Mosque-Cathedral (Mezquita)
ModerateThe Great Mosque of the caliphs · UNESCO
Walk into the half-light among the striped arches, then come upon the cathedral at its heart; go at opening time, or on the night visit.
JuderíaMust-seeUNESCO
Córdoba, Spain
Ideal: 2 daysBest: Mar–May, Oct–NovPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Córdoba in 60 seconds
A thousand years ago Córdoba was the capital of Islamic Spain and one of the largest cities in Europe, and its Great Mosque — the Mezquita — is the proof: a forest of more than 800 columns carrying double arches of red brick and white stone, with a Renaissance cathedral built into the middle of it after the Christian conquest. Around it the Judería, the old Jewish quarter, is a tangle of whitewashed lanes, and in May the city's private patios open their gates in a festival of geraniums and fountains. Cross the Roman bridge at sunset, visit the gardens of the Alcázar, and drive out to the ruined caliphal palace city of Medina Azahara. Córdoba invented salmorejo, the thick cold tomato soup, and fries a fine aubergine. Two days; avoid July and August, when it bakes.
UNESCO
Best for
- History
- Architecture
- Food
Known for
- The Mezquita
- Patios festival
- Medina Azahara
- Salmorejo
Skip if
You are travelling in July or August — Córdoba is one of the hottest cities in Europe, and the afternoons are for hiding indoors.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Córdoba fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos
InexpensiveFortress and terraced gardens
Long pools, cypresses and orange trees below the walls where Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus.
JuderíaGardensHistory
Medina Azahara
InexpensiveRuined palace city of the caliphs · UNESCO
The 10th-century palace city, abandoned within a lifetime, excavated on a hillside eight kilometres west; a bus runs from town.
OutskirtsArchaeologyUNESCO
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
Local
Where to eat the food this city is actually known for.
Bodegas Campos
ExpensiveWine house and restaurant since 1908
Salmorejo, flamenquín and oxtail in a rambling old bodega of patios and barrels signed by famous guests.
San PedroAndalusianHistoric
Casa Pepe de la Judería
ModerateTaberna with a roof terrace by the Mezquita
Tapas downstairs, a roof terrace with a view of the Mezquita's tower above.
JuderíaClassicTerrace
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
The patios of San Basilio
Private courtyards full of flowers
Whitewashed courtyards hung with hundreds of pots; in May they open for the patio festival, and some open all year.
San BasilioGardensSpring
Roman bridge at sunset
Across the Guadalquivir to the Calahorra tower
Walk across as the sun drops behind the Mezquita, and look back from the Calahorra tower.
GuadalquivirFreeView
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
Judería
The old Jewish quarter
Whitewashed lanes, the little medieval synagogue and the flower-hung Calleja de las Flores.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Judería & old town
ModeratePatio hotels near the Mezquita
Stay in a house built round a patio, a few minutes from the Mezquita.
AtmosphericWalkable
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- High-speed trains from Madrid take under two hours, and from Seville about 45 minutes.
- Getting around
- Walk the old town; take a bus or taxi to Medina Azahara.
- When to go
- March to May — especially the patio festival in May — and October to November. Summer is fiercely hot.
- Taste locally
- Salmorejo, flamenquín, berenjenas con miel, rabo de toro and Montilla-Moriles wine.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 785
Abd al-Rahman I begins the Great Mosque.
- 936
Work begins on Medina Azahara, the caliph's palace city.
- 1236
Ferdinand III takes Córdoba; the mosque becomes a cathedral.
- 1523
Work begins on the cathedral nave inside the mosque.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Seville
Andalusia's capital
Seville has its own guide.
45 min by fast trainCityFlamenco
Granada
The Alhambra
Granada has its own guide.
1 hr 30 min by trainPalaceUNESCO