Where to Stay in Cuenca: Parque Calderón, Calle Larga (El Barranco) & El Ejido

One of the great pleasures of staying in Cuenca is sleeping inside a restored 19th-century Republican mansion complete with colonnaded interior patios, hand-painted French latón (pressed tin) ceilings, and wooden balconies looking out onto cobbled streets or the rushing Río Tomebamba. Here is how the city's three best accommodation zones compare.

1. Centro Histórico (Around Parque Calderón, Calle Simón Bolívar & Calle Mariscal Sucre): Best for First-Time Visitors

Staying within a four-block radius of Parque Abdón Calderón and the Plaza de las Flores puts you at the very heart of the 1999 UNESCO World Heritage zone:

• Why Stay Here: You can step out of your hotel door at 08:00 to photograph the New Cathedral's blue domes and the Carmelite flower market in soft morning light, ride the Tranvía de Cuenca along Calle Gran Colombia or Mariscal Lamar, and dine at candlelit courtyard restaurants housed in former patrician homes.

2. Calle Larga & El Barranco (Overlooking the Río Tomebamba): Best for River Views, Cafés & Museums

Stretching along the southern rim of the colonial terrace above the Río Tomebamba, Calle Larga and the Paseo 3 de Noviembre form Cuenca's most atmospheric cultural corridor. Boutique hotels built into the multi-level cliffside mansions offer balconies facing the river and sit within a five-minute walk of the Puente Roto, Toquilla straw hat workshops, Museo Pumapungo, and Cuenca's best speciality coffee shops and craft gastro-pubs.

3. El Ejido, Avenida 12 de Abril & Avenida Solano (South of the River): Best for Quiet Leafy Stays

Just across the pedestrian bridges over the Tomebamba, the green flatlands of El Ejido feature modern full-service hotels, garden villas, and spacious serviced apartments along tree-lined Avenida 12 de Abril and Avenida Fray Vicente Solano, ten minutes on foot from the cathedrals.

4. San Sebastián & Western Historic Quarter: Best for Quiet Plazas & Art

At the western end of Calle Simón Bolívar and Calle Sucre around Plaza de San Sebastián and the Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno, small design hotels offer a peaceful village atmosphere within the historic grid.