoint of the Arco de Bezudo , we will go down the gorge of the Huécar River , letting ourselves be enchanted by its streets, its buildings, its history, its monuments and its art. We will see the seat of the ancient Inquisition , as well as the history and Templar architecture of the church of San Pedro . We will go down Julián Romero Street until we reach the Cathedral , where we will be captivated by the beauty of the cathedral of Santa María and San Julián. We will discover the history of the Plaza Mayor , as well as its surroundings.
Finally, we will head towards the Hanging Houses and the San Pablo Bridge , where geology and one of the most emblematic panoramic views of Spain will accompany us as we explore its history.
Are you joining us in falling in love with Cuenca?
Itinerary:
- Panoramic view of Cuenca in the Castillo district
- Headquarters of the former Inquisition
- Templar Church of St. Peter
- Christ of the Passage
- Florencio Cañas Viewpoint
- Former home of José Luis Perales
- Inn of St. Joseph
- Church of Saint Pantaleon
- Cuenca Cathedral and Plaza Mayor
- San Martin skyscraper
- Hanging Houses
- St. Paul's Bridge
Tour duration: 2 hours.
Useful information for the traveler:
You can continue the tour with a guided visit inside the cathedral, paying only €12.5 in advance, which includes the entrance to the temple and the guided tour inside!
*The realization of this visit will depend on the number of participants.
The ideal route for lovers of mystery and legend. Get ready to get to know Cuenca like never before, with a guided tour in the light of the moon, while the most famous stories and legends of the city are told, some of them with a royal base. We will start in the Anteplaza, in the mosaic that represents the Cuenca coat of arms, right next to the Tourism Information Office, in front of the City Hall. From here, we will go up to the Plaza de Mangana, to see its tower and a history marked by the witchcraft psychosis of the seventeenth century that took place in Cuenca. We will retrace our steps to go to the Plaza Mayor, and we will continue through an alley to learn about the famous skyscrapers of San Martín and Santa Catalina, the Hanging Houses and the legend of the Casa de la Sirena. Once this is done, we will head towards the Cathedral, where we will meet one of the prophecies of the famous French astrologer Michel de Notrédame, Nostradamus, closely related to Cuenca and its famous temple. We will continue walking towards the highest part of the city through Ronda del Huécar or Julián Romero street and we will continue going up to discover the mystery that houses one of the first Christian churches in Cuenca, the church of San Pedro, and from there we will cross to the Hoz del Júcar. As we descend along the path of the sickle, we will know the scene from which the Holy Inquisition knocked down the poor victims who fell into its clutches, to finish the route in a beautiful and mysterious place like few others: the hermitage of the Virgen de las Angustias , and we will end with the most famous story of the city: the legend of the Devil's Cross.
We are a group of 4 official guides from Cuenca who are in love with their city. We have been together for 17 years, showing with the same enthusiasm as on the first day the most hidden corners of the historic centre, recalling its most curious anecdotes and reminiscing about its legends.
Our hallmark is a sense of humor and trying to get travelers to participate in the tour. The more questions the better.
All our guided tours begin at the Town Hall Arches and last for almost two hours.
The morning tour takes in the old Jewish quarter, surrounds the gigantic seminary and the Mangana Tower, looks out over the viewing points of the Hoz del Júcar and enters the spectacular skyscrapers, the tallest dwellings in Europe in the 16th century.
Of course, it also passes through the Hoz del Río Huécar before ending at the famous Hanging Houses with views of the San Pablo Bridge.
If you arrive late you can join us in front of the Cathedral, where we will be explaining the first 10 minutes (but remember that those of us who are punctual will meet under the arches of the Town Hall)
This tour is different from the morning tour and therefore compatible with it. Many travellers are glad they did both so they could see the entire historic centre.
As if that were not enough, the final part of the tour takes place under the dim light of lanterns hanging over cobbled streets and centuries-old passageways.
We will walk through the upper part of the city, going all the way down the most beautiful street in the old town: Ronda de Julián Romero.
This is a neighbourhood full of palaces and viewpoints over both the Hoz del Júcar and the Huécar. After learning about the history of the old Colegio de San José and delighting in several spectacular viewpoints, we will arrive at what was once the Tribunal of the Inquisition to marvel at its terrible history and enjoy an epic sunset.
