It is located in the interior of Spain, in the northeast of the Castile-La Mancha region. The capital of the province is the city of Cuenca, where the historical fortified town has been awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO. This is the setting for the Religious Music Festival, held during Easter week and declared a festival of International Tourist Interest.

The province has widely contrasting landscapes, with everything from the typical plains associated with La Mancha, to the most mountainous scenery in the whole of the Castile–La Mancha region. This can clearly be seen in the areas of the Alcarria Conquense, La Mancha, la Manchuela and La Serranía. It also has a nature reserve.

Cuenca has some of the oldest examples of cave art in Spain, part of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, and which have been awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO.