In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Take the AVE or Avlo from Atocha-Almudena Grandes; the first train is 06:30. Cuenca Fernando Zóbel station is 5 km from the old town: take urban bus 10 or a taxi. The Abstract Art Museum in the Hanging Houses is free and closed on Mondays; the Cathedral is €5.50, and from 2 November to 31 March it closes at 17:30 Sunday to Friday. The Enchanted City rock formations and the Devil’s Window need a car or a tour. Or book a tour: Cuenca, Enchanted City & Devil’s Window Tourad is from €89 for 11½ hours, and Full-Day Cuenca Cathedral & Hanging Houses Tourad is from €89 for the same length; a tour is the only public way to the rock formations (GetYourGuide).
Getting there
| Option | What to know |
|---|---|
| AVE or Avlo from Atocha-Almudena Grandes | First train 06:30; fares and times on Renfe |
| Cuenca Fernando Zóbel to the old town | 5 km; urban bus 10 runs between the station and the town centre |
| Day tour | 11½ hours, from €89ad |
Renfe’s Madrid to Cuenca page gives 06:30 as the first departure from Atocha. Cuenca Fernando Zóbel station is open 06:45 to 22:30. The Tourist Travel Pass does not cover these trains.
Tours from Madrid
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.
| Tour | Length | From | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuenca, Enchanted City & Devil’s Window Tourad (643 reviews) | 11½ hours | €89 | The town, the Ciudad Encantada and the Devil’s Window |
| Full-Day Cuenca Cathedral & Hanging Houses Tourad (57 reviews) | 11½ hours | €89 | The Cathedral and the Hanging Houses |
The Enchanted City (Ciudad Encantada) is a set of natural rock formations outside Cuenca. The first tour is the one that reaches them.
Tickets and prices
Prices are the operators’ own.
| Where | Adult | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Museo de Arte Abstracto Español | Free | In the Casas Colgadas; closed Mondays |
| Cathedral only | €5.50 | Reduced €4.50 |
| Cathedral and Triforium | €7 | |
| Treasure Museum | €4 | |
| San Pedro and the tower | €2.50 | |
| Full ticket | €10.50 | Reduced €9.50 |
Cathedral tickets are on catedralcuenca.globalentradas.com and in the Cathedral’s ticket price list. The Cathedral and the free museum come to €5.50.
What to see
Cuenca’s walled old town sits on a steep spur between the gorges of the Júcar and Huécar rivers, and UNESCO lists it. The casas colgadas, the Hanging Houses, stand at the cliff edge above the Huécar. A full-day tour from Madrid is 11½ hours.
The Hanging Houses and the Abstract Art Museum
Free · closed Mondays · Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00
The Museo de Arte Abstracto Español is run by the Fundación Juan March and fills the Casas Colgadas. Hours are Tuesday to Friday and holidays 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 14:30, with entry until 20 minutes before closing. It is closed on Mondays, on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 and 6 January. The best view of the houses themselves is from the San Pablo footbridge across the Huécar gorge.
The Hanging Houses above the Huécar gorge, from the San Pablo footbridge. Photo: Nemo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Cathedral
€5.50 · hours by season
The Gothic Cathedral has a Treasure Museum, the church of San Pedro with a tower, and a Triforium, each on its own ticket or in the full ticket. Hours:
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| 1 July to 1 November | Daily 10:00 to 19:30 |
| 2 November to 31 March | Sunday to Friday 10:00 to 17:30; Saturday and holidays 10:00 to 19:30 |
| 1 April to 30 June | Sunday to Friday 10:00 to 18:30; Saturday and holidays 10:00 to 19:30 |
The box office closes 30 minutes earlier. It is an active cathedral, so dress modestly.
The façade of Cuenca Cathedral. Photo: Benjamín Núñez González, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The rest of the old town
The remains of the castle’s arch and tower stand at the top of the old town, free to see. Walk up from the Hanging Houses to the Plaza Mayor and the Cathedral, then out to the castle. Urban bus lines 1 and 2 serve the Plaza Mayor area if you do not want the hill.
The Enchanted City
Rock formations outside the town · by tour or car
The Ciudad Encantada and the Devil’s Window are natural rock formations and a viewpoint in the countryside around Cuenca. They are outside the town, so the tour is the way to see them without a car.
A mushroom-shaped limestone rock in the Ciudad Encantada. Photo: Rafa Esteve, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Planning the day
- Book the 06:30 or a morning train on Renfe and note the return time.
- Station to town. Use bus 10 or a taxi for the 5 km.
- Museum first, while it is open: it is shut on Mondays and closed from 14:00 to 16:00 Tuesday to Saturday.
- Cathedral by the season’s hours, which end at 17:30 from 2 November on weekdays.
- Allow for the return to the station and the 5 km before the last train.
Cuenca is one of the day trips from Madrid. Toledo is the other trip that leaves from Atocha. Madrid airport to the city and Madrid public transport cover the first and last day, and what to book before you go to Madrid lists the sights that need tickets. Where to stay in Madrid compares the areas.
Common questions
How do you get from Madrid to Cuenca?
By high-speed AVE or Avlo from Atocha-Almudena Grandes, with the first train at 06:30, to Cuenca Fernando Zóbel station, which is open 06:45 to 22:30 and 5 km from the old town. Urban bus 10 links the station and the centre; the coach station is in the town. Fares and times on renfe.com.
Is the museum in the Hanging Houses free?
Yes. The Museo de Arte Abstracto Español, run by the Fundación Juan March in the Casas Colgadas, is free. It is closed on Mondays, open Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00, Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00, and Sunday 10:00 to 14:30, with entry until 20 minutes before closing.
How much is Cuenca Cathedral?
€5.50 for the Cathedral alone, €7 with the Triforium and €10.50 for the full ticket; the Treasure Museum is €4 and San Pedro with the tower €2.50. Reduced prices are €4.50 and €9.50. From 2 November to 31 March it closes at 17:30 Sunday to Friday.
Can you see the Enchanted City without a car?
On a tour, yes. The Ciudad Encantada's rock formations and the Devil's Window are outside the town, and the Cuenca tour that includes them is from €89 for 11½ hours. On your own they need a car.
Is Cuenca a good day trip from Madrid?
It works if you plan for the station 5 km from the old town and check the days: the Abstract Art Museum is closed on Mondays. The old town is built on a spur between two gorges, with the Hanging Houses at the cliff edge.
