Cordoba Province

Cordoba province clockwise: Luque, Las Ramblas, Cabra and Cordoba © Michelle Chaplow
Cordoba province clockwise: Luque, Las Ramblas, Cabra and Cordoba © Michelle Chaplow

Cordoba Province

The countryside of Cordoba province is extremely varied, from rolling plains around Cordoba city, the Guadalquivir basin and south to Seville province, to forbidding mountain ranges with jagged peaks in the north and west. Dotted around the province are many pristine whitewashed villages with Baroque churches, Moorish castles and flower-festooned courtyards.

It´s a region famous for both its dry white wines, similar to sherry but fruitier and produced mainly from the Pedro Xímenez grape, and olive oil; vineyards and olive groves being a characteristic feature of the landscape, especially south of Cordoba.

Cordoba City

Cordoba was founded by the Romans and due to its strategic importance as the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir River, it became a port city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish olive oil, wine and wheat back to Ancient Rome. The Romans built the mighty bridge crossing the river, now called "El Puente Romano". But Cordoba's hour of greatest glory was when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus, and this was when work began on the Great Mosque, or "Mezquita", which – after several centuries of additions and enlargements – became one of the largest in all of Islam.

Areas to explore in Córdoba province

Cordoba Province Map
Map of Cordoba

Cordoba was founded by the Romans and due to its strategic importance as the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir River, it became a port city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish… More →

The Subbetica of Cordoba is an area of cultural, natural and historic interest in the southern part of the province of Cordoba. It takes in fascinating towns like Priego de Cordoba, Cabra or Baena… More →

Visitors will notice that the most characteristic element of the Los Pedroches landscape are the holm oak trees. The majority of these villages are small and sparsely populated who have fought to… More →

Alto Guadalquivir offers a varied natural environment ideal for lovers of outdoor sports such has hiking, climbing and canoeing, amongst others.This area also offers visitors an interesting… More →

South of Cordoba, the N331 threads its way through the undulating fields known as La Campiña, dominated by vineyards and vast olive groves. Surrounded by vineyards, Montilla is famous for its… More →

The Río Guadalquivir flows slowly westwards towards Seville through the fertile heart of Cordoba province, with some interesting towns situated on the river plain.

The Sierra Morena is an area of sparsely populated rolling hills that run across northern Andalucia, creating a natural barrier between Extremadura to the north and Andalucia. Few tourists venture… More →

Natural Parks and Natural Monuments in Córdoba province

The Sierra de Hornachuelos extends for 60,032ha and is part of the vast 400,000ha Unesco Biosphere Reserve for the Sierra Morena mountain range, along with the natural parks of the adjacent Sierra… More →

Part of the Sierra Morena, the Sierra de Cardeña y Montoro covers 38,449ha of gently rolling hills in the far northeastern corner of Cordoba province. Its slopes, rising from 400m to the highest… More →

The Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park is a stunningly beautiful, rugged park located in the heart of Andalucia between the three great cities of Cordoba, Granada and Seville. It lies within a… More →

The 512ha Malpasillo reservoir and environs is worth a visit for its birdlife, especially in winter when there are more waterfowl.

This reservoir and its immediate surrounding area on the Genil river covers 1,460ha, with a section at its southern end in Seville province. The shore vegetation attracts many birds for nesting.… More →

The 89ha shallow, seasonal Laguna del Conde is part of a group of lakes and wetlands dotted around southern Cordoba province called the Lagunas or Zonas Húmedas del Sur. These lakes are the… More →

One of a series of inland saline lakes dotted around southern Cordoba province, the 3.2ha Laguna del Rincón and its protected environs covers a total of 138ha and attracts numerous wildfowl in… More →

With its surface measuring 37ha, the Laguna de Zóñar is the largest of a series of inland saline lakes in southern Cordoba province and the deepest in Andalucia. It is the most… More →

One of a series of inland wetland sites in southern Cordoba province, the seasonal saline Laguna de Tíscar and its protected environs covers 191ha. There is a bird hide near the lake.

The Laguna de los Jarales is a saline lake located southwest of Lucena. The reserve covers 122ha and is noteworthy for its variety of aquatic habitats, as well as being an important breeding and… More →

One of six inland saline lakes in southern Cordoba province, Laguna Amarga and its protected environs covers 263ha and, like the other lakes, attracts numerous migrant birds in winter and for… More →

The Cueva de los Murciélagos (the Cave of the Bats) is a system of caves situated on the edges of the limestone Sierras Subbéticas Natural Park, 4km from the attractive village of Zuheros. Of the… More →

The Guadalquivir river-bed is wide enough for small islands which today are only inhabited by birds. Long ago there used to be flour mills, of which some remains can still be seen to this day. The… More →

Destinations