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Spain
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Andalusia
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Seville
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Tours & Activities
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Cordoba Day Trip from Seville
1 day
Popular
Full Day
About this activity
Board an air-conditioned coach outside your Seville hotel in the morning for your day trip to Cordoba, located about 1.5 hours away. The capital of the Cordoba province, this intriguing Andalusian city is a captivating mix of Christian, Muslim and Jewish history, culture and architecture, noticeable as soon as you step foot in the historic city center.
Following your guide, relish in Cordoba’s architectural wonders and compact cobblestone lanes lined with flowering balconies, old bodegas, boisterous bars and artisan craft shops. Delve into the city’s history, starting in the 10th century, when Cordoba was the world’s most populous city — or so experts think. In the centuries that ensued, the predominately Muslim society became the intellectual center of Europe, noted for its tolerance toward its Christian and Jewish minorities. Today Cordoba is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its pulsing epicenter remains the second-largest old town in Europe.
Visit the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a medieval palace-fortress of the Christian kings filled with beautiful gardens, fountains and striking architecture. Then enter Cordoba’s most important monument, the Mezquita (aka the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba), a symbol of the many religious changes the city has undergone over the centuries. Originally a Catholic church, it was converted into an Islamic mosque in the Middle Ages, then back into a church after the Reconquista. With its otherworldly architecture, the Mezquita is considered one of the most accomplished Moorish monuments in the world. Notice the mix of stately Roman columns, Baroque and Renaissance frescoes and Moorish tiles and arches as you stroll the interior.
Next, head over to the old Jewish quarter (Juderia), whose streets stretch out like capillaries and emerge onto tucked-away courtyards buzzing with locals enjoying post-siesta tapas. Listen as your guide points out the distinctly Moorish flair to these medieval alleys, reminiscent of the Jews' prosperity under the Caliphate of Cordoba. Here you'll visit the Cordoba Synagogue, one of the few synagogues existing today in Spain, built in 1315 in Mudéjar style.
Before leaving Cordoba, walk down the tiny Calleja de las Flores alleyway, one of the most popular streets in the city. Look back to see the Mezquita's tower peaking between the corridor — Cordoba’s most iconic sight. Then hop back in the coach for the 1.5-hour drive back to Seville.
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Following your guide, relish in Cordoba’s architectural wonders and compact cobblestone lanes lined with flowering balconies, old bodegas, boisterous bars and artisan craft shops. Delve into the city’s history, starting in the 10th century, when Cordoba was the world’s most populous city — or so experts think. In the centuries that ensued, the predominately Muslim society became the intellectual center of Europe, noted for its tolerance toward its Christian and Jewish minorities. Today Cordoba is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and its pulsing epicenter remains the second-largest old town in Europe.
Visit the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a medieval palace-fortress of the Christian kings filled with beautiful gardens, fountains and striking architecture. Then enter Cordoba’s most important monument, the Mezquita (aka the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba), a symbol of the many religious changes the city has undergone over the centuries. Originally a Catholic church, it was converted into an Islamic mosque in the Middle Ages, then back into a church after the Reconquista. With its otherworldly architecture, the Mezquita is considered one of the most accomplished Moorish monuments in the world. Notice the mix of stately Roman columns, Baroque and Renaissance frescoes and Moorish tiles and arches as you stroll the interior.
Next, head over to the old Jewish quarter (Juderia), whose streets stretch out like capillaries and emerge onto tucked-away courtyards buzzing with locals enjoying post-siesta tapas. Listen as your guide points out the distinctly Moorish flair to these medieval alleys, reminiscent of the Jews' prosperity under the Caliphate of Cordoba. Here you'll visit the Cordoba Synagogue, one of the few synagogues existing today in Spain, built in 1315 in Mudéjar style.
Before leaving Cordoba, walk down the tiny Calleja de las Flores alleyway, one of the most popular streets in the city. Look back to see the Mezquita's tower peaking between the corridor — Cordoba’s most iconic sight. Then hop back in the coach for the 1.5-hour drive back to Seville.
Included
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Entry/Admission - Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos
- Entry/Admission - Mezquita Cathedral de Cordoba
- Entry/Admission - Jewish Quarter (Juderia)
- Entry/Admission - Calleja de las Flores
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 1 day of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
Features
Tourism
95%
Cultural
65%
Reviews
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This tour started out good. Then we got to Cordoba and started the site tours. By the time we got to the mosque our group of 10 turned into 50. It was hard to keep up with the guide with that many people surrounding him. Then, after a super hot day of walking around, we got back on the bus to Seville and the AC was barely working in the bus. We were so uncomfortable. This trip could have been much better.
I booked this tour based off of the glowing reviews, but I would have been better off staying the full day in Cordoba. First off, it's closer to a 2 hour drive and after you've picked up everyone from their own hotels note: it's a combination of groups that did not just book through viator and get to the city, you're not talking about a lot of time for the actual tour. We had a coach and a tour guide who gave her scripted commentary in Spanish then English mostly about crops or names of towns - which is very misleading based off of the booking information. She wasn't very good with any English off script. Once we arrived, we were greeted by another local group director who had to split us up based off of language we had two people who spoke French and were fortunate enough to have their own personal tour. We had one woman who spoke Spanish, but apparently understood English just fine. Regardless, after we broken up and met our actual local guide, we then spent the next 30 minutes in the gardens of the Alcazar waiting for everyone to make it through their bathroom visits. Our extensive visit of the palace included: the gardens, the baths, and the former room for the Spanish Inquisition now turned place for weddings and that was it. I couldn't believe we were leaving after having only seen that little of the palace. Then we got another 10 minute break so people could buy coffee and relax as if we had just done some strenuous walking in those compact places. We also picked up additional people to be on our English guided tour. We then walked the city to learn about the minimal Jewish synagogue was closed until September and Arabic influences before we made our way to the Mezquita where we picked up ANOTHER group of English speakers to our group. We then had to wait for the local group director to break us up into the original the people from the coach and the two dozen new people who were just joining us for the Mosque/Cathedral portion. We literally wasted another 30 minutes standing around the courtyard and our group was HUGE. We did spend a solid hour in the Mosque/Cathedral and our guide was very thorough, but you were left with about 1.5 hours of time for lunch and shopping. However, it was siesta time so everything is closed by 3pm and all of those cute little shops you passed through are not open for business. We had to meet the coach back at 4 PM so we could get back to our hotel by 6pm. The coach guide did not give any commentary on the way back it was your time for a siesta, but did expect gratuities when you exited. Again, I cannot reiterate enough: travel to Cordoba and visit the city on your own or through a local guide. Do not waste time doing the 4 hour bus trip to spend very little time actually seeing the city. The city is small enough that you can do it on your own without getting lost. If you're only interested in seeing the Mosque/Cathedral, then this tour would be adequate for your purposes. Just know that the English speaking groups are large and apparently accumulate people as you go and you will always have those people who make the guide repeat everything or ask meaningless questions, consuming the guide's time and yours. Plus, there were really too many people on the tour to make it a pleasant experience when clearly this became a money making opportunity. Honestly, I spent way too much money for a party of 2 when I could have traveled via train on my own for cheaper.
Tour guide was excellent!
This tour led by our tour guide, Angel, was amazing. He's very knowledgeable and funny too. So our history lesson was not boring at all! Plus the facts that the Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba was really a masterpiece!
great tour