Luggage in Cordoba

There should be other options if it turns out you need a back-up plan. Google luggage storage Cordoba.

To give yourself the best chance at getting a locker in the bus station, do all of the following:

• Be ready, before your train pulls into the station.
• Have change (Euro coins) ready. The lockers only take coins, and you will need a handful (depends on how many lockers you will need). Be sure you have sufficient change (coins) before you get on the train. Do not wait until you arrive to get change.
• Be among the first people off the train. Move to stand by the doors of the car before it stops, and be ready to move quickly (immediately) as soon as the doors open. When they do, get out and get up to the street quickly, cross the street, enter the bus station, find the open lockers.
• If you have lots of bags and some slow-movers, designate the speediest among your travel party and get them ready (each should have one small bag and coins; the slow-movers lugging the heavy bags can catch up once they claim the locker(s)).
• When you find an open locker, put your bags in it (hopefully all your bags will fit in one, if not, dispatch a family member to find additional available lockers and have them put a bag in there as soon as they do). Pay for your lockers with the coins you brought along, make sure the locker does lock, exit the bus station and relax, you won.
• Recognize that (whether others around you realize it or not), you are about to be in a footrace to get one of the lockers. A few people understand this while they're still on the train, and react accordingly. Many people are not as prepared as you are, and some of them will make their way to the lockers a few minutes after you and may find all the lockers taken. When your train arrives, there will (probably) be a few lockers available, and more people wanting to stash their bags than there are available lockers. So whoever gets there first gets the locker(s). Those who stroll slowly over to the bus station, have trouble figuring out where to go, need to go find someone who will give them change, or otherwise delay, will (probably) be disappointed.

At least that has been my experience on two trips. Maybe sometimes there are plenty of lockers (I wouldn't count on it this summer). Getting there just a minute or two ahead of others may make the difference between successfully executing your plan, or having to find some other way to secure your bags for the day.

Good luck...and wear your running shoes.

Thanks. In Madrid now and on my way to Cordoba in 2 days . Does this work only for the 1st train in the morning? How about a later train? I’m a bit nervous. I tried googling it and there are options but I’m not confident about their reliability like stasher etc. anyone else have experience with luggage storage services. Thanks.

The earlier you arrive the better, since there are a limited number of lockers, and demand often outstrips supply. That said, there must be at least some turnover during the day. I would guess that the lockers are most available early mornings, and later afternoons, while mid-day they are probably more scarce (just guessing based on how I would expect people to need them).

I don't recall what time we arrived, but knowing myself and my travel partner, it probably was not first thing in the morning (remember, the lockers are in the bus station, not the train station -- very likely most users are bus passengers and there are probably more bus arrivals/departures than trains).

I've done the jump-off-the-train-and-race-for-a-locker game in Cordoba twice. Both times we got a locker or two as we needed (because we won the race). Both times we saw the remaining lockers fill up as we were leaving, both times we observed what appeared to be train passengers still making their way slowly towards the bus station, possibly in search of a locker.

You don't have to be able to run faster than the bear...you just need to be able to run faster than the other people looking for the last available locker. 🏃🏻‍♂️💨

I've only once used a commercial luggage-storage service (it was fine), but I've stored luggage at hotels before check-in and after check-out dozens of times with never a problem. I don't see any reason to anticipate an issue with a commercial storage service, either, unless you are storing a box emblazoned with "Tiffany & Co., New York" or plan to show up wearing a Rolex. I'd very carefully verify the hours of operation, though. Be sure the facility doesn't close for lunch or earlier than you want to retrieve your luggage.