Cuenca

All trips in Ecuador should include a trip to Cuenca. A visit to this wonderful southern city will add a true touch of culture to your holiday in Ecuador.Considered the most beautiful city in the country, Cuenca likes to call itself the Athens of Ecuador. But its narrow, cobbled streets, houses with wrought iron balconies, flower-filled patios and many fine old churches are more reminiscent of ancient hill towns like Ronda and Cordoba of Andalucia in southern Spain. ‘Of all the earth, as far as I know it,’ wrote the early twentieth century traveller Harry A. Franck, ‘Cuenca has the most perfect climate.’ Most visitors wholeheartedly concur.Cuenca is also the biggest production centre of the misnamed Panama hat. If you enjoy exploring back street markets, delving into old churches, museums and craft shops, sitting around in patio cafes and watching the world go by, then Cuenca is for you.