Cuenca is one of those places that feels made for a short trip. In one weekend, you can stand on a medieval bridge with cliffs below your feet, walk past houses that seem to hang from rock, eat well in a quiet old town, and spend the next morning among limestone shapes that look almost invented. The city is compact, but the province opens quickly into gorges, pine woods, lagoons, viewpoints, and strange geological formations. That makes it ideal for a two or three-day route: