The last stop on our south of Spain road trip was the incredible city of Cordoba. What a stunning place! I’ve been wanting to share this Cordoba Travel Guide for some time, but narrowing down the photos proved to be a difficult task… Every corner was photogenic and so I ended up with a terrifying number of photos. Enjoy!
One quick flick through a Spanish guide book and it was obvious that I was always going to fall hard for Cordoba. Owing to the fact that the city was the Moorish capital of Spain, its old quarter, clustered around the famous Islamic Mezquita, is a stunning mix of Moorish, Jewish and Spanish architecture. Interestingly, the grand architecture of the Mezquita was, as expected, mesmerising, but even more so it was the plant festooned patios within every building that have coloured my memory the most of this city.
Cordoba Travel Guide
Stay
In the old Jewish or Muslim quarters, in the centre of the old town inside the great walls. We stayed here and it was gorgeous (although a little dated). I also really liked the look of this place that we had coffee at one morning and this one too look like a good budget option.
See & Do
Wander the old town within the city’s walls all day on foot. If you can, pop into as many old buildings as possible and enjoy the verdant greenery of the patios (aka courtyards). Every house had me thinking I wish I lived there!
Spend half a day soaking in the serenity and gazing up in awe at the Mezquita. These days it functions as a Cathedral, but it was built between the 8th– 10th century as one of the earliest and most grand examples of Spanish Islamic architecture. Go early to avoid the crazy tourist crowds!
If you’re not planning on visiting Granada and seeing the Alhambra, definitely check out the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. I felt it was a little too much to do both (which is what we did) but gorgeous nonetheless.
Visit the stunning gardens of the Palacio De Viana. This was my absolute favourite place, I could have stayed all week.
Walk the Calleja De La Flores, preferably early before everyone else does – a tiny little street of flower and plant festooned courtyards, right off the Mezquita. If your visit aligns in May, don’t miss the Festival of the Patios, where all the residents decorate their amazing courtyards and open them to the public.
Eat & Drink
Have some local fusion at cool spot La Boca. There’s a hidden garden you can sit in!
Have dinner on the rooftop or in the garden at Pairi Daeza.
Have a chilled vegetarian meal La Bicicleta
Grab some tapas at Bar Santos.
Have a traditional Andalusian meal at Taberna Salinas.
A map of our Spanish Roadtrip. Read more about that here.
Pairi Daeza restaurant at the El Balcon hotel.
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Overlooking the stunning old town - Overlooking the stunning old town
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Perfect details at Palacia de Viana. - Perfect details at Palacia de Viana.
My castle for this amazing monstera.
Those Moorish Doors I love so much.
Isn’t the light in Spain amazing?
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The Cathedral within the Mezquita. - The Cathedral within the Mezquita.
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Some art deco architecture. - Some art deco architecture.
Finding quiet spaces.
Wearing: Paddo to Palmy Dress, The Simple Sandals in tan. Spanish hat and bag,
Wandering the alleyways of the old town.
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Comfy dresses for travelling! - Comfy dresses for travelling!
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Vine covered walls in Palacio De Viana. - Vine covered walls in Palacio De Viana.
Wearing: Grana dress, The Simple Sandal in Tan, Spanish hat and bag.
Great wall of terracotta!
These Spanish have this amazing way of stringing plants to the walls and attaching them so that their leaves grow outwards and they grow upwards. Amazing!
The pretty rooftops of the town.
Wished I didn’t have to leave! A truly magical city.
If you like this Cordoba Travel Guide, check out my Granada, Madrid, Toledo, Seville and Barcelona guides.
