Route through Cordoba in 3 days
Day 1:
Start the day admiring our most precious monument, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. It is the most important monument in the Islamic West and one of the most amazing in the world. Its history encapsulates the complete evolution of the Umayyad style in Spain, as well as the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of Christian construction.
Open every day of the week and from Monday to Saturday (except public holidays) is free from 8.30am to 9.30am. If you don’t want to get up early or you don’t think an hour is enough, the entrance ticket is from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm in winter or 7.00 pm in summer.
In the same ticket office you can rent an audio guide for your visit. If you are interested in a guided tour do not hesitate to ask us during your stay.
When you leave the Mosque-Cathedral, enter the Jewish quarter, with its winding streets where you can get lost and find yourself. Don’t be in a hurry and walk its streets enjoying every corner or square that appears in your way.
In the Jewish Quarter you can visit the Synagogue, the Mudejar Chapel of San Bartolomé, the Socco, the Casa de Sefarad and the Casa Andalusí. Also not to be missed are the Calleja de las Flores, Calleja de la Luna, Calleja de la Hoguera (where there is currently a Mosque that functions as such) and Calleja del Pañuelo (the narrowest street in Cordoba).
At dawn cross the Roman Bridge, until you reach the Torre de la Calahorra. The views from the other side of the river are of authentic beauty.
Day 2:
The day begins with a visit to the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, where practically all the cultures that have passed through the city, from Roman times to the present day, have intervened and inhabited. You can walk through the fortress and its well-kept gardens. In addition, if you prefer, there is also a night visit (magical nights in the Alcázar) where there is a spectacle of light, sound and water in the fountains.
On the way out, and just in front of the Alcazar, are the Caliphal Baths. These baths or hammams, adjacent to the disappeared Umayyad Alcazar, to which they surely belonged, were probably the most important in the city. They were built under the caliphate of Alhakem II and form a group of rooms with masonry walls. They are closed with vaults (where the characteristic star skylights appear), supported by ultra-semicircular arches on capitals and marble columns.
After the baths we suggest a walk through the neighborhood of San Basilio or the Alcázar Viejo. It is in this district where you can find the famous Cordovan patios throughout the year. There is a route of 5 patios that are representative of the rest of patios that open during the contest in May and that you can visit for 5€.
In the afternoon head towards the current district of Axerquía. There is the Plaza del Potro, which owes its name to the fountain that presides over it. Here you will find the Julio Romero de Torres Museum and the Fine Arts Museum of Córdoba.
From El Potro, along Calle Armas we reach the Plaza de la Corredera. Its current rectangular layout and porticoed with arches at the bottom, connects this construction with those made in Castilian cities, which is the only of its kind in Andalusia. Formerly it was used as a bullring, still conserving today a small street called Toril. In it, acts of faith, proclamations and executions have been held during the French Invasion. Nowadays it is a perfect place to have a fresh beer in any of its terraces.
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Day 3:
We propose you to spend the morning in a palatial city, Medina Azahara: the magnificent and mysterious city that Abd-al Rahman III ordered built at the foot of Sierra Morena, eight kilometers from the capital city of Córdoba.
Our recommendation is that you are encouraged to take a guided tour, but if you don’t feel like it in the museum they put a very interesting explanatory video that introduces you very well into the history of what you are going to see in the ruins.
If you have a car, we will show you the way during your stay. If not, in the different tourist offices you can buy the ticket to go there by bus. They have a regular service that leaves every day at 10.15h or 11.00h in the morning.
In the afternoon we will go to the city centre. From the hostel you can take the bus n.12 to Plaza de Colón. From that point to five minutes on foot we have the Palace of Viana, whose dependencies are developed around twelve magnificent patios and a fantastic garden. You can buy a ticket only for the courtyards or you can also visit the interior of the palace.
On leaving, we will walk until we reach Cuesta del Bailío and Plaza de Capuchinos, where the Cristo de los Faroles (Christ of the Lanterns) is located. If you can, visit this area at dusk or at night, as it has more charm than during the day.
From here you can go down Alfaros Street to the Roman Temple next to the Town Hall. Now go up the street Capitulares and you will find the main square of the city, the Plaza de las Tendillas. It is one of the favorite meeting places for Cordobes and visitors and around you have all the shopping streets so it always has plenty of city life.