First afternoon 

16:00 Visit to the museum 

We go up to the right in search of calle del Obispo Valero. Some 30 metres separate us from the Museumof Cuenca, open  Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00, and Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00. Here you can take a stroll through the history of Cuenca, via its archaeological finds, from the Palaeolithic and Bronze Age up until modern day. 

17:00 On the other side of the Huécar River 

In Cuenca, walking is inevitable. So, the moment has come for a little excursion. We go back along Canónigos until we reach the route down to the Puente de Hierro de San Pablo, with a descent of 100 metres. This gem of industrial architecture was built in 1902. 

On the other side of the Huécar River, on the right, is the 16th century Convento de San Pablo, which is currently in use as a Parador Nacional (state-run hotel). Here, we take a short break before continuing on our way. 

18:00 Imprints of local artists 

The first stop is at the old church-chapel attached to the convent. This is the location of the Espacio Torner, a small museum with 40 works by artist Gustavo Torner. 

We return via the Puente de San Pablo, cross it and go right. After 200 metres we find the sculpture Pastor de las Huesas del Vasallo. It is a bronze piece from 1929, signed by the local artist, Luis Marco Pérez.  We go up San Pablo once more. On the left we pass plaza de la Ciudad de Ronda, the Bajada de San Martín and the Bajada de Santa Catalina. Around 200 metres ahead, we enter the Centro de Artesanía Iglesia de Santa Cruz. This modern cultural centre displays and sells avant garde pieces from the best La Mancha artisans. 

19:00 Dusk on the Júcar River 

After the visit, we veer left and reach calle de Alfonso VIII, the major street in the city. The colour of the facades of the buildings is striking. At the end of the street we go left into calle Andrés de Cabrera and walk until we reach Puerta de San Juan. 

We continue down calle de San Juan to the Puente de la Trinidad, on the left. We cross this bridge and turn one hundred metres to the right along avenida Virgen de la Luz. We are now at the entrance to Puente de San Antón, which appears on the right. Built from stone, it replaces an older version which seems to be of Muslim origin. This dates from the 17th century and provides access to the San Antón district. 

We cross the Júcar River and see the facade of the Iglesia de la Virgen de la Luz (open from 8:00 to 13:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00). The building occupies the site of the old Iglesia de San Antón and was fully renovated in the 17th century. Inside it has an image of the popular Virgen de la Luz, patron saint of the city. During Holy Week, it is the starting point for the Easter Thursday Procession of Peace and Charity. 

20:00 The low city 

Once again we cross the Puente de San Antón and head straight along calle Colón. We then turn left and leave behind the Hospital de Santiago, continuing along calle Mateo Miguel Ayllón until we reach the plaza de la Constitución. Next, we follow calle Carretería until we get to the plaza de la Hispanidad. 

We detour slightly to the left along calle de Cervantes. Our final destination is near; we only have to cross two blocks on calle de Fermín Caballero and then turn left into calle de Federico García Lorca. 

We arrive at our destination: the Restaurante Raff, which has one Repsol Sun. In this well-known eatery, the bar surrounds the kitchen, Asian-style. This way you can see Chef José Ignacio Herraiz in action. Amongst his creations be sure to try the squid meatballs or the cod cannelloni. 

Later, we try out Cuenca's nightlife thanks to three areas with lively bars: La Calle, La Estación and, obviously, the old quarter.

Second morning 

10:00 From square to square 

We start once again from Plaza Mayor. We cross under the arches of the Town Hall and enter plaza de la Merced on the right. In this small place we find numerous interesting places: the Convento de las Santísimas Esclavas del Santísimo Sacramento, known as las Blancas, and the Iglesia de la Merced, which occupies the site of the old palace of the powerful Hurtado de Mendoza family. 

We only have to cross the square to experience a leap in time. We are standing in front of the Castile-La Mancha Science Museum. The centre provides interesting displays and themed tours, and also has a planetarium which delights younger visitors. 

11:00 Minaret or tower 

We head south along calle de Santa María. After 80 metres the plaza de Mangana opens out in front of us. On one side our attention is drawn to the monumento a la Constitución, a piece by Gustavo Torner; on the other, the Torre de Mangana. Its origin is not very clear; some classify it as a minaret from the Muslim fortress and others as a 16th century Santa María belfry. 

After many transformations, the final version was completed in 1968. What has remained unchanged throughout all this time, however, is its function as a clock, as well as being everyday company for the people of Cuenca. 

11:30 The imprint of Holy Week 

Cuenca is an uneven city. Now, we are going down to the adjacent plaza del Carmen. From there, we continue down towards calle Alfonso VIII. We turn right and go on for 100 metres until we get to the Semana Santa Museum  , open Wednesday to Saturday from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 19:30, Sunday from 11:00 to 14:00. 

