I visited Cuenca (how it is called in Ecuador) in February 2020. I spent a full day walking the city with some locals I met as my guides. I found it to be a very pleasant city to discover by foot. The New and Old Cathedrals around Parque Calderón are definitely highlights here, but the real charm of Cuenca lies in its numerous richly decorated houses with cast iron balconies. The city harbors four rivers that flow down from the mountains and its tap water can thus be drank directly as it is purer than many North American cities.

I advise people visiting Cuenca to grab a map and walk around to visit every church and museum of the old town. It should allow you to get a good feel of the city. San Blas, San Sebastian and San Francisco are interesting plazas. Santo Domingo is another nice church. We took the bus to Turi where we found a closed church, but an amazing view from the mirador. Like Els, I also visited Pumapungo and was pleasantly surprised by the ruins and the adjacent museums. The ruins were more imposing than I had anticipated and the recreated gardens, pond and aviary were also enjoyable.

Logistically, the center is easily walkable and the suburbs seem to have good and frequent bus connections. I came from Quito on a night bus, spent one night in Cuenca and headed next to Loja, where I slept before taking the bus to Jaen in Peru to finally reach Chachapoyas. Looking at it afterward, I should have given one more day to Cuenca for a day trip to Parque Nacional Cajas.