Getaways from Cuenca: day trips and destinations close by.

The same distance from Madrid as from Valencia

Cuenca is almost the same distance from Madrid as from Valencia, and its routes divide between the two sides. To the west, the A-40 drops to Tarancón and joins the A-3: along it you reach Chinchón, Aranjuez and Alcalá de Henares, and, continuing along the A-40, Toledo and, through La Mancha, Consuegra. To the south, the N-320 goes to Motilla del Palancar and the A-3, on the way to Alcalá del Júcar and Valencia. To the north, the same N-320 climbs to Guadalajara, with Sigüenza and the Monasterio de Piedra beyond. To the east the Serranía begins, with the Ciudad Encantada half an hour away, and, on the other side, already in Teruel, Albarracín.

Without a car, the way out is the AVE on the Madrid to Valencia line. The station, Cuenca-Fernando Zóbel, is on the outskirts: city bus line 10 links it with the bus station. From Madrid there are Cercanías to Alcalá and Aranjuez. The Serranía and the Ciudad Encantada have no public transport.

The Ciudad Encantada, close and dog-friendly

Under an hour is the Serranía: the Ciudad Encantada is 35 minutes away, with a 3-kilometre circular route among rocks, suitable with children and with a dog.

Between an hour and a half and two hours are Chinchón (105 minutes), with the Plaza Mayor and cellars with caves; Aranjuez (110), with the palace, the gardens and the boat on the Tagus, and Alcalá de Henares (110), with Cisneros's university, Cervantes's birthplace and the weekend on the Tren de Cervantes.

Between two and two and a half hours the day stretches and it is best to sleep away: Alcalá del Júcar (130), hanging from the gorge and riddled with caves; Albarracín and the Rodeno in two nights, at two and a quarter hours; Toledo and Consuegra, at about two and a quarter hours; the Lagunas de Ruidera, at two hours twenty-five; Chulilla, with its suspension bridges, at two and a half, and the Sierra Norte of Madrid, also at two and a half hours.

From two and a half hours go the longer weekends: Sigüenza, at two and a half hours; El Escorial, at two hours forty; Montanejos, with rafting and the Fuente de los Baños, a little over three, and Segovia with a balloon at dawn, also a little over three.

With ice in the Serranía, go early and in boots

In winter the Serranía can have snow or ice, and the Ciudad Encantada ticket office closes at 16:30: go early and in boots. For skiing you have to go to Guadarrama, three hours away, with the snow weekend in Cercedilla. Short days pass well indoors, in the palace at Aranjuez or at the university in Alcalá.

In spring, the gorges of the Júcar and the Huécar turn green, Ruidera has its waterfalls full and the canoeing season begins at Alcalá del Júcar. It is also a good season for Albarracín and for Montanejos, before the heat arrives.

When summer comes, Cuenca's advantage is altitude: at almost a thousand metres, the city and the Serranía are more bearable than the plain. If you go out, go to water: canoeing on the Júcar at Alcalá, with the caves for the heat, or swimming and kayaking at Ruidera, early.

In autumn the poplar groves of the Júcar turn yellow, and so does the La Herrería chestnut wood in El Escorial, in October and November. It is, with spring, the best season for the Ciudad Encantada and Albarracín.

The Ciudad Encantada in the morning and a mesón up on the hill at midday

• Half an hour away: the Ciudad Encantada and lunch in the old town. The route among the rocks in the morning, a mesón at the top of Cuenca at midday and the San Pablo bridge on the way back.
• To the south: Alcalá del Júcar by canoe. Two hours on the river at the foot of the village, La Mancha lunch beside the water at Tolosa and, in the afternoon, the Cuevas del Diablo and the castle. With one night, the getaway to Alcalá del Júcar.
• Towards Madrid: Chinchón, square, winery and roast. The Plaza Mayor before it fills up, a tasting in a winery from 1870 and a long lunch in a mesón with caves.

To stay at home, the Sunday in the old town, from the Casas Colgadas to the Huécar gorge.