Sunday at the Ciudad Encantada and Lunch in Cuenca's Old Town

The plan

The day at a glance

Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.

09:30
Leave Cuenca 30 min by car
from Cuenca by the Serranía road
10:10 1
Ciudad Encantada
€5 at the box office · 1 h 30
30 min by car28 km
12:30 2
San Pablo Bridge and a walk along the Huécar gorge
On the way back, with the car at the castle
7 min on foot
14:00 3
Mesón El Caserío
Charcoal grill and Cuenca dishes · no midday closing

Calle Larga, 17, 16001 Cuenca · +34 969 230 021

Restaurant €€
Book
16:00
Back home
Home by mid-afternoon

Approximate cost About €20–35 per person

Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.

The route

Ciudad Encantada

A short plan for anyone who lives in Cuenca or is staying there: the Ciudad Encantada in the morning, when there are fewer people, and back to the old town for lunch. It suits children, who spend the whole circuit looking for shapes in the rocks, and dogs, which are allowed on a lead.

The Day, Hour by Hour

9:30 · Departure. From Cuenca, along the Serranía road, about 35 minutes. The park opens every day at 10:00.

10:10 · Ciudad Encantada. You buy the ticket at the ticket office, there is no online sale: €5 for adults, €4 for ages 8 to 12, free for under-7s. The route is a 3 km circuit and takes an hour and a half with stops. Pushchairs are not allowed: use a baby carrier. Mountain footwear.

12:30 · San Pablo bridge. Back in Cuenca, park at the castle and walk down to the bridge to see the Hanging Houses head-on.

14:00 · Lunch. Mesón El Caserío, on Calle Larga, next to the castle car park: grill and Cuenca dishes, open from 12:00 to 00:30 every day except Tuesday.

16:00 · Return.

Distance3 km

Time1 h 30

Rafa Esteve · CC BY-SA 4.0

Change the route

With young children, if it rains or if you fancy something else: another stop that fits the same day.

Life-size iguanodon reproductions in the museum garden, with Cuenca in the background

If it rains, 10:00 to 14:00: Castilla-La Mancha Palaeontology MuseumMuseum · 1 h 30 · €5 · Free on Wednesdays · Dinosaurs of Cuenca

A glass of red wine in the restaurant's cellar

For a more elaborate Cuenca lunch, with booking: Raff San PedroTraditional Cuenca cooking by chef Miguel Escutia in 16th-century stables in the old town, with a cellar of Cuenca wines.

Where to eat

Where to eat?

Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.

Mesón El Caserío

Restaurant · Cuenca · €€€€

What to order: Morteruelo or zarajos to try the Cuenca classics, and a grilled meat or the vegetable platter

Open every day except Tuesday, from midday to midnight.

Raff San Pedro

Restaurant · Cuenca · €€€€

What to order: The traditional ajoarriero (€16) to start and the cured trout with ham meunière (€25) or the hind with mushrooms (€28); or the Acervo menu, €65

Open Thursday to Monday, at midday and in the evening. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

The dining room with wooden beams and large windows over the gorge

Restaurante Casas Colgadas

Restaurant · Cuenca · €€€€

What to order: The Volver menu, of 10 courses, is the way in; the Cocinamos Cuenca, of 15, is the full experience.

Open at midday Wednesday to Sunday and in the evening Wednesday to Saturday. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Map

The stops, in order

With where to park at each one.

What to do Eat 88 €Stay Services

Getting there

By car or without one?

By car

It is the only way to reach the Ciudad Encantada: there is no public transport.

When to go

When to go to Cuenca

In spring and autumn. In summer, go first thing. In winter there can be snow or ice on the rocks and the ticket office closes early, at 16:30.

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Best timeGood timeLow season

Tips

Worth knowing first

1
Bring a coat
The Serranía is cold almost all year, and the ticket is bought at the ticket office, at the gate.
2
Do not leave it late in the afternoon
In November, the ticket office closes at 16:30.

Questions