Barcelona and Seville have been luring visitors for decades, keeping Cordoba, a city in the south with a population of around 330,000, relatively off the map.
Around a million people visited Cordoba in 2017, whereas Barcelona and Seville saw 8.9 million and 2.6 million tourists in 2017, respectively.
The picturesque historic quarter is the heart of Cordoba and is one of the city’s UNESCO sites.
Since the bulk of Cordoba’s attractions are concentrated in and around this quarter, exploring the city by foot is your best bet.
Cordoba may not be as on-the-map as Madrid or Barcelona, but its quiet beauty, as seen here in the Alcazar, a palace fortress dating back to the time of Arab rule, is reason enough to visit.
Prisma Bildagentur/UIG/Getty Images
A leisurely, late dinner
One of the most popular dishes on the menu is the salmorejo, a cold soup puree of tomatoes, bread, garlic and olive oil, topped with bits of Spanish ham. This soup, along with ajoblanco, a cold soup of almonds, garlic and olive oil, is heavy on the olive oil, an important ingredient in Cordoba’s cuisine since it is produced in abundance in the countryside.
Casa Pepe, a restaurant in Cordoba with a rooftop terrace offering stunning city views, is known for its salmorejo cordobés con huevo y jamón — a cold soup made from pureed tomatoes, bread, garlic and olive oil.
courtesy Casa Pepe
But don’t plan for that meal earlier than 9 p.m., says Gonzalez. “We eat late, and stay out late,” he says, just like the rest of Spain.
Other Cordoba specialties to look for on menus include rabo de toro, a hearty stew made with bull tail meat, and berenjenas con miel, deep fried eggplant sticks topped with honey. Locals usually dine alfresco given Cordoba’s usually warm weather..
After dinner, the wine bars beckon. They’re all over town, and choosing one at random is a fun way to get to know the place and its people.
Cap off dinner with a glass of Montilla-Moriles, a locally produced sweet wine that can double as dessert.
A morning of sightseeing
Start off Saturday by hitting two of the UNESCO World Heritage sites: the historical quarter and the Mosque-Cathedral, which is situated within the quarter. Crowds are thin in the morning, according to Gonzalez. “Tourists tend to go between 2 and 5 in the afternoon, so I never suggest going then,” he says.
Attractions here include a 14th-century synagogue; the Alcazar, a palace fortress dating back to the Arab times that has Instagram-worthy gardens full with flowers; and a dozen or so churches, mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries.
Many of these churches are in an area called El Realejo, which doesn’t see many tourists. “Locals come here for mass (usually between 10 a.m. and noon), and anyone can enter for free and watch services going on,” says Gonzalez.
The Mosque-Cathedral is Cordoba’s first-named UNESCO World Heritage site.
Courtesy of Spain Tourism Board
The sprawling structure, measuring at about 250,000 square feet, is a showpiece for exemplary Moorish architecture and a stunning cathedral at the same time.
Irurita believes visitors will be overwhelmed by the Arab inscriptions and motifs in the domes and walls inside, along with several chapels and more than 850 columns constructed from marble, granite and onyx found in the city’s destroyed Roman buildings. General admission is 10 euros, and there’s no need to book a visit in advance.
The Mosque-Cathedral’s Moorish architecture is show-stopping.
Courtesy of Spain Tourism Board
An evening horse show
It runs between three and four days a week in an arena adjacent to the stables that King Philip II had built in the 16th century. The venue is less than a five-minute walk from the city center, and Irurita says that the shows are a blast to watch. “They combine horse tricks with flamenco dancing, and spectators are on their feet clapping, cheering and dancing,” she says.
More UNESCO
The Caliphate city of Medina Azahara, an archaeological site of a city built in the mid-10th century, is Cordoba’s newest UNESCO World Heritage site.
CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Irurita likens Medina Azahara to a mini-Versailles but in an Arabic style. It was built as new city in the 10th century when Abd-al-Rahman III was named as a caliph or religious Muslim ruler. Inhabited for around 80 years before being left to ruins, the site gives visitors an idea of the roads, buildings and bridges that once existed.
The last Intangible site
During the festival, the streets are crowded with tourists and locals who roam freely in and out of the houses where they mingle with the owners and see their patios. Carnations, roses and geraniums are most popular, but each patio is uniquely decorated.
The Patios Festival began in 1918 but was awarded the UNESCO disctinction in 2012. It’s a festival featuring flower-laden patios in early May.
Courtesy of Spain Tourism Board
A side excursion
For visitors who have an extra day, Gonzalez suggests tacking on an excursion to a few of the surrounding villages.
When you go:
Hotel NH Collection Amistad Córdoba is a converted 18th century mansion located in the city center. It’s ideally situated for afternoon siesta after a long day sightseeing.
Miguel Merino
Tourists can explore Cordoba and the UNESCO sites on their own, but hiring a tour guide for a half or full day is another option. Gonzalez charges 150 euros for a half-day tour for up to 10 people while Irurita’s company sells two-night packages to the city, inclusive of tours and accommodations, for a starting price of 815 euros for two people.
Cordoba deserves more attention than it gets, and given its new status symbol thanks to UNESCO, it may not stay overlooked for much longer.
Shivani Vora is a New York City-based writer who travels as often as she can, whether that means going on a walking safari in Tanzania, a mother-daughter trip with her ten year-old in Istanbul or surfing in northern Portugal.