We will then descend along the solitary Ronda del Júcar and enjoy the illuminated facades of the Cathedral and the Hanging Houses , to end by discovering the incredible history of the San Pablo Bridge.
If you arrive late you can join us in front of the Cathedral, where we will be explaining the first 10 minutes (but remember that those of us who are punctual will meet under the arches of the Town Hall)
Discover Cuenca in a different way, through its legends. Let yourself be enveloped by the mysteries of this medieval city, on the only guided tour of the city.
Our meeting point will be the fountain in the Plaza Mayor, in the Plaza Mayor, in front of the Cathedral stairs, next to Globalcaja.
Our first stop will be the San Miguel neighborhood, where legend has it that there were ghosts that frightened the population... to go to our next point, where we will tell you the legend behind a little prank that takes place in the city, the Ojos de la Mora.
Later, we will go down to the chapel of Las Angustias, where we will tell some legends that are little known by the people of Cuenca, as well as the most famous legend of the city, which inspired Bécquer for one of his works.
We will go back the way we came and head along the Júcar ring road towards one of the first Christian churches in the city, the church of San Nicolás, to tell the legend of the saint's miracles.
We will go to the other gorge, that of Huécar, to learn the love story between Don Julián and Doña Angustias, in the eyes of the Christ of the passageway and, from there, we will go down to the Hanging Houses, where we will tell the legend of the House of the Mermaid, and we will discover if there are mermaids, with their songs, in the city of Cuenca...
Finally, we will end the tour in the famous Plaza de Mangana, where, at the foot of the tower of the same name, we will tell the most terrifying legend of Cuenca, the one that has 17th century witches as its protagonists.
And the most special thing of all... an apparition will accompany us throughout the entire journey...
Itinerary:
- Fountain in the Plaza Mayor, Plaza Mayor (starting point)
- San Miguel Passage: The Ghosts of San Miguel
- Church of San Miguel: The legend of Martín Alhaja and the conquest of Cuenca
- The Eyes of the Mora
- Descent to Las Angustias and the Hermitage of Las Angustias: The Face of Christ and the Legend of the Cross of the Convert
- Plaza de San Nicolás: Legend of the miracles of Saint Nicholas
- Julián Romero Street: Legend of the Christ of the Passage
- Hanging Houses: The legend of the House of the Mermaid and Fray Pedro de Orellana
- Mangana Square: The Witches of Mangana
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE
Travelers, we are well aware that this is a free tour platform, so in light of some somewhat negative opinions that only criticised the fact that we give out a ticket at the beginning of the visit, we would like to clarify why we give it out, even though we always do so at the beginning of the tour.
We don't just do free tours, we work with many platforms, some of which are prepaid and others where the client pays upon arrival at our meeting point. Many people choose free tour platforms without really knowing what they are or how much they have to pay, and for all those questions, this website has a section for questions where there is already an answer, so we focus on what is important: we give a ticket, in which the amount reflects what we value our service, since it is essential to take it with you in case of a possible tax inspection and because said ticket acts as a simplified invoice. At no time are you asked to pay that amount, but you have to take it with you. There are many people who prefer to pay that amount and then feel comfortable with the payment and other people prefer to give whatever they want at the end of the tour (of course, there are also scoundrels who leave before or at the end of the tour and don't give anything, but we don't count those kinds of people). That said, it is necessary that you bring your corresponding ticket, which does not imply that we will go to any monument, but, simply and plainly, that you have to bring it, so that we can declare our taxes.
Additional information for the traveler:
- Please confirm your attendance . Often people make reservations but then do not attend the tour, which means that there are no places available for people who are really interested and makes the management, logistics and planning work more difficult for the guide. That is why you are asked to confirm your attendance. If there is a reservation of only two people who have not confirmed and do not reply, the guide will cancel the tour.
- The minimum number for the tour is 6 people.
- The tour can be done with a stroller, but it is much better and more comfortable to carry a backpack with the little ones, since there will be stairs in some sections.
- If reservations are made less than 5 hours in advance, the guide reserves the right to make the itinerary based on whether he or she can make the visit or not.
