CÓRDOBA lies upstream from Sevilla beside a loop of the Guadalquivir, which was once navigable as far as here. It is today a minor provincial capital, prosperous in a modest sort of way. Once, however, it was the largest city of Roman Spain, and for three centuries it formed the heart of the western Islamic empire, the great medieval caliphate of the Moors. It is from this era that the city's major monument dates: the Mezquita , the grandest and most beautiful mosque ever constructed by the Moors in Spain. It stands right in the centre of the city, surrounded by the old Jewish and Moorish quarters, and is a building of extraordinary mystical and aesthetic power. Make for it on arrival and keep returning as long as you stay; you'll find its beauty and power increase with each visit, as of course is proper, since the mosque was intended for daily attendance.

The Mezquita apart, Córdoba itself is a place of considerable charm. It has few grand squares or mansions, tending instead to introverted architecture, calling your attention to the tremendous and often wildly extravagant patios . These have long been acclaimed, and they are actively encouraged and maintained by the local council, which runs a "Festival of the Patios" in May. Just 7km outside the town more Moorish splendours are to be seen among the ruins of the extravagant palace complex of Medina Azahara which is undergoing fascinating reconstruction.

Bars and restaurants are on the whole reasonably priced - you need only to avoid the touristy places round the Mezquita. There are lots of good places to eat not too far away in the Judería and in the old quarters off to the east, above the Paseo de la Ribera. Restaurants

Bar-Restaurante Barril , c/Concepción 16. Super-efficient tapas and breakfast bar with a small terrace and serving all day platos combinados .
Bar-Restaurante Millán , Avda. Dr. Fleming 14, just northwest of the Alcázar. tranquil, economical restaurant with a charming azulejo -lined room. The rabo de toro (Córdoba's traditional dish - a very superior oxtail stew) and salmorejo are excellent here.
Casa Paco Acedo , beneath the ancient Torre de Malmuerta at the northern end of town. The house speciality at this celebrated cordobés institution is a memorable rabo de toro .
El Churrasco , c/Romero 16 (not c/Romero Barros); tel 957 290 819. Expensive and renowned restaurant, famous for its churrasco (a grilled pork dish, served with pepper sauces) and salmorejo (a thick Cordoban version of gazpacho with hunks of ham and egg).
Mesón San Basilio , c/San Basilio 19, west of the Alcázar. Good and unpretentious local restaurant offering well-prepared fish and meat raciones and platos combinados plus a menú for around ¬6. Restaurante Cafetín Halal , c/Rey Heredia 28. Islamic cultural centre serving excellent, inexpensive food with vegetarian options. No alcohol.
Restaurante El triunfo , c/Corregidor Luís de la Cerda 79, facing the Mezquita. One of the few worthwhile places near the Mezquita, with plenty of cool marble and offering a wide range of mid-priced meat and fish dishes.
Taberna Salinas , c/Tundidores 3, just off the Plaza Corredera. Century-old taberna with dining rooms around a charming patio. Good raciones place - try their naranjas con bacalao (cod with oranges) - and serves a great salmorejo .
Taberna San Miguel (El Pisto) , Plaza San Miguel 1, behind the church. Known to all as El Pisto (the barrel) this is one of the city's legendary bars - over a century old - and not to be missed. Wonderful montilla and tapas; rabo de toro and callos en salsa picante (tripe in a spicy sauce) are house specials.

The local barrelled wine is predominantly Montilla-Moriles - brewed in the towns of the same name just to the south - which vaguely resembles mellow, dry sherry and is magnificent here on its own turf. The Bar Plateros opposite the Hostal Maestre specializes in montilla and also turns out great tapas; the same chain has another branch at c/Deanes 5, near the top left-hand corner of the Mezquita; in summer both are good places to try their fiti-fiti ("fifty-fifty") comprising a half-and-half combo of white and sweet white wine. One bar not to be missed is the century-old Taberna San Miguel (aka El Pisto ), behind the church of the same name to the north of Plaza Tendillas, which is hung with guitars and faded corrida posters and has excellent tapas, especially callos (tripe) and manitas (trotters) in sauce. A new beer bar serving beers from all over the world is El Borracho de Oro , c/San Felipe 15, off the south end of Avenida del Gran Capitán.

Cordóba takes it's tranquillity seriously, especially after dark, so the in-town nightlife scene is confined to a few music bars and clubs to the north of Plaza de las Tendillas and - moving east from here - in and around c/Alfaros and c/Alfonso XIII near the Roman temple. In the first group, Seven at c/Cruz Conde 32 (down a passage) is a popular club full of smoke, the occasional drag queen and techno sounds which closes at 7am, whilst the nearby Golden , c/H. Diaz del Moral 3, and Qu , c/Gongora 10 are equally frenzied at weekends. Near the Roman temple, at c/Alfonso XIII 3, Soul is a popular bar with students and often stages live gigs, while Velvet Café and Millenium (sic) are similar places along c/Alfaros, slightly north. To really let their hair down well away from any restraints, Córdoba's younger set migrates in summer to the El Brillante suburb, to the north of the central zone. Here at the junction of c/Poeta Emilio Prados and Avenida del Brillante (bus #10 from the bus station or a taxi for around ¬3.60), the focal Bar Terra gives access to a whole square behind filled with drinking and music bars where carousing goes on until dawn.

You'll find the best, and most authentic, flamenco in town at Tablao Cardenal , c/Torrijos 10 (next to the turismo), though it doesn't come cheap at around ¬18 a ticket (includes one drink). Performances begin at 10.30pm and you can book a good table by phone (tel 957 483 320; closed Sun).

Back