A Guide To The Old Town In Crdoba Spain

The neighbourhoods of central Córdoba make up one of the most enchanting old towns in all of Andalusia: a centuries-old district of flower-filled streets and whitewashed houses, rivalled only by Granada’s Albaicín or Seville’s Santa Cruz. Culture Trip takes you around the city’s oldest barrios, providing insiders’ tips for sightseeing and recommending the best places to eat and drink along the way.

1. San Basilio

Architectural Landmark

Gardens of the Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain, Europe

The San Basilio neighbourhood, in the southwestern corner of Córdoba’s old town, sits between the River Guadalquivir and the beautiful Victoria Gardens. Most of the old houses here participate in May’s Fiesta de los Patios, when residents open up their colourful courtyards to the public for two weeks. San Basilio’s architectural landmark is the 14th-century Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a palace for Spain’s Catholic kings built on the site of a Moorish fortress, surrounded by gardens of tropical splendour. Like all of Córdoba’s old town, San Basilio is a small neighbourhood and easy to walk around, but avoid doing so during the hottest part of the day. Morning and early evening are the best times for a wander.

2. Santa Marina

Church

The historic neighbourhood of Santa Marin, in the northeast of Córdoba’s old town, extends around a 13th-century Gothic-Mudejar church which gives the area its name. Opposite the church is the old-fashioned Bar Santa Marina, a tapas bar where cards aren’t accepted and yellowing walls are plastered with black-and-white photos of bullfighting. Santa Marina is known locally as the Neighbourhood of the Bullfighters (barrio de los toreros) after its long association with the Spanish spectacle. Many Cordobese bullfighters throughout the centuries have married in the Iglesia de Santa Marina, and the greatest of them all – Manolete, killed in the bullring in 1947 – is remembered with a monument on Plaza del Conde de Priego, just opposite the church.

3. San Andrés-San Pablo

Ruins

Roman Temple in old city of Cordoba, Spain.

Immediately south of Santa Marina is the trendy barrio of San Andrés-San Pablo, where the tapas and cocktail bars are crowded with twentysomethings on weekends. On the northern border with Santa Marina is the 15th-century Palacio de Viana, a sprawling residence for local aristocracy, surrounded by 12 courtyards in classic Córdoban style. Entry to the palace and courtyards costs €10 (£9). San Andrés-San Pablo is also where you’ll find the ruins of Córdoba’s first-century Roman temple, unearthed in the 1950s during work on the town hall.

5. Tapas bars

Restaurant, Spanish

Streets and bars of the old town of Cordoba, Andalucia, Spain.

Córdoba’s old town is packed with tapas bars where you can stop for a caña (small beer) or vino (wine) and a bite to eat as you explore. Standouts include Bodegas Mezquita, a modern eatery overlooking the river; rooftop restaurant Casa Pepe in Judería; and Bar Santos, a kiosk-size joint opposite the mosque that serves the best tortillas (Spanish omelette) in town. For a more nightlife vibe or some interesting fusion joints, head to Calle San Fernando, where you’ll find “bistronómic tapas bar” Garum 2.1.

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