Visiting Cuenca with kids is fun! Cuenca is one of the largest cities in Ecuador and is well worth a visit if you are taking a scenic tour of Ecuador with the family. Cuenca has a beautiful old city center and in addition, there are some activities that are fun to do with kids in this city. In this blog, we list the best children’s activities in Cuenca, Ecuador.
Best travel time Cuenca with kids
Cuenca is at an altitude of 2560 meters, which ensures that temperatures in the city are not too high. Throughout the year the temperature is around 15 degrees. Therefore, make sure you also bring warm clothes for kids when you visit the city. Rain falls throughout the year, but the period when the least rain falls is from June through September.
As a result, you can say that June through September is the best travel time to visit Cuenca with kids. Because the city is at altitude, it is also important to keep a close eye on whether the kids are suffering from altitude sickness.
Headaches and nausea are then often the biggest ailments of altitude sickness. Make sure you drink well and take it easy for the first few days of your visit to the city and don’t go into a huge physical effort right away in the city with kids.
Transportation to and in Cuenca
Because Cuenca is a major city in Ecuador, the city is easy to reach by bus and plane from other major cities in Ecuador. From the capital Quito, it takes about 10 hours by bus to the city of Cuenca, so of course that’s a very long drive. From Guayaquil, this bus trip is about 4 hours to Cuenca, which is basically fine to do with kids.
You can also possibly rent a car in Ecuador, and that can be done perfectly well at the Quito airport. Most tourists arrive in Ecuador’s capital city and explore the country from there. You can perfectly rent a car through the organization Sunny Cars, which has tremendously good terms in terms of insurance, excess and cancellation of the rental car. Check online to rent a car at Quito Airport with Sunny Cars, for more information.
The city is a great place to walk. Cuenca is a relatively safe city to visit, but of course you must always remain vigilant. You can also take a cab in the city, which are often metered. You don’t have that many apps from cab companies in the city. Azutaxi app is mentioned as one of the cab apps used in the city, but we ourselves have no experience with this.
The city’s airport is tremendously close to the historic center, and you can even walk if necessary (about a half-hour walk). But by streetcar or cab you can be in the city center in a few minutes.
Children’s activities Cuenca
#1 Center of Cuenca
If you visit Cuenca with kids, be sure to visit the old town center. Cuenca’s historic downtown is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is definitely fun to visit the city’s 2 cathedrals. You have the old cathedral and the new cathedral facing each other, and the new cathedral in particular is impressive.
You can also see this cathedral from the inside and it is also possible to climb up for a view. You pay a small entrance fee for this, and you then go up a long staircase and come out on the roof terrace of this cathedral, where you have a nice view of the city. These cathedrals are located on the Plaza Abdon Calderon.
Plaza Abdon Calderon is one of the most important squares in the city. Another nice square to visit is San Francisco Square, where you can have your picture taken with the letters of the city of Cuenca. We always enjoy doing that with our daughter.
By the way, if you are looking for a nice viewpoint over the city, you can also go to the Turi Lookout in the city. This is a viewing platform on a hill at the edge of the city and here you have a very nice view of the city. You can walk here, but of course a cab is just a little more convenient with kids.
You also have a small adventure park here at this viewpoint that includes a large swing. Here you can let kids swing on this giant swing with the city in the background. A fun activity to do with kids around town.
#2 Free walking tour
If you want more information about the city, you can always join a Free Walking Tour. You have several organizations that offer tours of the city of Cuenca and most of these tours last a few hours. You then go out with a guide, who tells you all kinds of things about the city and afterwards you can decide how much you thought the tour was worth.
Another way to explore the city of Cuenca with the family are the famous red double-decker buses. These buses are not too expensive and here you make a 1 hour and 3¼ hour round trip of the city. You then ride past various sights of the city and it is a way to see a lot of the city in a short time.
#3 Parque Cajas
You can visit several worthwhile parks in Cuenca with kids. The most famous park is Parque Cajas, which is located slightly outside the city about a 30-minute drive from downtown. You can do great hiking in this nature park with kids, and most tourists visit the park with a guide. It is also possible to visit this park on your own from Cuenca, but it can sometimes be difficult to find the right routes in the park itself.
Among other things, you have beautiful viewpoints and dozens of lakes in the national park. Keep in mind that it can be quite cold in the park, so be sure to bring warm clothing for kids. The weather can be very treacherous in the park and can turn quickly. Good hiking boots are therefore recommended when visiting this national park. The area can be very muddy and therefore slippery.
If you are looking for more of a city park to go to in Cuenca with kids, the Parque de la Madre is a good option. This park is really geared toward kids and also has a wooden playground and a cable car for the kids. Adjacent to this park is also the city’s Planetarium, which you can visit for free with kids.
#4 Market
If you’re traveling around South America with kids, it’s always fun to visit a local market. In Cuenca and its surroundings, it is also possible to visit several markets with kids. One market you can find in the city center is Mercado 10 de Agosto. This is the local market and you will find all kinds of stalls selling food items.
For example, you can find whole pigs, from which they cut pieces of meat to sell. For kids, visiting such a market is quite an experience. You also have plenty of tables at this market where you can have some food and the cost of this food is very low.
If you visit Cuenca with kids on a Sunday, you can go to several markets in the Cuenca area. The villages of Sigsig, Chordeleg and Gualaceo have markets on Sundays and it is possible to visit these villages by local bus or cab. Each village is known for a different product. For example, in Sigsig you can go mainly for the Panama hat, in Cordeleg for jewelry and Gualaceo for animals.
#5 Bioparque Amaru
You can also go to the zoo in Cuenca with kids. Bioparque Amaru is located slightly outside the city center about 15 minutes away by cab (the cost is a few dollars). The zoo is very green and it is worth visiting the zoo with kids just to have a nice walk here.
With young kids, it can be quite a hike if you want to see many of the animals in the park. In fact, the area is hilly. The zoo has a playground for the kids and you have two restaurants at the zoo where you can go for a snack and a drink.
You can spot different animals in this animal park such as birds, turtles, snakes, tigers, jaguars, lions and different types of monkeys. Zoo admission is reasonable (especially when compared to zoo prices in Western Europe) and kids pay a reduced admission rate. For more information about this zoo, visit the Biosparque Amaru website.
Family-friendly restaurant Cuenca
You can eat and drink in Cuenca with kids just fine. You have plenty of family-friendly restaurants where you can go for a bite to eat and a drink. We list a few options below.
San Sebas Cafe: This family-friendly restaurant in Cuenca is great for breakfast and lunch. They sell sandwiches, burgers and salads here. It’s not a cheap restaurant, but the food here is very good and they definitely have plenty of options for kids here.
Mangiare Benne Restaurante: this is an Italian restaurant, serving Italian dishes. You have several pasta dishes here and the restaurant’s price-quality ratio is very good. They have an extensive menu with many options as well as delicious desserts.
Thai connection: if you as a family want to eat something different from the dishes from Ecuador and you like Asian food, this restaurant is a good option. You can order a variety of Thai dishes here.
Helados de La Tienda: this is a good place to get ice cream in Cuenca with kids.
Family-friendly hotel Cuenca
You can stay in Cuenca with kids just fine. This city has several nice family-friendly accommodations you can book with the family. Below we list some of the best rated accommodations in Cuenca. Click on the blue link for more information!
Budget accommodation: Hotel San Benito
Mid-range accommodation: Hotel Casa Merced
Luxury accommodation: Four Points by Sheraton Cuenca
Also, check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Cuenca.
