Walking Around Cuenca
Take the Time To See Its Beauty

Walking around Cuenca is a great way to see much of its beauty.

You'll find fantastic buildings with intricate stonework, others with marble fronts, and many, many with open doors providing tantalizing views of wonderful courtyards.

Below, we discuss (and show you) some of what you can find while exploring this UNESCO World Heritage city on foot.

And then we'll go over some of the problems you'll likely explore while you're pounding the concrete (and stone, and marble!).

Click on any image on this page for a larger view of that image.

Old and Older—Restored and Unrestored

The main reason we love to walk around Cuenca is to look at the buildings.

We stop and peek into any open courtyard we find. We stop and gawk at the marble buildings (some with polished marble, and some with unpolished stone).

We marvel at the intricate scrollwork that's often painted to make it stand out even more.

And we admire the wooden doors, intricate balcony metalwork, and rooflines of dozens of these buildings.

A special treat is walking along the streets at night, between 7 and 9. (Don't wander around much later than 10, or you could find yourself the victim of a crime of opportunity.)

Many courtyards shut in behind closed doors during the day are open for a quick peek at night when the owners are at home. And we often see many second-floor ceilings (some with antique light fixtures, others with intricate finishings).

Restored Colonials

There's something about a restored colonial that makes us want to look at it for an hour, taking in all the intricate details of its triumphant return to stately beauty.

Many of these buildings are historical homes. This means that the city has restricted what can be done to these buildings.

On the inside, walls cannot be touched. On the outside, the doors have to be repaired and restored, or replaced with replicas of the originals.

Often, the scrollwork at the top of the building, and often the roof trusses, is painted to make it stand out against the background color of the building.

Unrestored Colonials

There are plenty of unrestored colonials as well. Some are so old and in need of repair that you can see the building methods used when they were built.

These methods include:

• bricks of dirt (sometimes of dirt with stones mixed in)
• roofs of bamboo or tree branches covered with tiles, and
• attic walls of bamboo covered with parging

Many still have the rough-hewn beams and uneven posts (click on the image just above for details).

Other Places To Walk

The old buildings aren't the only things to see while you're walking around Cuenca. There's Parque Calderón, the core of El Centro.

Sandwiched between the old cathedral (now a museum of religious artifacts) and the "new" cathedral, the largest in South America, it's a little oasis of trees, shrubs, flowers, benches and statues.

San Sebastián and San Blas plazas, and Parque de la Madre and Parque Paraiso, are also worth visiting.

And don't forget the miles of greenspace along Río Tomebamba and Río Yanuncay. Unfortunately, much of the ground is uneven, so you may end up walking on the sidewalks, but the views and the sounds of the rivers will relax you.

Avenida Doce de Abril (April 12), from University of Cuenca to Parque Paraiso, is also a pleasant walk, especially on the weekend when traffic is much reduced.

And a stroll down Calle Larga could lighten your wallet while burdening you with shopping bags. See Artists on Calle Larga for details about just a few of the shops you can visit.

The Downside of Walking Around Cuenca

Yes, there's lots of beauty. There's also lots to contend with, too.

First, there's the traffic. El Centro's narrow streets make for lots of congestion, especially when someone stops in the street and waits for a parking spot to become available. Lots of horns honking as well.

And with traffic (especially when a large percentage of it's diesel traffic), there's exhaust. Air pollution, plain and simple. And plenty of it. When you see street workers wearing breathing masks, or cloth over their faces, you know it's not going to be too healthy to spend a lot of time hoofing it.

To go along with the narrow streets are very narrow sidewalks. Many have barely enough room for two people side-by-side. There will be times where you'll find it easier to walk on the street for a few yards, and other times where you'll be walking sideways for a few steps to get around other people.

And, just to make things interesting, you'll find lots of things sticking out of the sidewalks, but only for an inch or two. Just enough for you to trip over them. Jeff seems to find every inch high obstacle in the city.

Walking at Night

As we mentioned, you shouldn't be out too late. After all, Cuenca is is a city of 400,000 or so, with a criminal element that you'll always find in large cities.

Never walk down along the Tomebamba River late at night, especially if you're by yourself. In fact, if you're on your own, take a taxi. They're cheap.

Elevation

If you live at or near sea level, remember to take Cuenca's elevation (about 8,200 feet) into account when walking. Go at a steady pace. Take rests when you need them. And take a bottle of water with you, or buy one along the way.

Summary

Walking around Cuenca has many rewards, and a few risks. With some planning and attention, you can eliminate or reduce many of those risks, leaving you to enjoy the rewards of this beautiful city.

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