Cuenca Get to know Cuenca, on foot

Cuenca

 

A walking tour is the best way to get to know a city that is full of history. The Free Walking Tour is a proposal introduced by the Municipal Bureau of Tourism for Cuenca. There are four routes that allow the visitors to know the characteristics of a city that has been recognized as Cultural Patrimony of Humanity. These free alternatives are meant to make the visit easier for national and international visitors.

One can get to know, and enjoy, Cuenca’s features, which are unique in Ecuador, starting with spectacular routes, such as those of the mills and bread, museums, the artisanal, and the rural. The latter one even offers transportation, departing from Cuenca’s Municipal Bureau of Tourism.

In the walking routes, the tourist is greeted by balconies that jealously guard picturesque flowers and colonial designs, buildings with figure decorations that date back to the previous century, and churches from colonial times. These are just some of the details that tourists can enjoy as they walk through the Historical Center of Cuenca and listen to the guide’s narration.

Starting at 10 in the morning, the local guide explains to the tourists who decide to be part of the adventure the most relevant details of the city, in English as and Spanish. The meeting point is Calderon Park, by Benigno Malo Street.

The first stop is the Inmaculada Concepción Cathedral. This is an architectonic jewel, where the visitor receives a detailed explanation of how the cathedral was built in 1885. Its structure is magnificent, and the copper color of its attractive brick hypnotizes the tourist. But this cathedral is also spectacular from its right side, thanks to its sky-blue domes.

In this same park is the statue of the hero whose name it honors, Abdón Calderón. He was one of the youngest soldiers from the Battle of Pichincha. Around the monument, in the center of the park, make an appearance the tallest trees of this park, the araucarias. These trees were brought from Peru, Ecuador’s neighboring country to the south, in 1875.

Another great feature of this colonial city is the pink marble that can be appreciated in some of its buildings. As the visitors walk, the warmth of the local people gives them the confidence to continue.

In colonial downtown Cuenca, the visitor can also encounter the cholas cuencanas (the native mestizo women from Cuenca), walking, with the swinging of their skirts, through Parque de las Flores (the Flower Market) and the various churches, such as Santo Cenáculo and San Sebastián, and the El Carmen de la Asunción Monastery. Every step one takes, there is a new infrastructure or a gesture from the cuencanos that surprises the tourist.

In this route, the visitor can also meet the last traditional artisanal embosser of Cuenca. He engraves names or drawings in metal. Moreover, the tour includes a visit to the Paja Toquilla (Panama Hat) museum. Last, the two-hour walking tour ends at the Plaza del Vado, where the tourist is caressed by the soft breeze and amazed by the face of modern Cuenca, with its attractive buildings. Come to Cuenca, to enjoy it and to enchant your senses.

Ubicación

NOSOTROS

Quienes somos
Preguntas frecuentes
Información de contactos

SERVICIOS

Fotografía
Edición de Video
Reportajes
Tomas Aereas

CONTACTOS

Dirección: Calle del Retorno y Federico Garcia
Teléfono: +593 7 2881493
Email: info@viajesvistalsur.com

Formulario de contactos