WHAT TO DO IN CORDOBA
Córdoba, a stunning city in northern Andalusia famed for its historic, lush flower patios.
I’ll admit, we added Córdoba to our Andalusia road trip itinerary after seeing photos of the flower patios.
The patios have been around since the Mesopotamic era, built by the Romans to offer reprieve from the hot, sunny days. In later years, the Moors transformed the patios into the fairytale versions you can visit today.
And while, the patios are most certainly worth a visit, there’s much more to see and experience in Córdoba.
WHAT TO DO IN CORDOBA
On our trip, we only had one day in Córdoba, so we chose to stay in the historic town centre in an inn we found on Booking.com. Parking was a bit tricky, but we managed to find a garage that only charged €8 for overnight.
Once we parked and checked in, we went straight for the flower patios.
We arrived at the patios right before sunset, giving us about an hour to visit the patios and wander the winding cobblestone streets of that part of Córdoba before heading back to the historic centre.
If you visit the flower patios, I can’t recommend walking this area without an agenda enough. There are many traditional style homes, and in the glow of a setting sun, it’s a beautiful place to walk around.
Heading back to the town centre, we meandered the winding streets around the cathedral, popping into a butcher to pick up manchego, crackers and jamon to snack on as we looked for a place to have dinner.
Just walking around felt like magic- narrow streets awash in yellow lantern light, the scent of orange blossom, and the gentle strumming of a guitar.
Turning down a street near the cathedral, we found a tapas place with several people eating out front. Taking a crowd as a sign that it’d be good, we popped in.
Couldn’t have found a better place to eat than Taberna Bar Santos- excellent manchego drizzled with raw honey, fluffy tortilla, seafood salad, and spicy, yet creamy patas bravas. Topped off with sweet, fizzy Fanta, it was the perfect al fresco dinner.
After dinner, we wandered for a bit more before turning in early since we planned on exploring early the next morning before getting on the road again.
Waking the next morning to the sound of bells from the cathedral, we grabbed espressos from a street cafe and headed to our first stop- The Mezquite-Cathedral.
The cathedral is a can’t miss in every sense of the word if you’re in Córdoba. A Roman Catholic church, which was previously a mosque, is fascinating. The amalgamation of architecture and worship is breathtaking.
And, if you visit between 8:30-9:30 in the morning, you avoid the tour groups and can see the cathedral for free.
Next up, we wandered past the Roman Bridge and the Alcazar fortress. We decided not to visit the Alcazar fortress because we wanted to get on the road to Ronda, and had just come from The Alhambra. If you have the time though, I’ve heard the gardens inside the fortress are beautiful.
On our drive out of Córdoba, we stopped at a Starbucks in city centre and strolled through the Jardins de la Victoria.
The jardins are a little oasis of calm in the midst of the busy city. Don’t miss wandering the orange grove if you stop by the jardin, the scent of fresh oranges is one of my favourite little pleasures in life.
Albeit our time in Córdoba was short, it was sweet.
I’d have loved another day to see more of the city, but was grateful to have experienced what we had time for in our one day stop.
Have you ever driven around Spain or visited Andalusia? What would you add to this guide of what to do in Cordoba?
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