Hiking Trips In Cordoba, Spain november 29, 2021 – Posted in: Spain, Travel – Tags: Andalusia, Cordoba, Cycling, Hiking, Hiking Trails, Holiday, Reviews, Spain, Vacation

Hiking in Cordoba

We love to walk, and just had to write a post about hiking in Cordoba. The article here contains the description of the hike we took from Cordoba and out to the ancient Moorish palace city, Medina Azahara. You can also read about the trail we found, which in 2022 will become a beautiful hiking route in the vicinity of Cordoba. Finally, there is also room for a little tale of Cordoba’s walking boards, which show pedestrians the way around the city.

Before you embark on our walking suggestions for Cordoba and the surrounding area, we thought you should know, that back home we don’t own a car and never rent one when on holiday. Usually we both walk a minimum of 5-10 kilometers on a normal day, and on holidays preferably between 15 and 20. So we quite like to walk, and this is reflected in the trip. However, the tour suggestions can also be used for those of you who like to move around by bike. But now you know: you have to like to be active to like our suggestions for this trip.

A few tips for the best hike

Before we embark on the long walk, we have a few good tips for you. We have been hiking for many years, and after a few beginner mistakes, we have some advice for the successful hike:

1. Make sure you always have water in your bag and also something that is salty. Salted almonds or peanuts are good because they provide both energy and salt for the hot days. By the way, the summer in the Mediterranean countries quickly becomes too hot for long walks. Because hiking is such a big part of our travels, we prefer to go in spring and autumn, where the temperature is bearable.
2. Good shoes are essential. We are not the kind of hikers who go hiking on mountains and in canyons, so we just walk in our regular shoes and sneakers. But make sure that the wear pattern is intact and that there is good shock absorption. And no heels or flip flops!
3. Bring a map and get an overview of the route before starting. Charge your phone and also bring a paper map if there is no mobile coverage.

With these words in mind, we’re ready to go for a walk!

A hike to Medina Azahara – along the busy road

First of all: Yes, of course there is a bus from Cordoba to Medina Azahara! Route 01 runs from República Argentina (Gasolinera) once every hour and you can also go by the tourist bus. The easiest way to find bus departures with 01 is to go to Google Maps. If the link here does not work, enter “República Argentina (Gasolinera)” as the starting position and “Medina Azahar” as the end point. When you select “Public transport”, you will see the bus route.

Once we had an overview of the 7 kilometer long route, we descided to walk instead of going by bus. What we didn’t consider was, that the second half of the route was along the busy highway! There is a nice bike path all the way, but the route is not for beginner cyclists – the cars drive quite fast.

Is this a hiking path?

As we walked along the highway, we kept looking inland. There were still a few kilometres up to the mountains, and there just had to be another parallel road in there, not filled with noisy cars. Suddenly there was a sign with an EU logo in the grass, and as we studied it more closely, we saw that it was pointing towards a hiking trail.

The entrance to the path looked a bit neglected and we were not quite sure if anyone had just thrown the sign out of a car, but we gave it a try – thankfully. The small path led us off the road, and after 10 minutes we stood on a beautiful hiking trail that runs parallel to the highway. You can read more about it in a little while.

From the parking lot to Medina Azahara

The path led us to the large parking lot, which is about a kilometer before the Medina itself. There is a shuttle bus running every 20 minutes, but we decided to walk the last stretch. The hike (marked with a dotted line on Google Maps) was very beautiful, but it can not be recommended. The cars are driving fast and there is poor visibility.

As a cyclist, you will also get to sweat profusely over the steady climb going from the parking lot and up to the Medina. It is not possible to park your car in front of the Medina, but you can probably get away with parking your bike. But then, the shuttle bus costing a few euros should be recommended, because it is a dangerous stretch without a bike path or sidewalk.

