10 Things to Do in Cordoba at Holy Week

Cordoba is a very important city in southern Spain, both for its impressive historical past and for the preservation of its architectural and cultural heritage. In fact, a large part of the best things to see and do in Cordoba have to do with the tourist exploration of its main attractions, as well as with some of its traditions.

So in this post I will explain briefly about the plans you have at your disposal during a visit to this part of Andalusia in the days of Semana Santa (Holy Week). This is something that will help you understand the kind of trip you could enjoy and help you plan your time and money in the most appropriate way.

One of the first things you should enjoy as you pass through the city of Cordoba during Holy Week are the processions organized by the different Catholic brotherhoods and confraternities to commemorate the passion of Christ from his arrival in Jerusalem until his resurrection the following Sunday. The amount of people participating in these religious marches is not as significant as in other cities, but at the same time the importance of the traditions for the people of Cordoba is just as special.

Most of the processions start during Holy Wednesday and basically they are the typical urban routes in which the streets of the historic center are taken to commemorate specific moments of Christ's passion such as the last supper or the agony of his death. In the case of Cordoba you have to know that these processions are characterized by an overwhelming silence that demonstrates the respect they feel in this city for these religious traditions.

Anyway, there is also the issue that these processions will not occupy the entirety of your days and therefore it would be advisable that you take the opportunity to participate in some of the best guided tours of Cordoba. Especially because with the accompaniment of a specialist you will learn important details about the history of the traditions of Holy Week and its connection with some of the buildings and monuments of the city.

The cultural offer during Holy Week is one of the most diverse of the whole year and has to do with the fact that the city becomes an important tourist destination for religious traditions. One of the most important exhibitions during this time of spring is the Biennial of Photography of Cordoba, which usually occupies different corners of the city with exhibitions of local and foreign photographers.

The Museum of Fine Arts of Cordoba and the Municipal Bullfighting Museum of the city also usually have special schedules that extend the possibility for a greater number of people to enjoy their permanent exhibitions. They are joined by the Center for Contemporary Creation of Andalusia and the Julio Romero de Torres Museum.

My recommendation if you want to visit these cultural institutions is that you opt for a combined ticket that allows you to pay a single fee to enter different museums in the city. You should also know that the tourist buses of Cordoba are a good alternative to move around the city and get without any inconvenience to the different neighborhoods where these museums are located.

The Andalusian patios are another of the most interesting features of the urban panorama of this city. They are spaces that belong to the most traditional houses that are usually painted white to fill their walls with plants that create a real oasis in the middle of the arid climate of Cordoba. Because of this importance, the city council took the initiative a couple of years ago to recover a Holy Week custom that comes directly from the nineteenth century.

This consists in the fact that during the early morning of Holy Thursday people who are in Cordoba have the opportunity to visit for free some Cordovan courtyards that belong to private residences or government institutions. This is something that is inspired by the tradition by which friends and relatives used to visit other people's houses to commemorate the eventual death and resurrection of Jesus Christ next to an altar.

Likewise, if your visit during Holy Week does not manage to coincide with the early morning of Holy Thursday, you should also know that the Cordoban patios are part of that kind of attractions that you cannot miss on a three-day trip to Cordoba during most of the year. In fact, these corners of the city are one of the main attractions of another tourist fair with spring motifs that takes place in mid-May.

In Cordoba there are also culinary customs typical of Holy Week as in so many places in Spain. This has to do with the fact that from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday many people decide to join the custom of not eating meat during Lent.

One of the most characteristic dishes is usually snails. This is because the appearance of these animals due to the arrival of spring allowed the creation of different peculiar recipes over the years. Just like the snails that are included in the Valencian paella. The more traditional sweets such as gajorros and cuajo are other protagonists when it comes to Cordovan culinary inventions for the dates of Easter.

Anyway, the gastronomic exploration of Lenten dishes is something that can be complemented in different ways and my recommendation is that you do it during dinner. That's because you can continue the evening by participating in some of the best things to do in Cordoba at night, which is even more recommendable if you take into account that this is one of the best times of the year to go out drinking in the city.

Visiting the city of Cordoba at any time of the year and not taking advantage of the moment to make a good tour of its historic center is a very wrong decision. And the fact is that this city is the locality with the largest number of World Heritage Sites declared by Unesco in the whole planet. In addition, outside these official titles there are also a large number of other historical wonders that deserve to be known by tourists who come to the city.

