Cuenca Historic District Tour: Local Expert Guides and Panama Hat Factory Visit Included
4.9
63 Ratings
Cuenca

Head through Cuenca historic district with a local expert that will show you the highlights including churches, beautiful historical buildings with wrought-iron balconies, and carved wooden doors, amidst a flower market, art galleries, etc.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Cuenca - Our tour begins in San Sebastian neighborhood, here we find the Modern Art Museum where the famous Bienal International de Cuenca takes a place, it belongs to a select group of macro art events established in Latin America and the Caribbean. We will be able to explore not only the exhibits but also the historical house with its typical architecture.

Afterwards we will visit the “10 de Agosto market”, this is the perfect spot to learn about the local products and culture. We will also visit the San Francisco market, the flower market, Abdon Calderon Park, the cathedral “El Sagrario”, known as the “Old Cathedral”, and lastly, we will tour the “New Cathedral” which is considered one of the biggest churches in Latin America. The famous gold leaf altar is found here.

  • Homero Ortega - Then we will visit the Panama hat factory-musuem. Here observe the fabrication of the very famous Panama Hats from a fiber called “paja toquilla”. These hats range from simple inexpensive ones to colorful, elegantly designed and costly ones. Afterwards, we will drive through the “Barranco” which is an area of terraced houses located next to the Tomebamba River.

Finally, we will go to “Mirador de Turi” (scenic viewpoint) to enjoy the beautiful vista of the Cuenca landscape.

What's Included
  • Transportation provided
  • Guidance from a professional tour guide
  • Convenient hotel pick-up and drop-off
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information
  • Please contact us to info@cuencabestours.com within 2 days notice to reconfirm the tour.
  • For 1 to 5 passengers, a bilingual guide will also be the driver. For more than 5 passengers, a driver and a bilingual guide will be provided.
  • Infant seats are available on request if advised at time of booking.
  • Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
  • Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults.
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Location
Cuenca
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(63 Ratings)
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Vanessa_s
May 21, 2024
Knowledgeable and enthusiastic - Wilson is a very knowledgeable tour guide and he gave us an especially good explanation of the architecture of the city. We thought the Panama hat museum was really, really well done, and Wilson’s explanations there were very interesting. We highly recommend him.
Review provided by Viator
Fionac559
Apr 11, 2024
Cathedral terrace views. - Excellent tour of Cuenca. I thoroughly enjoyed the cathedral and climbing up to the top. I was not expecting this but the climb was worth it. The view from Turi did not disappoint.
Review provided by Viator
Burnis_j
Apr 8, 2024
Cuenca great city!! - Private tour was great. Enrique was a great guide and the sites we went to were wonderful.Ortegas hat factory and museum was very good and purchased a couple of great panama(really Equadorian) hats. The squares and interaction with the locals was great also. Went to Turi for great photos of the city. WONDERFUL!!
Review provided by Viator
John_k
Feb 21, 2024
You will be well educated with Cuenca. - Starting on time to the Tori lookup point You will get a broad view of Cuenca. You will do short visits to a museum or two and you'll walk the historic center and markets. it's an amazing tour rich in history. Ask for Cristian and be captivated with all his exciting knowledge.
Review provided by Viator
Biwayman2017
Feb 19, 2024
Cuenca is too good to be true - Winston’s love and enthusiasm for all things Cuenca are now ours too. We were introduced to amazing corners of the city that we would never find on our own and will now visit again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annaru7594vh
Dec 31, 2023
Great tour - Carlos was a great guide - we really enjoyed ourselves. Great taste of Cuenca. Half day is the right timeline.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
200gladyp
Dec 30, 2023
Cuenca first visit - The tour was very good, we got to know the history and many places of Cuenca, the visit was to our complete satisfaction
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ramonoy9769uw
Dec 22, 2023
Historical tour! - So much history. Eddy was our tour guide and was knowledgeable and patient. We learned a lot about our past and ancestors.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachel_r
Dec 15, 2023
Best Part of Cuenca! - This half day tour with Enrique was the best part about our trip to Cuenca. We learned so much about the city center and Panama Hat factory. We would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for more information on the history and details of the best parts of Cuenca's city center!
Review provided by Viator
Troyft929xd
Nov 21, 2023
Great trip. Wilson is the English speaking guide you want to ask for - Wilson was our guide and he was extraordinary. Speaks good English and VERY knowledgeable and he was fun. We enjoyed our half day trip with him so much that we booked a full day trip with him two days later. One of the things he took us to was a Panama hat manufacturer (which he informed us that they are Ecuador hats but named Panama because they were originally made for workers working on the Panama Canal. ) Anyway, if your looking for a half day trip that’s informative and fun and you need an English speaking guide, Wilson is your man!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
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