Our main broker Anders Larsson is, after 20 years in Spain, more Spanish than Swedish. He has traveled all over the country and finally rooted himself in Spain's cultural hub Andalusia. One of his absolute favorite destinations of all in the region is the beautiful old city of Córdoba.

In this travel guide, we go through entertainment, history, sights and climate, among other things. The city is a perfect excursion destination for those who live in, for example, Nerja or Malaga during your stay on the Costa del Sol. It's definitely worth a night or two too. We use hotels.com , which has a good selection and price guarantee.

Travel guide Córdoba

Córdoba is located about 130 km from the Costa del Sol a little inland in the region of Andalusia . The population is around 320,000, which makes the city a medium-sized city in today's Spain. About 1000 years ago, however, Córdoba was one of the largest and most influential cities on the planet. Córdoba is best known for the Mezquita cathedral, but the city offers much more than that.

Entertainment and food in Córdoba

The city has a strong pulse, with good shopping. Córdoba has a very varied entertainment scene and here there is something for everyone. Everything from hot nightclubs to cozy teterías (cafes serving tea and delicious pastries) and everything from generic Irish pubs to traditional Andalusian tapas bars. The range of entertainment is relatively spread out in the city, but the old quarters by the river are something of a "hotspot".

The month of May in Córdoba is synonymous with life-affirming festivities for 14 days. During the Feria de Córdoba, the local residents barely sleep a wink but are active more or less around the clock having fun. Córdoba's "holiday" is widely known. Almost as famous is the city's Easter week, and Córdoba can of course also boast its very own carnival.

The city is a very good city for food lovers. The area is best known for its hams and olives, and not least Salmorejo , a thicker variant (which you eat with a spoon) of the tomato soup Gazpacho. Salmorejo is usually served with hard-boiled egg, bread and ham.

Most restaurants and bars serve white wine from the nearby Montilla-Moriles region.

A local favorite restaurant is located east of the Mezquita (see below) and is called Bodegas Campos. There is a slightly more formal and expensive restaurant on the top floor of the building, but the best dining is downstairs where the atmosphere is more relaxed.

Sights Córdoba

A large part of Córdoba is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is easy to see why. The historic quarters are strikingly beautiful and cozy with their narrow alleys, square squares and old buildings. It is in the middle of the historic quarters that the Mezquita, which is perhaps the most beautiful religious building in the world, is located. The Mezquita began to be built in 786 as a mosque, but since 1236 it has functioned as a church.

To get a glimpse of another world, another time, untouched by tourism and modern commercial forces wander into the area east of the Mezquita. Here, the streets are narrow, the house walls are thick and whitewashed (natural protection from the sun) and the doors and windows are colorful (as a way to add pops of color to a city with plain white buildings).

Some of the highlights of the old town in general are the Roman bridge, the Alcazar de los Reyes dating back to the 7th century and the Jewish synagogue. A landmark in the newer part of the city is the Cristo de los Faroles square, which in the evenings offers an almost surreal and magical play of light around a crucifix.

Córdoba is famous for its patios, its beautiful courtyards. When you walk around the city and see bars and restaurants from the outside, they don't look like much to the world. But behind most establishments hide enormous and beautiful courtyards. These courtyards have their roots in Roman times and survive as cooling oases even today. During the May Festival every year, all the courtyards are opened up to the public and a competition is held to see who has the most beautiful courtyard. During this time, the city is characterized by flamenco that accompanies the visual and aromatic feast (the city smells of jasmine and orange, and all kinds of flowers in May).

Córdoba - history

• There are signs that there have been settlements in the area as far back as 40,000 BC. They have found remains from the Neanderthal era.
• Córdoba's recorded history begins with the invasion of the Romans. When the Romans arrived in the Iberian Peninsula, it was the area of ​​today's Córdoba, mainly thanks to its location right on the great river Guadalquivir, which they chose as the capital of their province of Hispania Ulterior Baetica.
• After the fall of Rome, a period of turmoil followed and the city had several lords. During the latter half of the eighth century, the Moors then came. In many other cities of the Iberian Peninsula the Moors were welcomed with open arms, but not in Córdoba, and the Moors had to take the city by force. After the arrival of the Moors, the city flourished and around the year 1000, Córdoba had up to half a million inhabitants.
• Andalusia is one of the most popular travel destinations among Swedes. It's been that way longer than you might think... The fact is that already in the 8th century, the Vikings fell in love with the beautiful landscape and they settled down and produced, among other things, cheese which they sold to Córdoba and Seville. Later, slaves were also sold to these cities. In Frans G Bengtsson's classic about the Vikings "Red Serpent", the main characters are captured by Caliph al-Mansur in Córdoba.
• The city had a huge library and it is said that there were about 3000 mosques. For a long period, the city was a scientific and cultural beacon. Many thinkers and many inventions eventually influenced the leading figures of the European Enlightenment.
• The prosperous era was followed by a long period of negative development and by the middle of the 18th century the population was a modest 20,000. It is only in the 20th century that Córdoba has regained some of the glory of its heyday.

Communications, weather, and other facts

Córdoba does not have its own airport and the largest international airport nearby is the one in Málaga flight. Communications between Málaga and Córdoba are exemplary by train and car. Córdoba otherwise has good communications with the outside world. Among other things, the city has fast train lines to both Madrid, Barcelona , ​​Seville and Zaragoza (it takes under an hour from Málaga with the new train, AVE).

Weather in Córdoba

Córdoba boasts the highest average daily temperature in Europe during the summer months. Directly translated, this means that the sun roasts the city's streets between June and September. It is not uncommon to get up to 40 degrees in the shade and the precipitation is minimal. At the same time, it can actually get a bit chilly at night. February-April and October-December are significantly cooler months.

Buy a home in Córdoba

It is unusual for us to receive inquiries about houses or apartments for sale in Córdoba, but we work closely with a major Spanish bank that has a large selection of houses and apartments in the form of bank properties. We also work with the province's largest promoter who has a wide range of newly produced properties for sale in and around Cordoba. If you have any special wishes regarding housing in or around the city, our main broker Anders Larsson can draw on his contacts and find the right one for you without any major problems. Write to info@spanskafastigheter.se for more information about homes for sale in the area.