Settling In For A Relaxing Stay In Córdoba
We had a great 4 days when we visited Seville and looked forward to a relaxing stay in Córdoba. It was an easy and short train ride. We travelled in Spain before by train and it was one of our favourite ways to get around.
Arriving at mid-day there were lots of taxis available. The pickup fee at the train station was significantly less than an airport pickup.
A Hotel Within The Walled City
We picked the NH Collection Amistad Hotel on the internet based on reviews. It was part of our search for a European hotel chain build loyalty points with. The NH Hotels in Seville and for our stay in old town Córdoba gave us our first view of the NH Collection brand.
The offline map app showed that it was a short drive from the train station to the hotel. But when we just looked at the map it did not really show where the hotel was located. Our first clue was when we made a sharp turn and dodged the horse and carriages on the narrow street. We went through the arch and entered the walled city. At one point we were sure the cab driver needed to pull in his mirrors! It reminded us of our recent drive into the walled town of Obidos in Portugal.
We arrived at the open court in front of the hotel. When we walked out the back door of the hotel, we actually walked out through the wall!
We had a few issues with the first room assigned and were delighted when we got upgraded to a suite. This let us spread out for our relaxing stop in Córdoba.
The weather forecast called for temperatures around 40℃ (104℉). So we got out early in the day, moved slowly and took much needed siesta breaks in the afternoon!
Enjoying The Sights In The Old City of Córdoba
The old town of Córdoba was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There were a couple of “must see” items on the list for our relaxing stay in Córdoba. We started our exploration of Córdoba at the Alcazar. This palace with vast gardens was a great introduction to the varied history of Córdoba.
We spread our visit to the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba over two days. One day we walked around the outside. And then early the next morning we came back and saw the inside. This site changed hands several times in its history. The result was a fascinating mix of Christian and Islamic decoration and architectural design.
Staying inside the walls let us easily explore the other sites that the old town of Córdoba offered at our pace and timing. A visit the the old Synagogue provided another religious view of Cordoba. We visited a small Bull Fighting Museum (Museo Taurino) and got a glimpse of a classic Andalusian experience. A walk around the Los Baños Del Alcazar Califal provided yet another view of the bath tradition. We then tried out own experience with a spa visit to a hammam in Cordoba.
Walking Around Córdoba
Early in the morning and evening we explored Córdoba. The houses and balconies were decorative and colourful.
As we found on our visit to Seville, there were horse and carriages in key strategic spots around the old town.
Córdoba was another southern Spanish city with lots of tree covered walking paths, benches in the shade and fountains. As we found on our visit to Seville, many of the trees were filled with ripe oranges. We often moved at a slow pace from shade to shade and stopped for a peaceful break.
We were not surprised when we went home with several decorative fans. They sure worked to keep us cool!
Art Around The City
We were delighted when we found coloured tile work as we walked in Cordoba. It reminded us of the beautiful tile are we found in Porto, Portugal.
Statues we found recognized people important in the history of Córdoba. Other statues were more fun. And we were delighted when we found the whimsical Manuel Garrido Moreno statue that decorated the wall with flowers.
Enjoying Andalusian Experiences On A Relaxing Stay In Córdoba
We started our Andalusian experiences with a flamenco show in Seville. In Córdoba, we enjoyed an Andalusian horse show. We even got more flamenco dancers!
For our relaxing stay in Córdoba, we booked an afternoon at a hammam. Soaking in the baths, massages and scrubs left us feeling like new people. We were ready to push on for our last stop in Madrid!
Great Food And Drink In Córdoba
We started our day with mimosas! One of the things we found fascinating in both Portugal and Spain was the breakfast buffets with champagne and orange juice.
As Canadians, we really did not deal well with dinners that started well after 8pm. We often had a large lunch in a nice spot. And then a picnic in our room or hotel patio for dinner. The one thing that saved us was tapas! Tapas were available most of the day. We loved ordering a mix of tapas to share. And there was always seafood on the menu!
And we often finished our day with gelato. The hot temperatures we found in Spain meant that gelato was always the favourite way to cool down! The chocolate gelato we found in Spain was dark and tasty. But if David needed more chocolate, there was always churros! A visit to the iconic Chocolateria San Gines was definitively on our plans when we visited Madrid for chocolate and churros.
We Enjoyed Our Relaxing Stay in Córdoba
We got our first taste of the Moorish history of Spain when we visited Granada. Four days in Seville gave us yet a greater appreciation. Our final stop in Córdoba rounded out our exploration of the history of occupation in the Andalusia area.
For four days in Córdoba we moved at a slow pace and still saw all the sights we targeted. We took time out to enjoy some Andalusian experiences. An afternoon at the Hammam ensured it was a relaxing stay in Córdoba.
Our final stop in Spain on this trip was a short visit to Madrid. We saw a lot on our first visit to Madrid so we focused this visit on enjoying the city like a local!
Have you enjoyed a relaxing stay in Córdoba? What did you find most fascinating?
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It looks like you chose a wonderful place to stay! I love the idea of taking the train through Spain. We are headed there in the spring of 2022, and we’ll have to add this to our itinerary and check out the train routes, too.
We loved using the train to travel around Spain. Really fast trains on some main routes too. Cordoba is definitely worth a few days.
Great post, Linda. I have fond memories of this town and totally agree with you, the mix of Christian and Islamic decoration and architectural design is fascinating. 40C degrees, though?! Good idea to start the days early and avoid the brunt of the scorching sun where possible, yes. I’ve been saved by tapas more than once in my life too.