If we are here at the right time, we can get an idea of the importance of Holy Week in Cuenca, which has been declared of international tourist interest. The city has 32 brotherhoods, of which 13 were established prior to the 19th century. Thus, during this week every street in the historic centre is converted into a procession route. 

12:30 Underground Cuenca 

We continue our route and go into calle de los Caballeros, on the left. This takes us back to calle Alfonso VIII. Around 150 metres away, the entrance to the air raid shelter from the Civil War is located. It is a strange and surprising sight. It was built making use of previous caves which were used for housing and which the Town Hall expropriated at the end of the 19th century. It is open to visitors from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 19:30; and guided tours take 20 minutes. This is the starting point for a tour of underground Cuenca; it will be completed with the opening of two other shelters and the San Andrés crypt. 

13:15 Exceptional buildings 

From calle Alfonso VIII, some small porticos on our right are the entrance to the San Martín district. The facades of these buildings look onto the street, but their rear areas go down a further three or four more levels through the vertical wall that gives onto the Hoz del Huécar. For this reason, seen from the opposite side, these buildings are known as the deep houses or the skyscrapers of San Martín. 

14:00 Crossing over to the north 

We go back along calle Alfonso VIII towards the Plaza Mayor. We cross the square and take the street that exits to the right, bordering the Convento de Las Petras. This is calle de San Pedro. We walk one hundred metres to the San Nicolás restaurant, recommended by the Repsol Guide, which is famous for its gastronomical seminars dedicated to game. You cannot miss out on recipes such as ajoarriero, atascaburras (a cod and potato dish) or migas ruleras (a bread dish).

Second afternoon 

16:00 The upper part of the city 

We continue our route going up to the highest point of the city along calle San Pedro and its extension to the right, calle del Trabuco. Around 500 metres away, there is the Provincial Historical Archive. It occupies the former Court of the Inquisition and provincial jail building, and at one time formed part of the castle area. 

From the castle of Arabic origen little has been conserved, only the modest Bezudo Arch–the door to the East of the city– located opposite the archive, as well as a part of the turret and a small section of the wall. 

16:30 Going down to the Júcar River 

We return along calle del Trabuco and take the Ronda del Júcar to the right, which brings us, behind the church of San Nicolás, to the crossroads with calle Severo Catalina (or Pilares, as some still refer to it by its former name). We turn right down the Bajada de las Angustias. The road descends in a zig-zag to the Júcar River. We pass through the Arco de los Descalzos and what is left of the Convento de los Franciscanos Descalzos, which appears on our left. 

The descent leads us to the Ermita de la Virgen de las Angustias (open from 9:00 to 19:00 in winter, and from 9:00 to 22:00 in summer). The people of Cuenca feel a great affinity with this chapel. Tradition instructs you to kiss the gown on the Friday before Palm Sunday and accompany her on the night of Good Friday. 

The street continues its descent in the direction of the Júcar riverside, towards the Puente de los Descalzos. It is a walkway that connects one side of the river to the other. If we do not feel like crossing the river, there is a leisure area on the same side as the chapel: Recreo Peral. The views of the city from this point are magnificent. 

18:00 Visit to San Miguel 

The day is coming to a close, so we must return to the city. We go via the Bajada de las Angustias (it takes us a little more than 20 minutes). On arriving at plaza de San Nicolás, we veer to the right onto calle de las Armas. We are in the picturesque district of San Miguel, where the houses are so close together that no cars are permitted to enter the street. 

Perched on the Júcar River, is the church of San Miguel. Of Romanesque origen, it was remodelled in the 18th century. It is only open during the Week of Religious Music, one of the most important activities during Cuenca's Holy Week. Its 50th anniversary is in 2011. 

18:45 We start to say our goodbyes 

We ascend the steep Bajada de San Miguel, which brings us to the rear of the Town Hall. It is a good moment to take our time retracing calle Alfonso VIII and have a look in the shops which sell ceramics (Adrián Navarro), artisan goods or local produce. In La Alacena, there are cheeses, wine, honey and packaged traditional dishes for sale. 

20:30 Dinner on the Huécar River 

To conclude our visit, we take the street emerging on the left of the facade of the cathedral: Ronda de Julián Romero. A few metres away is the Figón del Huécar restaurant, awarded one Repsol Sun. Curiously, it occupies the former house of the singer José Luis Perales. 

Its dishes give a modern touch to traditional cooking and they even serve fish stew, which we can try while taking in the perfectly illuminated Hoz del Huécar at our feet. It will be the final act of our stay.