Discover Córdoba: Culture, Nature and Hotels

Culture and History

Medina Azahara was built in the mid-10th century by the Umayyad dynasty as the seat of the Caliphate of Córdoba and preserves a complete urban complex with streets, bridges, water systems, buildings, decorative elements and everyday objects.

The Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984 and combines Umayyad, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. The mosque section comprises a courtyard surrounded by colonnades and a prayer hall with two-coloured arcades.

The Puente Romano was built in the 1st century BC, while its main structure dates from the Middle Ages. The bridge has sixteen arches, including four pointed arches; the rest are round arches.

The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos was originally built in the 13th century. Four towers stand at its corners. Its Mudéjar courtyard has a marble floor, water channels and water basins.

The Baños del Alcázar Califal feature vaulted rooms with star-shaped skylights. Between the 11th and 13th centuries, they were reused by the Almoravids and Almohads.

The basement of the Museo Arqueológico de Córdoba houses a restored, museum-presented and accessible archaeological site that is open to the public. The courtyards of Córdoba are open areas within residential buildings that serve to illuminate and ventilate the other rooms and are used as spaces for family life.

Festivals and Flavours

Holy Week in Córdoba is an annual ten-day celebration held in spring, during which 50 brotherhoods hold processions.

Salmorejo is a cold Cordoban cream made from tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and bread. In Córdoba’s taverns, wines from the Montilla-Moriles PDO can be tasted, including Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez.

Nature and Landscape

The landscape of Córdoba is shaped in the north by the mountains of the Sierra Morena and in the south by the Guadalquivir and its agriculturally used plain.

Sotos de la Albolafia was declared a natural monument on 2 October 2001 and forms a reserve for flora and fauna within the city.

Hiking, Cycling and Connections

For Córdoba’s officially approved hiking trails, the city provides official route sheets, maps and downloadable GPS tracks. Mejor Córdoba en Bici offers educational cycling tours with planned stops, led by experts in heritage interpretation.

High-speed trains connect Córdoba with Seville in 40 minutes, with Málaga in 50 minutes and with Madrid in 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Other places: Baena, Hornachuelos, Almodóvar Del Río, Cardeña, Iznajar, Moriles, Almedinilla, Montilla, Villaviciosa De Córdoba, Belalcázar, Bujalance, El Hoyo, Huertas Bajas de Cabra, Villafranca De Córdoba, La Carlota, Pozoblanco, Santa María De Trassierra, Zuheros, Dos Torres, Carcabuey, Hinojosa Del Duque, Adamuz, Priego De Córdoba, Encinas Reales, Villanueva Del Duque, El Viso, Doña Rama, Añora, Córdoba, El Vacar, Gaena-Casas Gallegas, Puente Genil, Fuente del Conde, Palenciana, Pedro Abad, Fuente Obejuna, Fuente Tójar, Castro Del Río, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, Cerro Muriano, Villanueva De Córdoba, Campo-Nubes, Villaharta, Doña Mencía, Aguilar De La Frontera, Fuente Palmera, La Fuente Grande, Fernán-Núñez, El Tarajal, El Cerezo, Torrecampo, Espiel, Ribera Baja, Santa Cruz, La Paz, Venta del Charco, Ochavillo del Río, El Villar, La Celada, La Jara, El Cañuelo, La Guijarrosa, Silillos, Zambra, Lucena, La Rambla, Cabra, Rute, Montemayor, Luque, El Carpio, Villa Del Río, Villanueva Del Rey, Alcaracejos, Cañete De Las Torres, Montoro, Monturque, Nueva Carteya, Santaella, Alcolea, Posadas, Benamejí.