Cuenca

Cuenca can be seen in a day: the Hanging Houses over the Huécar river gorge are its iconic image, alongside the rest of the medieval old town. April-June brings mild weather ahead of the La Mancha summer heat. It's one of Spain's cheapest UNESCO-listed cities, not overcrowded despite being under an hour from Madrid by high-speed train. Its Hanging Houses, built literally on the cliff edge in the 15th century, today house the Museum of Spanish Abstract Art, one of the country's most important.