Cordoba is brimming with history and culture, thanks to the legacy of the people who left their mark on the city. We therefore recommend wandering through its streets and exploring every corner to discover the real Cordoba, filled with the scent of orange blossom, as well as sampling its tapas and enjoying its lively evenings.
Cordoba is the only city with four World Heritage Sites: the Mosque-Cathedral (1984), the historic centre (1994), the Festival of the Patios (2012) and the Medina Azahara (2018).
At the Mosque-Cathedral, you can take in the splendour of the Umayyads, in a breathtaking combination of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles. Remnants of the ancient caliphate can also be seen at the Medina Azahara, an opulent palace with courtyards, gardens and many rooms.
It’s also well worth exploring Cordoba’s history by strolling around the historic centre and taking in the three cultures that have influenced it, not to mention the Festival of the Patios, when the city’s courtyards are dressed in beautiful colours and opened to the public so they can be appreciated in all their glory.
Another unmissable part of Cordoban culture is its cuisine. Its signature dish is salmorejo cordobés, a chilled tomato soup usually served with fried aubergine or delicious Iberico ham. Also not to be missed are the marinated olives, migas (a breadcrumb-based dish) and flamenquines, a local version of cordon bleu made with pork, Iberico ham and cheese in the form of a roulade.
And if you have a sweet tooth, you must try Cordoba cake (made with puff pastry and a pumpkin and syrup filling), shortcrust pastry tarts, quince paste, flores fritas (fried flower cakes) and roscos de Priego (similar to ring doughnuts).