Cuenca

Cuenca needs 2 days: the colonial historic center (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) on one, and the nearby Cajas National Park on the other. June-September is the dry season in the Ecuadorian Andes. It's cheaper than Quito, with a notably low cost of living that made it a popular retirement destination for foreigners. It's the birthplace of the toquilla straw hat (mistakenly known as the «Panama hat»), and its colonial and republican-era historic center, crossed by four rivers, is one of Ecuador's best preserved.