Why you have to Visit Córdoba (Spain)
We’ve had the fortune to see some incredible religious buildings over the last few years (including the Vatican earlier this year). Of those, it is Córdoba’s Mezquita that made the biggest impression on us. It is incredible.
You might hear the building called different names. It is commonly known as the Mezquita de Cordoba (Cordoba Mosque). It is also Cordoba Cathedral or the “Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption” (its owners are the Catholic church). It is also called the “Cordoba Mosque Cathedral” after a dispute between the church and the city over the name a few years ago.
It is both a UNESCO site as well as one of the “12 Treasures of Spain”. What makes the building so incredible are the mix of styles. The Mezquita is considered one of the two best examples of Islamic architecture in Andalusia (the other is the Alhambra in Granada). It also houses, in its vast interior, an exquisite Cathedral. While the mix of styles is confusing – and a blasphemy to some – the result is the best of both worlds in one incredible building.
Brief History
– This location was first the site of a small Christian church
– Following the Moorish conquest of most of Iberia in 711 AD, the church was divided into Christian and Muslim halves.
– The sharing arrangement lasted until 784 AD when the Emir bought the Christian half and then proceeded to demolish the structure. The building of a new mosque, the present Mezquita, started and would take 200 years to finish.
– In 1236, following the reconquest of Iberia by Christian forces, the new rulers decided to build a Christian Cathedral in the very heart of the Mezquita. It is this blend of history and architectural styles that you see today.
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We spent a little over 2 hours in the building but if you take your time with all the chapels along the walls you could easily spend 3-4 hours. What struck us was the size (the lines of arches cover an area of nearly 120 sq metres, making the Mezquita one of the biggest of all mosques) and the differing lighting which affords ever-changing perspectives and plays of light on the arches, mosaics and frescoes.
I’m not at all religious, if anything I have issues with religion. BUT – imagine the world without these incredible shrines. Who takes 200 years to build anything anymore? If it wasn’t for religion we wouldn’t have these superb works of art and architecture.
I really recommend this tour – you both skip the line for tickets AND get a guide showing you around for 2 hours.
Note about the bell tower: It is a separate ticket than the Mezquita and they have different tours up the tower based on capacity. We would have had to wait 2 hrs until our turn and decided not to do it. I would recommend you buy your ticket for the bell tower in advance before going into the Mezquita.
Note: we returned in 2023 with a new camera and visited the bell tower. See here.
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Other sights in Córdoba
Córdoba itself is a very pretty city and there are other attractions in addition to the Mezquita including the Roman Bridge, the Alcázar of Córdoba and the Palacio de Viana (a palace who’s primary highlights are a series of 12 courtyards and gardens). Also make sure to walk around the Juderia (the old Jewish quarter in which the Mezquita is located).
Accommodation. I think Córdoba really deserves at least 1 night. Recommended: Eurostars Conquistador (right in the center, very close to Mezquita), NH Collection Amistad Córdoba (gorgeous hotel with nice pool, also close to Mezquita).
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Practical Information
– Train. Córdoba is a very easy day trip from Seville (Sevilla). High speed trains take you there in about 40 minutes.
– When you arrive, there is a tourist office in the train station where you can pick up a free map. I’ve also included a map here (just click on it and print it out).
– The best way to the Mezquita (which is right in the Juderia) is to walk straight out of the train station and make a right at the first street. You’ll be walking through a very pretty park – follow that about 20 minutes and you’ll get to the center (walk left through one of the old city gates).
– If you prefer to take a tour, this one is recommended. It covers all of Córdoba’s highlights including the Mezquita.
– If you’re going to go to the Palacio de Viana (recommended if you like courtyards and gardens) you should take a taxi from the center. It is a bit far and the streets convoluted.
Related: The Best Moorish Sites in Spain (and our favorite!)
Related: Seville (Spain). What to See – and how to do it on a budget
Related: All you need to know about the Alhambra (Granada)
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As a Cordovan, I an glad that so many of you appreciate the beauty of this building and of the city of Córdoba. During the muslim-arabic rule the most powerful political entity on the Iberian Peninsula was the Caliphate of Córdoba, so obviously the city was extremely important around the 10th century and by all accounts it was a bigger and more modern city than London or Paris at the time. A local tip: walk the old town late at night or early before sunrise and get lost in the labyrinth of streets and churches, going all the way from the southwest to the northeast or the other way around, don’t miss the churches of San Lorenzo, Santa Marina, San Agustín, San Pedro, San Pablo… nor these squares: Corredera, Potro, Jerónimo Paez, Abades. Don’t forget the ruins of the arab city of Medina Azahara outside of the city centre, the archaeological museum, the ancient arab baths, the synagogue… I will stop there but believe me, I could go on!
Hello Ramon! Thank you SO much for this beautiful comment. Very helpful. This is an older post and since then we’ve returned to Cordoba including a visit to Medina Azahara (which is very impressive). We have much our own blog now dedicated only to Spain here.
Thank you again for your tips, very helpful for anyone visiting Cordoba.
