Cuenca?

• http://turismo.cuenca.es/
• http://www.turismocastillalamancha.es/cuenca/
• http://www.vercuenca.com/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Njsp2aT0c

Cuenca will likely be quite hot in mid-summer. It was beyond warm when I was there in late May 2016. There's a likelihood that it will be rather chilly in mid-winter. (Madrid's weather is similarly swingy.) The historic area is up on a hill and might also be subject to chilling winds in the winter. You can probably find day-by-day historical temps in graph form on wunderground.com.

Cuenca is on the high-speed AVE line that connects Madrid and Valencia, so it can be approached by train from either direction. There are also regional trains, but they are much slower, so it would be great if you could pin down your travel dates early and get those AVE tickets shortly after they go on sale, when bargain prices are offered. The cheapest tickets will be non-refundable/non-changeable, however.

I did not investigate bus service.

In addition to the evocative hill-town architecture and the hanging houses, Cuenca has a couple of good modern-art museums. Each one would probably take at least an hour. The cathedral is also worthwhile, and I'm pretty sure there was an English audio guide available. If you're interested in the museums, I think you'd want two nights in Cuenca. If you're not, one night would probably be sufficient, and you wouldn't necessarily need to take a super early train in. I believe three nights would be overkill for carless travelers except in unusual situations (the town is highly photogenic, for example).

Note that the AVE station is far enough out of town that the distance isn't walkable. There is some bus service, but I don't know how frequent it is, and I remember thinking that Sunday arrival would be a real problem. Perhaps there are no buses at all that day. Googling will probably turn up some information.

I must mention the small city of Teruel, which isn't terribly far from Cuenca. It is very interesting, with a lot of mudejar towers and some attractice early-20th century buildings--completely different from Cuenca except that it's also in a hill. Unfortunately, I suspect Cuenca-to-Teruel is one of those "You can't get there from here" situations. I went to Teruel from Zaragoza, and it was not a short trip. Teruel is quite isolated in the transportation sense, which is no doubt why it is so untouristy, given its charm.

I was there in late September a couple years ago and it was warm but not hot. In the evening my wife needed a light sweater as it did get a little chilly. Acraven got it right; two nights is right, three an overkill. We stayed at the parador across from the hanging houses. It was reasonable and a great location for walking to the historic center. Can't help with the public transportation as we had a rental car.

Yes! Cuenca was charming! We stayed at the Parador which is right across the gorge from the main city. The Museum of Abstract Arts (Museo de Artes Abstractos) is in one of the most picturesque hanging houses and is wonderful! The town is charming. It's a bit hilly and it was raining quite a bit (we were there during Holy Week and they had to cancel the processions) so we took a charming little train to tour the city. There are many good restaurants and one night we ate at the Parador because the rain was so bad. I would recommend a full day (two nights) in Cuenca. We had a rental car because we were visiting friends in other parts of the country.

Have booked train travel to Cuenca to arrive mid day and leave next Morning for Malaga.
Seems there is an old section and a modern section.
Am now researching if there is a bus to center?
If it's best to stay in center?
Is there any kind of bus tour once in center.
Should I book in center which looks like small hotels or a more modern hotel with AC which we will need as we are going next week that is .7 KM from Cuenca.
Any suggestions while I continue to research is greatly appreciated.
As is a lunch or dinner spot and possibly breakfast one.
Looking to stay under $75 USD for hotel and lunch or dinner around $20.
Can also picnic is there is a market nearby.
Love modern art so any museum suggestion would be great.
Thanks

Have done more research and there is a bus from Ave station to Plaza Mayor.
Will probabably stay near there and do the little train that goes around and also visit the Modern Art Museum.
Am looking for breakfast, lunch, tapas or dinner suggestions or even a market nearby for a light meal.

Google will take you to a 2011 NYTimes article titled, "Modern Art Amid Ancient Stone in Cuenca, Spain". It includes 3 restaurant recommendations and mentions the second museum I liked, the Fundacion Antonio Perez.

The old town, both the art museums and the cathedral are higher than the modern section. You can walk between them, but probably most people use some form of transportation. If you want to see the Espacio Torner in the parador (which I thought was more interesting for its architecture than its art), it's just outside the old town, across the ravine.

I didn't see anything special about modern Cuenca, so if you can find an affordable hotel in the old town that has the features you want (like a/c), I'd stay there.

There's public bus service up to the old town, but Cuenca isn't large, so I imagine it doesn't run very often. But the tourist bus/train may be even less frequent.

I think there are some English-language tours, but I don't know how frequently they are conducted. With a map of the historic area you can get around by yourself. Do check on the audioguide at the cathedral, which will probably be the coolest place in town.

Found the article and I had been deciding between 2 of the hotels mentioned.
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/travel/30overnighter-cuenca.html
I think I will spend my short visit in the old town.
Hopefully can fit both museums in or will have a reason to return.