- It is a perfectly complementary tour with the "Daytime Wonder" or "Night Spell" tour, since 100% of the content changes.
Discover the charm of a World Heritage city by moonlight. You will be surprised by how much Cuenca changes at night, transforming into a city that will take you back to medieval times.
We will start at the fountain in the Plaza Mayor, in front of the Cathedral and next to the Globalcaja ATM.
We will go up Calle Ronda de Julián Romero, explaining who this man was, as well as the origin of the street, formerly a city wall, and on the same street, we will talk about a small palace, now an inn, where it is said that Velázquez was inspired to represent his famous painting, "Las Meninas".
Going up towards the area of the Castillo district, we will find some beautiful viewpoints from which we can admire, at night, the beauty of Cuenca.
Our climb will take us to the heart of the Cuenca Inquisition, the city's former castle and today the provincial historical archive, and from there, we will return to the main square going down the other round of the old town of Cuenca, the calle ronda del Júcar, and talk about the mysterious eyes that look at us from the mountain opposite.
Once we reach the Plaza Mayor, we will talk about the Cuenca Cathedral, an impressive example of the country's early Gothic architecture, before heading towards the Hanging Houses, where we will end the tour.
NIGHT SPELL
This tour is called Night Spell, but in the summer, during the months of June, July and August, it will be called "Dream Sunset", since we will start at 8:00 p.m. and by the time it gets dark, we will already be finishing.
It will be an evening visit.
Although the name "Night Spell" still appears in the reservations, it is announced here that the city will barely be visible at night.
In August, on Fridays and Saturdays, this same tour can be taken at 10:00 p.m., for a fully nocturnal visit.
IN FULL LIGHT
We have released this same tour in the mid-afternoon, available at 4:00 p.m., for all those who want to do the tour itinerary without waiting until nightfall.
This tour can be booked on our Guruwalk profile, with the same name, A Plena Luz
Availability: only on Fridays and Saturdays of high demand, such as national holidays or very important long weekends.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE
Travelers, we are well aware that this is a free tour platform, so in light of some somewhat negative opinions that only criticised the fact that we give out a ticket at the beginning of the visit, we would like to clarify why we give it out, even though we always do so at the beginning of the tour.
We don't just do free tours, we work with many platforms, some of which are prepaid and others where the client pays upon arrival at our meeting point. Many people choose free tour platforms without really knowing what they are or how much they have to pay, and for all these questions, this website has a section for questions where there is already an answer, so we focus on what is important: we give a ticket, in which the amount reflects what we value our service, since it is essential to take it with you in case of a possible tax inspection and because said ticket acts as a simplified invoice. At no time are you asked to pay that amount, but you have to take it with you. There are many people who prefer to pay that amount and then feel comfortable with the payment and other people prefer to give whatever they want at the end of the tour (of course, there are also scoundrels who leave before or at the end of the tour and don't give anything, but we don't count those kinds of people). That said, you need to bring the corresponding ticket, which does not mean that we will go to any monument, but simply that you have to bring it so we can declare our taxes.
Itinerary :
- Fountain in the Plaza Mayor, Plaza Mayor (start of the tour)
- Julian Romero roundabout street
- St. Joseph Inn
- Florencio Cañas Viewpoint
- Bridges and passageways (exterior)
- Church of St. Peter
- Former Convent of the Discalced Carmelites
- Castle ruins
- Júcar Round / Eyes of the Mora
- Cathedral (exterior)
- Hanging Houses / San Pablo Bridge / Former Convent of San Pablo (today National Tourist Parador)
Additional information for the traveler:
- Please confirm your attendance . Often people make reservations but then do not attend the tour, which means that there are no places available for people who are really interested and makes the management, logistics and planning work more difficult for the guide. That is why you are asked to confirm your attendance. If there is a reservation of only two people who have not confirmed and do not reply, the guide will cancel the tour.
- In low season, the minimum for the tour is 6 people.
- The tour can be done with a stroller, but it is much better and more comfortable to carry a backpack with the little ones, since there will be stairs in some sections.
- If reservations are made less than 5 hours in advance, the guide reserves the right to make the itinerary based on whether he or she can make the visit or not.
- It is a perfectly complementary tour with the "Night Spell" tour, since 80% of it changes.