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Day trip to Cordoba or extra day in Sevilla?

Posted by on

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to Spain in 2 weeks and the first part of our trip is going to be spent in Sevilla for 3 nights. We arrive on a Monday around 4pm and will really only have time to maybe walk around a bit after checking into our Airbnb and grab some dinner.

Then we have 3 days to spend there, the 3rd day being the day we leave for Granada (leaving on a 6pm train). I had planned for one of those 3 days to be reserved for a day trip to Cordoba, but the more I read up on Sevilla the more I question whether we should give up one of those days for a day trip because that would only leave us with 2 days to see Sevilla. Cordoba looks amazing, but I hear that Sevilla is a wonderful city with lots to do. I'm more or less looking to hear from those who have experienced both and your opinion on whether it's worth heading to Cordoba for a day trip or if our time would be better spent with an extra day in Sevilla. The Mezquita is obviously the main attraction for us going to Cordoba - would a trip there require a full day?

Our main interests in this trip are experiencing the food and culture but do love to see architecture and I personally love history and see the appeal of Cordoba. At the very least we plan on seeing the Royal Alcazar and surrounding area, doing a tapas tour, and seeing flemenco while in Sevilla.

To give you an idea of the rest of our trip, from Sevilla we are heading to Granada to stay for 3 days/nights, then onto Madrid to stay 5 nights (with day trips to Toledo and Segovia) and we fly out from there. The rest of out trip is pretty set so I don't think there is any other way to fit Cordoba in there unless we go while staying in Sevilla.

Posted by
3909 posts

Hello, I think that Córdoba is definitely worth at least a day trip, if you had more time I would recommend that you spend a few nights in Córdoba. It is a very historically important city, capital of the Umayyad Caliphate and in its time was more significant than Granada. Córdoba has one of the best attractions in Spain which is the Mezquita de Córdoba, it also has many other well-preserved Islamic architecture, as well as pre-Islamic Roman ruins (including an intact Roman bridge spanning the river!). It definitely has the best Salmorejo in Andalucía, as you will usually find better regional cuisine in the smaller towns, like Córdoba.

Posted by
1529 posts

Lets start by making the biggest adjustment on the first day......
Take a walk, munch on some tapas and then wait until late evening to eat dinner. Doing so will assist in achieving your main interest of experiencing the food and culture as Spain operates on a different tummy clock then America. You will be touring Spain for 11 days and making the immediate adjustment adds at least three hours per day to your enjoyment.
Seville offers a large diverse menu of experiences, which is why we keep returning.
Cordoba is an excellent easy day trip by train and your interest in architecture does justify the time investment. We have chosen to use Cordoba as a base to journey from in lieu of Seville when we use a car for travels.
Consider taking your third day to journey to Cordoba and check your bags at the lockers near the train station. Spend the day in Cordoba and then train from there to Granada ( or take a bus as this mode of transport is also easy and comfortable, do not compare USA bus transport to Spain).
Most important is the need to adjust your body clocks to Spanish culture as doing so greatly enhances the trip experience.
Have you prepurchased your tickets to Alhambra and all other sites where the opportunity to do so exists?

Posted by
167 posts

I agree with the above - Cordoba is a lovely city and, given your love of architecture, it sounds like you will very much enjoy seeing the Mezquita. Cordoba was our favorite city of our Spain trip (which included Seville). It is definitely worth at least a day trip and even an overnight stay if you could spare a night. Enjoy your trip! I hope you will post a trip report.

Posted by
25 posts

Thank you for the replies! Sounds like I should stick with my plan then. :) Marbleskies thank you so much for the suggestions - I am trying to research more about the Spanish food culture in order to enjoy it as fully as possible. And yes we already have our tickets for the Alhambra and Royal Alcazar.

I also had not thought about traveling to Cordoba in between Seville and Granada and maybe we will plan on doing that instead instead of doing it as a day trip to/from Seville.

I will definitely post a trip report afterwards!

Posted by
11184 posts

We traveled from Granada to Sevilla via Cordoba. Do not miss Cordoba!

Posted by
198 posts

I agree to doing a day trip to Cordoba --you could also do it as a day trip from Madrid, leaving you more time to enjoy lovely Sevilla. You can do Toledo and Segovia together in a one-day tour from Madrid, but I have not done so -- just a day in Toledo. If you were planning on 2 day trips from Madrid, you could really have it all: one long day for Toledo and Segovia, and then another for Cordoba.

If you do a day trip from Sevilla, trains between Sevilla and Cordoba take about an hour -- you wouldn't necessarily have to spend the entire day there, but the Mezquita is quite amazing and definitely worth it.

In Granada I had a good meal at Jardines Alberto -- the nasrid chicken was amazing, and the little tarts called piononos, well they are sublime. Don't get just one -- they are tiny. I wish I had bought a box at the airport. Or anywhere, really.

Posted by
2707 posts

Piling on: Córdoba, specifically seeing the Mezquita was a major highlight of our trip. Cordoba deserves more time but you don’t have it. Check the hours for the Mezquita the day you are going and get there early. I think enroute to Granada is a great idea. Have lunch at Casa Mazal a great Sephardic restaurant a short walk away.

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