The Best Things to Do in Cuenca Ecuador: 2026 Travel Guide
Cuenca is a historic city in southern Ecuador known for its blue cathedral domes, traditional markets and streets filled with colourful old buildings. If you are looking for the best things to do in Cuenca Ecuador, this guide covers the places we visited during our three-night stay and what was actually worth our time.
We climbed to the rooftop of the New Cathedral for views across the city and completed the full thermal circuit at Piedra de Agua spa. You can also buy secret wine, fresh bread and pink medicinal water from nuns through a small rotating window beside the flower market.
This Cuenca Ecuador travel guide includes where to stay, how to get there and the experiences I recommend based on our own visit. I have also included practical advice for continuing overland into Peru if Cuenca is your final stop in Ecuador.
Cuenca
The Best Things to Do in Cuenca (2026 Advice)
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1. Soak at the Piedra de Agua Spa
Visiting Piedra de Agua spa was exactly what I needed after all the hiking in Cotopaxi and daily swimming in the Galapagos. We took a local taxi there and back from Cuenca city centre. The spa circuit is definitely a treat if you are travelling on a budget but I thought it was completely worth the money.
We spent a few hours relaxing in the outdoor hot, cold and normal temperature pools before starting the spa circuit we had booked. The circuit began with a red thermal mud bath followed by blue thermal mud mixed with quartz. We then moved into hot and cold pools which were private just for the two of us.
We finished inside the steam boxes which were absolutely hilarious. They are large wooden boxes that enclose your entire body while your head sticks out of the top. I could not stop laughing the whole time lol. It was one of my favourite things to do in Cuenca and the perfect way to recover after the more adventurous parts of our Ecuador trip.
2. Climb the Towers of the New Cathedral Cuenca
The New Cathedral Cuenca is one of the easiest buildings to recognise because of its iconic blue domes. It looks impressive from the streets below but you can also pay a small entrance fee to climb to its rooftop terraces.
The climb takes you right beside the blue domes with views across the centre and towards the surrounding mountains. Seeing the domes up close was completely different from only looking at them from the plaza below and it is definitely worth paying to climb.
The cathedral is beside Parque Calderon and close to Plaza de las Flores, so you can easily combine your visit with the flower market and the cloistered nun window in the next section.
3. Buy Secret Wine From Cloistered Nuns
Plaza de las Flores is a colourful flower market beside the Church and Monastery. Tucked beside the flower stalls is a small rotating wooden window built into the convent wall.
The cloistered nuns living inside the convent use this window to sell products without being seen. You ring the bell, place your order through the window and put your cash inside the rotating compartment. The nun then turns it around and your order appears from the other side.
They sell homemade wine, fresh bread and a pink herbal drink called Agua de Pitimas. We did not buy anything ourselves but it is still worth visiting while you are exploring the cathedral and flower market because it is such an unusual tradition.
Where to Stay in Cuenca
For your first visit, I recommend staying in Cuenca’s historic centre so you can walk to the cathedral, markets, cafes and main plazas. This is also the easiest area to base yourself if you only have a few days in the city.
Border Crossing to Peru
If you are continuing into Peru after Cuenca, you can either take an international bus towards northern Peru or travel independently to the border before flying from Tumbes to Lima. The best option depends on your budget, how much time you have and whether you want to visit northern Peru.
Option 1: Take an International Bus to Peru
International buses travel from Cuenca to Mancora and Piura in Peru. The journey to Mancora can take around 8 hours but Piura usually takes longer depending on traffic and how busy immigration is. Some services travel overnight which can also save you the cost of accommodation.
You will still need to leave the bus at the official immigration checkpoint and complete the Ecuador exit and Peru entry process. Bus staff are always helpful on these trips and explain where to go but always make sure you receive both passport stamps before continuing.
Option 2: Cross Independently and Fly to Lima
We chose to cross independently because we wanted to skip northern Peru and reach Lima quicker. We took a local bus from Cuenca to Huaquillas and stayed overnight at Hotel SMIR. We had time to walk around and get breakfast the following morning before the hotel arranged a taxi to the official border checkpoint for us.
The taxi dropped us directly outside the immigration desks. We moved between the Ecuador and Peru immigration desks on foot and the full process took around 2 hours, so leave plenty of time even if you are crossing early in the day.
After receiving our entry stamps, we took another taxi from the border to Tumbes Airport and flew directly to Lima. The bus, taxis, hotel and flight worked out around the same price as continuing through northern Peru by bus. However, we also saved money on accommodation, food and other expenses in places we were not interested in visiting. It was also much quicker than travelling all the way to Lima by coach.
MORE TRAVEL INSPO
What is Next?
Flying to the Galapagos from Quito?
If you are flying out of Quito to explore the Galapagos Islands and want to do it on a budget rather than booking an incredibly expensive cruise, read my dedicated posts.
We did the entire trip on a budget by island hopping the 3 main islands of Santa Cruz, Isabela and San Cristobal on our own! I have written a dedicated post breaking down our exact budget itinerary, how to book the shared speedboat public ferries, the tours worth spending your money on and how to see the best wildlife for free without a guide.
Where to next?
I am always planning my next trip and sharing everything I learn along the way. If you would like to follow my travels through 44 countries and beyond, join me on social media. From places I loved to the things I would probably do differently next time, I share honest travel advice to help you plan your own adventures. I would love to have you along for the journey.