We were so glad we planned to visit Cordoba. So much more to see and do than we expected. We did manage to avoid the hottest time of the day for touring. But gelato did save us!
I have always loved decorative fans since I was a child. That was a beautiful collection. I also always love seeing all the decorative Spanish tiles. Beautiful photos. They really give a sense of what it must be like to be there.
There was such a great variety in the things to see and do in Cordoba. If architecture was not your thing, there was art and colour everywhere. A great city to absorb the culture.
Cordoba is so pretty and there is so much to see and do, a day trip really isn’t enough time and I wish I had stayed overnight. I wasn’t able to visit the Bull Fighting Museum or soak in a hammon. But my biggest disappointment was missing the Andalusian horse show, although I did see them practice… but still!
We stayed for many days in Cordoba and I still felt like we missed much of the great things to see and do. Just a good reason to go back!
I would love to stay in one of those balconies with the flowers beneath the window in Old Town Cordoba! The food looks absolutely incredible, and the mosque beautiful as well. Cordoba must be so much culture in a relaxing little town.
Cordoba certainly did have a lot to offer for anyone. A little bit of everything.
I wish I had time to visit Córdoba on my trip to Southern Spain. The old town looks lovely to walk around with beautiful houses and coloured tile work. I didn’t know that you can see flamenco dancers in Andalusian horse show. So interesting! The architecture of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba is very interesting, with the mix of Christian and Islamic decoration.
I do hope you get to visit Cordoba one day. It was a delightful surprise to find such a variety in the things to see and do.
Cordoba is one place that was never really to high on my list of places to visit, but after reading your post it is definitely one that I think I would enjoy. I love the history you can see in the architecture and scenery. The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba looks beautiful, I would love to spend a day or two exploring it. The blend of Christian and Islamic decoration would be very cool to see.
I am glad to have shown you so many sides to Cordoba. We were indeed amazed at how much there was to see and do. Hope you get to visit one day.
Cordoba is a fabulous city, but I spent there only a few hours. I would like to come back for a longer stay to explore more the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, which is magnificent. I really like your hotel recommendation NH Collection Amistad Hotel.
I hope you get back to Cordoba. One day would give you an introduction but we were busy for 3 days and I know we missed a lot.
I have never been to Cordoba & it’s not really been on my radar but it sounds like you had a fantastic & very varied trip which has made me definitely want to visit. I love just wandering the streets when I visit a city & Cordoba seems to offer some gorgeous streets, especially with the tile art, balconies, statues & flowers throughout. I would also be similar to you & make the most of the opportunity for tapas in the afternoon!
You would love the chance to wander in Cordoba. There were some amazing big tourist spots. But the city streets were charming and colourful.
Cordoba is a beautiful Andalucian town. We loved it. Yes, some streets all over Spain are so narrow that a car can just about make it. Toledo and Ubrique had very narrow streets. I love the concept of dipping the Churros in chocolate! We missed that Andalucian horse show. Will fit it in our schedule if we go to this part of Spain again. Lovely blog post. 🙂
We did love our visit to Cordoba and were so glad it was on our plans for that visit. I hope you get back to see more on a return visit. We know there is still much to see!
I am so glad you found time to see Cordoba. It definitely seems unmissable. Loved the Alcazar for its fusion of architecture. And the art around the city is so gorgeous. Even that reflects the amalgam of Islamic and Christian cultures. Gorgeous pictures that seem to fuel my wanderlust.
I am happy to fuel your wanderlust to visit Cordoba. It was so much more spectacular than we expected.
I would love to visit Cordoba soon. Actually we had planned a visit to Andalucia last year – but could not go due to Corona. An afternoon in an Hamam is such a beautiful addition to the sightseeing schedule. And I love your pictures of the colorful tiles!
I hope you do get Cordoba re-scheduled. We had such a varied set of experiences on our visit. And the hammam was indeed a great break to relax!
Wow! I did not realize that there is so much to see in Cordoba. Happy to know that there are many covered walking paths, I would love to explore the city by foot (if that’s possible) and just enjoy the charm of this city. Looking forward to seeing all of these art and masterpieces.
Cordoba was a great city to explore by foot. We were glad we stayed right in the Old Town and were so close to so many sights. A little bit for everyone!
I definitely want to visit the Mosque-Cathedral in Córdoba. It is one of those unique places where two religions are given importance. Your posts on Córdoba has made me more interested in the place and I would love to go there someday. I also loved those sculptures especially the one where a boy is in between the flowers on a ladder, looks so amazing.
I am glad our posts on Cordoba made you more interested in visiting. We were so glad we saw this interesting and beautiful city.
I love historic walled cities like this. Reminds me of Intramuros in Manila. So much history and character. Being surrounded by the decorative houses and horse drawn carriages must have been such a sight. I’ve only been to Barcelona, but would love to visit this part of Spain one day.
We have found each new city in Spain to be such a delight. A little the same and always something unique to that area. Certainly Cordoba is a spot we would highly recommend for a visit if you make it back to Spain.
Brilliant post and just on time: Since I have to postpone my next trip to November, I decided to visit the South of Spain – including Cordoba, obviously. I’m a bit afraid it might be too cold, but I assume it’s still better than 40 degrees Celsius…I’ve experienced that in Spain before and don’t need to go back for that. Being a culture vulture, I’ll bookmark your post for my travel planning.
I think you will love Cordoba. We were enthralled with the beauty of the sites and the history. Glad this was in time for planning!