General Information - Cordoba


Sights and Monuments
As one of Spain’s most visited attractions The Mezquita in Cordoba was the former Arab mosque in the times of the Moors famous conquest of Spain. When the Christians arrived they kept the Great Mosque in tact from the outside, and placed a cathedral inside. During the reign of the Moors Cordoba became the capital of the 11th century western world attracting many wealthy merchants and landowners to its picturesque winding streets and quaint plazas.

All of the cultures Visigoth, Jewish, Spanish, Roman, and Islamic traditions that have called Cordoba their own have left a lasting impression on the city in one form or another. There’s also the Plaza de Naranjos, the Jewish Quarter with its few remaining synagogues, Plaza del Potro where Don Quixote relaxed at a nearby inn, the Arab waterwheels and Roman bridge, Torre de la Calahorra, the Town hall building, the bullring and many enchanting orange tree lined streets with impressive architecture.

Transportation in Cordoba
Like the rest of the cities and towns in Andalucía, Cordoba has ample public and private transport for getting around. The urban buses are frequent and well connected to all the outlying areas as well as the city itself. Taxis are readily available at most major transport locations such as the train and bus station. And of course all hotels and restaurants are happy to book taxis for you. Take care to have your destination clearly marked on a map as a lot of the locals spoken English is limited. Trains also run all throughout the day all over Spain.

Weather in Cordoba
Due to its lowland setting and the distance inland Cordoba has hot sun nearly everyday during the summer months between June and September. There is virtually no rain during this period and July and August can become too hot. Locally known along with Seville as the frying pan of Spain, understandably so with highs of around 400C and lows of about 180C during the night. During the winter there is a mixture of clear sunny chilly days and warm but overcast days whilst the evenings are noticeably cooler. The rain normally comes at the end of September or early October, it can be quite heavy but never normally lasts for more than a day or two. Highs during winter can reach around 200C, and lows seldom go below double figures.

Nightlife in Cordoba
Like a lot of places in Spain you can party all through the night, enjoy some theatre, and find a traditional bar for tapas and wine, or even some flamenco. Clubs such as Mana, which is a big place with plenty of room for you to throw some shapes around on the dance floor, offers varied types of music in a lively atmosphere. And the Vial Norte district in the newest part of the town has lots of modern bars with the latest music and lots of beautiful people. Some of the city’s more traditional tavernas and tapas bars can be found in the Jewish Quarter where you can sample some of the best wines and delicacies the region has to offer. Fiestas are regularly happening all over the city and there isn’t a time of year where you’re likely to miss out. The traditional gypsies will be performing either at local staged events or sometimes if you’re lucky on some of the hidden plazas and street corners around the city.

For a full meal rather than a tapas, there are many reasonably priced restaurants for you to enjoy. At the top end of the scale is El Caballo Rojo in front of the mosque which commands pricey dishes but not without sacrificing any quality. Be sure to try the famous “Rabo de Toro” bull’s tail when visiting. There are also many more affordable establishments which serve up some of the local delicacies such as kebabs, Arab style lamb, gazpacho soup, plus speciality desserts like Alfajores, Pestinos, and Pastel Cordobes – all with a Moorish influence of honey and nuts. For some more culture on a night out Cordoba has cinemas and theatres for you to enjoy as long as your Spanish is up to scratch.

Short Breaks
Cordoba is surrounded by many natural parks as well as the Sierra Morena mountain range. The Sierra de Hornachuelos and Sierra de Cardena y Montoro natural parks feature lots of gentle rolling hills and densely wooded forests for you to stroll around. There is also the Laguna de Zonar one of the many protected wetlands in the area and home to various types of wildfowl. The pine and oak forests home to wild boar and deer just north of Cordoba is untouched by a lot of tourists and offers many rewarding places to discover such as Espiel and Belmez the remote mining towns that are dramatically positioned. There is also Fuente Obejuna which famously publicly executed a cruel lord in the 15th century of a successful uprising and went on to inspire the popular Spanish play Lope de Vega. There are many more white washed villages and places of natural beauty for you to discover in and around Cordoba.