So betting on a guided tour is a good way to familiarize yourself with the sites of importance of the city. Among them are the Roman Bridge of Cordoba, the Fairgrounds of El Arenal, the Synagogue of Cordoba and the Bullring of Los Califas. Neighborhoods such as La Judería and La Magdalena are other areas not to be missed as well as other attractions such as the Plaza de la Corredera and the Roman Temple.

The best thing about these guided tours is that they are usually reserved for relatively small groups of people, which guarantees that all your questions will be answered by the history specialist who accompanies you throughout the tour. Any time of the day is good for this type of tour, although since it is Easter, it is preferable that you opt for a tour that takes place during the evening. Especially because of the tourist influx that characterizes this time of the year.

The main historical tourist attraction of Cordoba is a site that is not only peculiar for its architecture but also for the different changes it has had throughout its existence. It is the Mosque-Cathedral of the city and basically comes from a site that was built as a mosque during the eighth century. After several expansions it became the second largest mosque on the planet behind Mecca, but in the thirteenth century, during the Christian conquest, it was consecrated as a cathedral.

After that time and in the sixteenth century a Renaissance basilica was finally built within the same pre-existing structure that had been left from the mosque. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the greatest architectural treasures of Andalusia as well as of the Spanish historical heritage.

Exactly for these reasons this is a place that cannot be missed during your visit to Cordoba during Holy Week. Especially if you take into account that there is a great connection with the religious history of this place. In fact, a large part of the Catholic processions of Holy Week usually include some parts of the Mosque-Cathedral within its route. Especially the Patio de los Naranjos, which is the garden of the enclosure.

My recommendation is that you opt for a guided tour with tickets to the Mosque of Cordoba, as this way you will not miss any important detail about the past and present of this Cordovan treasure.

Cordoba's architectural heritage is not restricted to the city center. Many of the surrounding villages that are part of the province of Cordoba also have sites worth visiting and one of these places is the Castle of Almodovar. Visiting the Castle of Almodovar is a good option for those who want to escape the large crowds of people at Easter in Cordoba.

This building is also known as the Castle of the forest and is distinguished by being on a hill that is locally called as El Redondo. Basically it is a fortress with several structural stages that once belonged to the Roman Empire. At present it is a construction that after several modifications has a Berber origin located in the year 760.

The place is characterized by meeting all the patterns of medieval architecture and at the same time is a site that played a decisive role in many of the strategies of the Catholic Church during the Castilian expansion in the Andalusian territory. This place is about 48 minutes approximately from the bus station of Cordoba. Therefore, it can be the perfect getaway if you are looking for plans that allow you to get to know a little more of this part of the autonomous community of Andalusia.

Right next to the Cordoba Zoo is the city's botanical garden. This space has areas that are suitable to spend a whole afternoon walking and enjoying nature in the heart of the city. Inside, there is also the Ethnobotanical Museum of Cordoba and the sum of these places with the zoo can be perfect entertainment alternatives if you are looking for things to see and do in Cordoba with children.

And is that an indisputable reality is that Easter has to be an interesting vacation for the whole family. Therefore, I advise you to balance the exploration of the great architectural and historical treasures of the city with other plans that are entertaining for your children, because that way all participants of the trip will be enjoying the experience of knowing one of the most beautiful cities in Andalusia.

Another important aspect of the Holy Week processions are the religious images that the brotherhoods and brotherhoods take out of their temples to walk through the streets. The importance of these elements has to do with the beauty that characterizes them. They are true works of art that sometimes belong to the list of creations of the best masters in the history of Spanish religious sculpture.

As for the most venerated images by the people of Cordoba, you should know that the image of the Resurrected Christ is worthy of being appreciated and you can see it in the parish of Nuestra Señora de Gracia. On the other hand, the carving of the Christ of the Remedy of Souls that leaves the church of San Lorenzo is another of the most representative processions of the city. In fact, the image of this Jesus Christ is so beautiful under artistic criteria that it is considered one of the greatest historical heritage of the city.

In the province of Cordoba is the Natural Park of the Sierras Subbeticas. This is a place that offers you some of the best hiking routes in the whole Andalusian region. Therefore, it can be an ideal place to go and enjoy nature during Easter. At least if this is the kind of plans you are interested in for your visit to the city of Cordoba.

My recommendation to visit this place is to rent a private car and tour the area with more tranquility and comfort. Although the truth is that, if you want a getaway in which you do not have to worry about any logistical aspect, then you can enjoy the excursions to Medina Azahara from Cordoba.

Especially because these ruins also offer you the opportunity to enjoy the natural scenery that characterizes this part of Andalusia. Another recommendation I can make is that you try to make these excursions at the beginning of the Holy Week, because at the end of it there will be a higher demand due to an increase in the tourist influx.