Getting to Spain
The nearest airport to Cuenca is Madrid Barajas International Airport.  From Washington, D.C., a direct flight takes about seven hours on Iberia (Spain's major airline).  Spain is six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, so if your flight leaves at 8:00 p.m. in Washington, you'll arrive around 9 a.m. in Madrid.  Because you’ll lose a night of sleep, we recommend that you book a hotel in Madrid and plan to depart for Cuenca the following day.  This way you can begin to recover from jet lag and experience a little taste of Madrid.  (After a nap at your hotel, for example, take a walk around the Plaza Mayor, visit the Prado Art Museum, stroll around Retiro Park, or eat Serrano ham at a tapas bar.)  A taxi will take you to the city center for about 25 Euros, or you can take the Metro directly from the airport for about 2 Euros. Madrid's metro system is modern and easy to navigate, but it lacks escalators, so be prepared to haul your bags up and down a few staircases.

Getting to Cuenca
From Madrid, Cuenca is accessible by car, train, or bus.  The trip takes about two hours (slightly longer by train).  If you arrive by bus or train you will pull in to the "new" part of the city at the foot of town.  The wedding ceremony (and probably your hotel) will be in the Old City, which is reached by a relatively short but strenuous walk up hill, or by a very short taxi ride.  On foot, turn left out of the train station onto Calle Fermín Caballero and then follow the signs to the Casas Colgadas, which will take you uphill into the Old City.  (For a map of Cuenca, click here.) For hotel street addresses, click here

By Car:
You can rent a car from several major car rental agencies with pickup locations at the airport and all over the city.  The route to Cuenca is on major roads (take the Valencia Highway east and eventually turn left onto Route A40.)  Be sure to bring a good map or at least a printout from Google Maps.

Parking is limited in Cuenca.  The Parador has a small parking lot, but the other hotels do not have parking facilities.  Your best bet is to park in a pubic garage for about 9 Euros a day.

By Bus
Spain's bus headquarters, Auto-res runs buses several times a day to Cuenca.  Buses depart from the Estación Sur de Autobuses, which can be reached by metro from the Méndez Alvaro stop on the Circular line (the gray ring-- click here for a Madrid Metro map).  Buses are very modern and all of them are air conditioned.

By Train
Madrid's trains are operated by RENFE.  The train station, Atocha, is located downtown and also has its own metro stop (Atocha Renfe).  There are three or four trains to Cuenca each day.  A round trip ticket to Cuenca costs 20 Euros (15 Euros one way).  Order your tickets online and print them out beforehand.  It's very important that you bring the printout of the ticket with you.  There is a tourist information center in the station on the ground floor outside the botanical gardens if you have any questions or problems.

Arriving in Cuenca
Please note: bring comfortable shoes.  The climb up to the Old City is steep and you will encounter cobblestone sidewalks and other rough surfaces that are not high-heel friendly.  Unless you're young and fit, we recommend taking a taxi from the train/bus station to your hotel if you are staying at the Parador, the Posada de San Jose, or Leonor de Aquitania.  Otherwise it's a long climb that can get pretty strenuous -- especially if you're carrying a suitcase!

Useful Links
Wikipedia page on Cuenca
Madrid Barajas International Airport
Madrid Metro
Madrid on Google Maps
Cuenca on Google Maps
Renfe (Train)
Auto-Res (Bus)