Hi! I'm planning a trip that involves two nights at the Parador in Cuenca. I was curious if anyone had recommendations for their favorite restaurants (or market/grocery for picnic supplies) and what things they most enjoyed when visiting Cuenca.
I also wanted to ask about the transit, we are arriving by train and I am hoping to just take the bus from the train station to the old town, but was curious if anyone else has done this, of the bus is reliable or I should just plan on calling a taxi. Thanks!
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
2974 posts
Holy cow I love Cuenca! I didn't take the bus up to the old town but it runs regularly and leaves you right in the center of town. It's a windy, slow road up.
I can't comment on restaurants other than they open typically late...think 8pm at the earliest for dinner. It's such a small town that it was impossible to eat earlier - so just be aware...elsewhere in Spain I was able to eat earlier...in Cuenca I just had to wait.
The cathedral is gorgeous and has a great history...and some surprisingly modern stained glass!
Don't miss the hanging houses, of course, but also make sure you find the Foundation Antonio Perez. It's a house museum right off the Main Street...a cool building and then it's filled with the craziest and most random art.
Enjoy Cuenca!
Posted by
6896 posts
We had a car and mostly hiked outside town, but you can hike into the gorge and it is indeed gorgeous! I loved the town and had a stellar meal at Raff—highly recommend. Also had a fine meal at Piola.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8655 posts
I too had a rental car both times I was there. We loved the Parador when we stayed there.
There are no supermarkets in old town. A few supermarkets in town include Carrefour, Mercadona, and Día. You may want to pick up your picnic supplies before going up to the Parador.
Posted by
new york
1698 posts
We stayed at the Parador for three nights in November, 2024. We arrived from Madrid on the IRYO and took a reasonably prided taxi to the hotel...taxis were waiting at the train station which is a handsome work of modern architecture in itself, designed by Fernando Zobel, who came from an eminent Filipino-Spanish family and initiated the art museum in one of the "hanging houses" which is well worth a visit...
The Parador is very nice but not one of the best kept in the chain....gorgous setting and I would still recommend although our room had some issue with windows not closing, etc.....
You might try to book a table at the best restaurant in town, RAFF SAN PEDRO; it was closed on the day we were there.
There are quite a few restaurants focusing on the local dishes which are unique to this part of Castilla La Mancha--Zarajo and Morturuelo are the two most well-known....you can sample them at the PARADOR but it might be more fun to have one meal outside the hotel; one place we ate that we liked has closed but ASADOR NAZARENO Y ORO gets sound recommendations from locals...we missed our lunch there due to some confusion on my part about opening hours.
Here is some information on the unique dishes of Cuenca and its environs....they will not appeal to anyone who is a picky eater, but there is lots of great food apart from those so do not fear!! The first part of this post focuses on the two meals we had in Madrid before heading to Cuenca, so just scroll down to post #12:
https://www.hungryonion.org/t/madrid-and-cuenca-11-24/41264/12