Firmly anchored in its colonial past, Cuenca also cuts a contemporary edge.
While Quito wins on magnificence, Cuenca takes the cake for beauty. Founded by the Spanish in 1557, Ecuador's third-largest city is the colonial jewel of the south. Red-tiled buildings, handsome plazas and domed churches line cobblestoned streets - all above the grassy banks of the Río Tomebamba.
Thanks to its student population, Cuenca also has a tasty modern flavor, with top restaurants, art galleries and welcoming bars tucked into the magnificent architecture. After tasting the colonial and the cool, take a bus north to Ingapirca, Ecuador's best preserved and most important Inca ruin.
While Quito wins on magnificence, Cuenca takes the cake for beauty. Founded by the Spanish in 1557, Ecuador's third-largest city is the colonial jewel of the south. Red-tiled buildings, handsome plazas and domed churches line cobblestoned streets - all above the grassy banks of the Río Tomebamba.
Thanks to its student population, Cuenca also has a tasty modern flavor, with top restaurants, art galleries and welcoming bars tucked into the magnificent architecture. After tasting the colonial and the cool, take a bus north to Ingapirca, Ecuador's best preserved and most important Inca ruin.