The Hiking Trail to Medina Azahara

After walking around for several hours in the ancient palace town, we descided to head back. This time we were eager to see if the hiking trail actually did go all the way back to Cordoba. Luckily it did and it was a beautiful walk through olive groves along the Canal del Guadalmellato. You can see the route here . If the link does not work, enter “Hotel Córdoba Center” as the starting position and “Medina Azahar” as the end point. When you select “On foot”, you will see two walking routes, one along the highway and one that runs a good distance along the Canal del Guadalmellato.

Surprisingly, we met no one else on the road except a few local mountain bikers. In Spain they greet you politely and ring the bell when they come driving up from behind, so you will not be startled when they whiz past.

The trails are fine, well maintained and gravel paved. There are not too many hikers, but it is primarily a hike for you who, like us, are completely crazy about walking. Make sure you have a sandwich in your bag, as there is nowhere you can get something to eat.

The new hiking trail in Cordoba

Where the path turns towards Cordoba, we got the explanation about the sign being dumped in the grass by the highway, and also why we didn’t meet other hikers. The beautiful hiking trail in Cordoba is part of a 20 kilometer long trail system that will not be fully completed until 2022.

By then we simply have to come again. This extensive project will offer completely new hiking routes around Cordoba!

You can read more about Cinturón verde de Córdoba here. The article is in Spanish, but you can translate it here: Google Translate.

Walking paths in Cordoba

The path continued all the way to the northern part of Cordoba, and from here it was easy to find the way home. Everywhere in Cordoba, there are pedestian maps like this one on the left. It looks like a metro map, but the point is that you find your position on the map and the place you want to go – and then just add the minutes together.

It’s clever in a city that, like all other major cities in Europe, is struggling with too much traffic. The smaller roads in the inner city are not geared at all to all these cars, so if you come by car, let it stay in the outskirts of Cordoba. It is expensive to park inside the city and there is not much space. The bus system is nice and well-developed, and otherwise take a taxi or best of all: use the walking board!

More tips for your holiday in Cordoba

Find a hotel in Cordoba

There are many good hotels in Cordoba, and especially the old town is popular with tourists. So where are you going to live? On Booking.com you can see the large selection of hotels in Cordoba, and below you can also read our recommendation for a nice and affordable hotel. You can also perform your own search on Booking.com for a good hotel in Cordoba right here:

Booking.com

A recommendation: HOTEL CORDOBA CENTER

We stayed at the Hotel Cordoba Center, which is located a 10 minutes walk from the train station. We had booked a standard double room, but never have we had so much space! When we arrived, there was a bottle of sparkling wine ready for us in the room, and it fit very well with the general impression that it was primarily couples and business people who checked in here. At least we did not see any children in the hotel during our stay.

The breakfast buffet was gigantic and with everything the you could possibly want: bacon and eggs, local specialties, pastries and excellent coffee. At the top of the hotel there is a pool and a bar overlooking the city, and in the lobby there is another bar. We can’t say anything about them, since the hotel is only a five minute walk from the start of the center and Av. del Gran Capitán, which offers plenty of bars and restaurants. From the hotel and to the ancient Roman bridge it is a 25 minutes walk.

In November 2021, we payed just around €80 pr. night for a double room with breakfast at Hotel Cordoba Center.

How to you get to Cordoba?

The easiest way to get to Cordoba is by landing at the airport in either Malaga or Seville. We flew to Malaga and took the train to Cordoba, which takes an hour. Here are the directions from traveling between Malaga and Cordoba:

From Malaga Airport, take the train to Malaga Train Station, Estación de Málaga María Zambrano. At the station, you have to buy your tickets at the ticket office (Renfe), where you must also show your passport before taking your luggage through the security check at the entrance to the platforms. In November 2021, it was €30 from Malaga to Cordoba and slightly less from Cordoba to Seville. It is not possible to buy food or drink on the train.

We had six wonderful nights in Cordoba before boarding the train onwards to Seville, from where we had our flight home. The train journey between Cordoba and Seville takes about 45 minutes. There are both trains and airport buses between Seville city center and the airport, but we had to leave early in the morning, so we chose to take a taxi.

Read the other articles about Cordoba here!