Top Reasons Why You Should Visit Córdoba, Spain, at Least Once in Your Lifetime

Nowhere is Andalucia’s Moorish-Christian heritage more powerfully on display than in Córdoba, with the star attraction being the Mosque-Cathedral, the only building of its kind in Spain. It features a 16th-century cathedral built in the middle of a 10th-century mosque. Other key sights include the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos – a palace built among the ruins of a Moorish fortress in the 14th century – a 16-arched Roman bridge and the remains of one of the greatest temples in the Roman Empire.

Throughout the 10th and 11th centuries, Córdoba was the most sophisticated city in Western Europe and home to the Medina Azahara, an administrative and residential complex and the capital of Moorish Spain. Although only representing about 10 percent of the original, today’s ruins still give you an idea of the original layout of the palaces, mosques, offices and gardens. They lie 8km (5mi) west of Córdoba and are accessible by car or a bus that runs from outside the Alcázar.

Córdoba’s warm climate and low annual rainfall make it a great year-round destination. The best times to visit are spring and autumn when you’re guaranteed temperatures of around 25C (77F) and almost no rain. The only time to really avoid visiting is in August when Córdoba lives up to its reputation as the hottest city in Spain, even beating sweltering Seville; temperatures frequently exceed 40C (104F), making sightseeing virtually impossible.

Córdoba is a destination in its own right. However, it’s so well connected to the rest of Andalucia that it could be a day-trip option if you’re staying somewhere else. As one of the region’s Big Four, it’s within a two-hour journey (maximum) of the other three: Seville, Málaga and Granada. If you’re flying into Madrid, Córdoba is just a 90-minute ride away on the AVE, Spain’s high-speed train service. Our four-day Mini Trip to Seville includes a walking tour of the city’s historic sights, plus a Spanish cooking class.

If you visit Córdoba in May, you can experience a feria (festival) held nowhere else in Spain. Running for the entire month, the Feria de los Patios showcases the internal courtyards of the oldest houses in the city, colourfully decorated with plants and flowers. Other unmissable celebrations include the processions of Holy Week (Semana Santa), the Crosses of May (Cruces de Mayo), in which flower-strewn crosses appear throughout the city, and the Feria de Córdoba, a week of flamenco, bullfights, eating and drinking held in late May and early June.

One of the best ways to get to know Córdoba is to spend an evening bar-hopping around the historic centre, where you’ll find old-school haunts as well as modern, creative tapas joints. For a dose of time-honoured Córdoban charm, head to kiosk-size Bar Santos opposite the Mosque-Cathedral; it serves the best tortilla (Spanish omelette) in town. Next, stop by Bar Santa Marina, where bullfighting photos adorn the walls; it’s opposite the church of Santa Marina. More contemporary hangouts lie on Calle San Fernando.

Virtually all of Córdoba’s oldest quarters are Unesco-protected, and when combined, they constitute the largest old town in Spain. This area contains the separate neighbourhoods of Judería, a maze of cobbled alleys that was once the city’s Jewish quarter; Santa Marina, nicknamed the Barrio de los Toreros because of its deep connection with bullfighting; and the bohemian, bar-packed district of San Pablo. The historic centre is also home to one of the prettiest streets in Spain, the Calleja de las Flores (Alley of the Flowers).

Several of the most famous dishes in southern Spain originated in Córdoba, making it a must-visit city for foodies. Try salmorejo – not to be confused with gazpacho – a cold, refreshing soup of tomato, olive oil, garlic and breadcrumbs, topped with chunks of jamón (dry-cured ham) and hard-boiled egg. Alternatively, bite into flamenquin, a croqueta-like, deep-fried roll of ham, pork loin and cheese, or rabo de toro, bull or oxtail slowly cooked in a red-wine sauce.