Córdoba holds more UNESCO listings than any other city in Spain: the Mosque-Cathedral, the entire historic centre, the Festival of the Patios and Medina Azahara. Four of them. And yet it's still the one people stay in fewest nights of Andalusia's big three: plenty of visitors arrive in the morning, see the Mezquita and leave before dinner. That's a mistake. The official Córdoba tourism site keeps the cultural calendar up to date and is worth a look before you plan the trip.
What Córdoba does share with the rest of Andalusia is the souvenir problem. Between fridge magnets of the Mezquita and castanets that don't make a sound, it's easy to come home with something that ends up in a drawer.
So this guide follows one very simple rule: it has to get used. Here are nine ideas to take home from Córdoba — or to give to whoever put you up there — all with illustrations drawn by hand by Malena and exclusive to illustrArte.
First things first: the Mezquita is free, but you'll have to get up early
Monday to Saturday, between 8:30 and 9:30 in the morning, entry to the Mosque-Cathedral is free. It's individual, silent and unguided, and at around 9:15 they start clearing the building for the paid visit, so don't count on more than three quarters of an hour. Even so, the early light coming through the columns makes the alarm clock worth it. If you'd rather take your time, general admission is €15 from the Cabildo's official site; everything else is a middleman.
And a warning about August: Córdoba is the hottest city in Spain, and passing 40 degrees here isn't news. The realistic summer plan is monuments in the morning, a proper siesta at midday, and the city from seven onwards. At night it comes back to life: the Alcázar gardens and the Centro Flamenco Fosforito both run open-air evenings right through the summer.
1. The insulated bottle — not a luxury here
We'll start with the one you'll genuinely be grateful for. Our 500 ml stainless steel insulated bottle keeps water cold for up to 24 hours and hot for up to 12. It's 28 cm tall and fits in any bag.
Think of the queue at the Patio de los Naranjos at midday, or the trip out to Medina Azahara, eight kilometres from the centre without a scrap of decent shade. Carrying cold water in Córdoba in August isn't forward planning: it's common sense. There are several designs, so it's an easy gift to get right.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
2. The mulberry silk scarf
Córdoba is a city of flowers: geraniums and ivy-leaved pelargoniums hanging off whitewashed walls, blue pots everywhere, the Calleja de las Flores as the official postcard. A printed scarf belongs here as it does in few other places.
Ours is mulberry silk, 66 x 66 cm. Tie it in your hair when the sun really bites, round your neck when it cools down by the Roman Bridge at night, or to the handle of your bag simply because it looks lovely. It takes up no space in a suitcase and comes with a presentation envelope, so it goes straight to the person you brought it for.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
3. The Málaga tote bag, the big one
The Málaga tote bag is 400 gsm polyester (43 x 43 cm), printed on both sides, with long 60 cm handles for carrying over the shoulder. It has body to it: it doesn't go limp the moment you load it.
It's the one you want for a full day in Córdoba, which is a day spent entirely on foot: the Judería, the Alcázar, the Roman Bridge, back along the Ribera. It swallows the bottle, the scarf, whatever you bought on the Calleja and whatever else turns up. There are fourteen different designs.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
4. The kitchen apron, the most Cordoban souvenir of the lot
If there's one Andalusian city remembered for what you eat there, it's this one. Salmorejo is Cordoban, flamenquín is Cordoban, oxtail and aubergines with cane honey are Cordoban. Coming back from Córdoba wanting to cook is the most natural thing in the world.
Our flamenca kitchen apron is 78 x 65 cm, hard-wearing polyester, machine washable and tumble-dryer safe, one size with an adjustable tie. Six different designs, all drawn by hand. It's the present that gets used every Sunday, not the one that gets looked at once.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
5. The small pouch, 22 x 17 cm
The Granada pouch is 22 x 17 cm, waterproof, and printed on both sides. It's exactly the right size for everything that always ends up loose at the bottom of a bag: sunglasses, keys, lip balm, charger.
It doubles as a pencil case, and that's part of the charm: it gets given as a holiday souvenir in August and ends up going to school or the office in September.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
6. The beach towel, for the hotel pool
It might sound odd in a landlocked city, but anyone who has spent an August in Córdoba knows the pool is half the plan. Our flamenca beach towel is 80 x 155 cm, made from 200 gsm suede microfibre and manufactured in Europe: light, soft and very easy to pack away.
It takes up far less room than a terry towel, dries faster and weighs half as much. If you're pairing Córdoba with a few days on the coast, this is the one you want in the case.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
7. The flamenca notebook
Córdoba has been written about since Seneca. Averroes and Maimonides were born here, and the city still has that quality of making you sit down in a square in the late afternoon and want to write something down.
Our 17 x 24 cm flamenca notebook has 100 sheets (200 pages) and a hand-drawn illustration on the cover. It works as a travel diary and then stays on the table at home afterwards, which is exactly what you ask of a good souvenir.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
8. The ceramic mug
The classic souvenir, done properly. Our 350 ml ceramic mug carries a hand-drawn dancer and, unlike the fridge magnet, gets used every morning.
It's the obvious present for whoever stayed at home while you went away. And the most appreciated.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
9. The flamenco shoe bag
Córdoba is flamenco guitar country — Vicente Amigo and Paco Peña both came from here — and the Centro Flamenco Fosforito, on the Plaza del Potro, is one of the few flamenco museums that deserves the name. Entry is free.
If you come out of it tempted to sign up for classes, the flamenco shoe bag (40 x 40 cm, drawstring, twin compartments and breathable mesh) is the first accessory you'll need. It keeps your shoes away from everything else, which is precisely the problem everyone has in the changing room.
Available in our shop and also on Amazon.
Would you rather it came in one box?
If the souvenir is a present, the packs save you wondering what goes with what:
- Insulated bottle + Cádiz bag pack — the full kit for a hot day: cold water and a cotton bag that folds away into the bottom of a suitcase. Also on Amazon.
- Pencil case + flamenca notebook pack — the most practical if the trip falls just before September: a souvenir in August and school supplies the month after. Also on Amazon.
Three tips for shopping in Córdoba without regretting it
- Get off the street beside the Mezquita. The shops pressed up against the monument sell the same things as the ones in Granada and Seville. Two streets further on, in the Judería or towards San Basilio, it changes considerably.
- Allow for the cobbles and the heat. The chino cordobés paving is beautiful and brutal to walk on, and in August you'll be carrying from eleven in the morning. Light and unbreakable wins every time.
- Choose something that gets used. A pouch, a bottle or an apron is still in your life a year later. A figurine isn't.
Córdoba is best taken slowly, in the shade and without hurrying. Let the souvenir you take home follow the same logic. 💃
If your trip continues through Andalusia, you might also like our guides to what to buy in Granada, what to buy in Málaga and what to buy in Seville.
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