My travel buddy and I stopped off in Cordoba for 3 nights on our way from Madrid to Seville last year, before the pandemic. Honestly, the Mezquita was absolutely amazing. We stayed 3 nights and that was just enough to enjoy the ambience of this relatively small city. We stayed at a newly built boutique hotel with a simple breakfast of coffee and buns for around 50 euros a night, complete with an elevator and air conditioning. We were there in September and there were tourists but not all that many. No queues to the tickets inside the Mezquita. It is more impressive inside than Alhambra. Alhambra and the Generalife gardens plus the views of Granada are lovely. The Mezquita is still used as a church to this day and has many artifacts within it from previous centuries. If you are traveling between Madrid and Seville by train, Cordoba is an easy stop off for a day or two.
I’m glad you saw the Mezquita Edith. Incredible isn’t it? One of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen and I hope to get back one day.
Thanks (as usual) for the wonderful photos Frank. Its such a pity that so many visitors to Andalucia and Spain miss out visitiing Cordoba. I guess its because its a little off the beaten track (although its not really at all)? On our last visit (2009) we spent 3 days there, and believe it or not it was still not long enough…There is much to see and discover in Cordoba (like Sevilla) outside of the major ‘billed’ atttractions – and to just soak in the ambiance of the place. Yes, its a pity ‘the old days’ were in fact more tolerant and ‘open’ than our modern times. Cordoba – one of the very few places anywhere where the Moores, Christians and Jews cohabitated peacefully together, was renowned as a key city of learning and a place instrumental in the enlightenment of Spain and Europe during the medieval and ‘dark ages’ – a place where Islam introduced and shared the ‘lost’ knowledge, sciene and arts of Ancient Times (Greeks and Romans) to a Europe that was exactly the opposite – ignorant, primitive and supersticious ! Its impossible today to imagine that other great cities of learning from the Middle Ages, like Constantinople (Istanbul) – which had over 600.000 europeans (Christians – mostly Greeks) living there as recently as 100 years ago, or Alexandria (which had over 500.000 Europeans living there as late as the mid 1950s) could ever
exist today or again, in the modern world !
We really can learn a lot from ye olde times. Imagine a place of worship being shared by Muslims and Christians today, it’s incredible that they managed to do this in peace in the past. The Mezquita reminds me of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, which began life as a Greek Orthodox Church, before becoming a mosque. So wonderful that the same buildings are re-used, rather than being knocked down. As you say, we don’t build ’em like we used to!
Actually you mention something important that I left out. Back in 2010 there was a violent encounter with some Muslims who wanted to pray in the Mezquita. The Muslim community has petitioned the local government as well as the Vatican to allow Muslims to pray there. It’s been rejected. Wouldn’t you think it would be great in building inter-faith relations? But of course it could turn into another Jerusalem and maybe they’re trying to head that off.
WOW – I can see why this is of the “Twelve Treasures of Spain” along with Granada’s Alhambra (definitely put that on your list for your next visit 🙂 ) and Seville’s Alcazar. I’ve read about the Mezquita before but guess that I just didn’t grasp the enormity of the Mosque-Cathedral until now nor the bizarre mix of competing religions. Your photos are beautiful but I’m thinking you probably had a difficult time trying to capture everything and convey the enormity of the space or the wonder that you must have felt. Cordoba is on our list for our next visit visit to Spain and now I’m thinking we’ll want to spend a few days there to see all that it has to offer!
Yes, ideally you should overnight in Cordoba. It’s a pretty smallish city and from photos I’ve seen it looks beautiful at night.
I think next time in the region we’ll take some holiday day and do more trips through Andalusia. Having Sevilla as a base has been great and we’ve needed the time to catch up on some work and rest a bit…but we’d like to see more of the region next time.
I’m a little envious of you both – we’re leaving and you two are coming. We’ll for sure be back in the region and hopefully have a chance to meet up with the two of you sometime in the future.
It truly IS spectacular, we were there years back. Thanks for the great memories.
Peta
Thank you Peta. The Vatican was incredible – but for us the Mezquita was something that took our breath away just because it is so different that any religious building we’ve ever seen.
I agree that this is one amazing building. The red and white arches are spectacular and the weirdness of having a Christian church inside an Islamic Mosque adds an intriguing twist.
Thanks Jan. Have you been? Yes, unlike any religious building we’ve ever seen.
Yes we were there in 2012. After house-sitting in Moclin, a tiny village in the hills outside of Granada, we visited Cordoba and Sevilla before flying to Marrakech. We were impressed by the Mezquita.
As always, great pictures and comments, I agree with you, this is a beautiful place and even though I have been there, you show it in your pictures in a way that it looks better or a place that is new for you.
I suppose it is still hot in Spain, this has been a very unusually hot beginning of Autumn.
Unfortunately the last picture I could see was the first of the streets of the Judería, I don’t know why the rest of the pictures to the end did not download.
Carlos
It’s simply amazing isn’t it? Just so damn beautiful 🙂 . We really loved Cordoba and look forward to visiting it again. The Mezquita is as you know one of my very favorite places. I found it hard to describe in words. You have beautiful photos and l am really glad you guys took to Seville like we did. I think l will miss it a bit when we move, but hopefully we won’t be too far as we are still leaning towards where we had discussed 🙂
Thanks Kemkem – agree that is really amazing. I actually enjoyed it more than the Vatican, simply because it has so many dimensions to it. A really, really interesting building. And yes, Sevilla is a place I would miss as well!