Start with the Mosque-Cathedral, because it is the visit that needs the most planning. You can take a guided tour of about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, or buy an entry ticket with an audio guide and go at your own pace. The Alcázar and Medina Azahara have guided tours too, and some combined tours join several places in one booking.
Guided tour or audio guide at the Mosque-Cathedral?
The guided tours last about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. The live guide speaks English and, depending on the tour, also French, Spanish or Italian. One tour is led by a historian.
Choose a tour if you want the story of the arches, the mihrab and the cathedral built inside the mosque. Choose the entry ticket with audio guide if you prefer to stop where you like and stay longer in front of the columns. The audio guide tickets cannot be refunded, so pick your date carefully. The tickets page of the Mosque-Cathedral lists every option, with languages and durations.
Can I get in without a ticket?
Yes, for a short time. From Monday to Saturday you can enter free from 8:30 to 9:30, without groups. Access closes at 9:20, so arrive early.
Some people enter free all day: those born or living in the Diocese of Córdoba, children under 10, holders of the Andalucía Junta 65 card, visitors with a disability above 64% with one companion, and ICOMOS members.
Combined tours: Mosque-Cathedral, Jewish Quarter and Alcázar
If you have one day and want the three together, a combined guided tour takes about 4 hours and covers the Mosque-Cathedral, the Alcázar and the Jewish Quarter on foot. A shorter tour of about 2 hours 30 minutes covers only the Mosque-Cathedral and the Jewish Quarter. The live guides speak English and Spanish, and on some tours also French.
Tickets for the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos
There are two options: a guided visit of about 1 hour 15 minutes, and an entry ticket with a guided tour of about an hour. In winter the Alcázar closes at 14:15 on Sundays and holidays and at 17:30 on Saturdays, so book a morning time slot for those days. All the hours are on the opening hours page.
Tickets for Medina Azahara
Two guided tours are on sale, in English and Spanish, and the longer one lasts about 3 hours 15 minutes. The visit starts at the site museum and goes up to the ruins on a shuttle bus, so read on each card what the tour includes. Look at the hours of Medina Azahara before you choose a day: it is closed on Mondays, except Mondays that are the eve of a holiday.
Staying in Seville?
Day trips run from Seville with transport and a guide. They last 9 to 10 hours, and one of them stops in Carmona before Córdoba. Two of the three include admission to the Mosque-Cathedral, and one lists it as an extra: check it on the card before you book. The trains are an alternative: from Seville the journey takes less than an hour in an AVE, as you can read in our visit tips.
When should I book?
Tickets are for a date and, for most tours, a time slot. Book as soon as you know your day. Remember that the Alcázar and Medina Azahara are closed on Mondays, so Monday is the day for the Mosque-Cathedral and the Jewish Quarter.
