Rows of columns and two-tier red-and-white arches inside the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, with a hanging lamp in the centre and visitors walking between the columns

Córdoba · Andalusia · Calle Cardenal Herrero

Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba: tickets, hours and what to see

A forest of red-and-white arches, a tenth-century mihrab and a cathedral built inside the mosque. Here is how to plan your visit.

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Today

Opening hours for every month are on the Opening hours page.

Checked against the official website on 30 October 2026 · Official source

In short

On 30 October 2026 the Mosque-Cathedral is open from 10:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 18:30. The hours change with the season and on days with special celebrations, so check your date on the opening hours page.
From Monday to Saturday there is a free early visit from 8:30 to 9:30, without groups. Access closes at 9:20, and then visitors are asked to leave.
Guided tours last about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, and the ticket with audio guide lets you walk at your own pace. Combined tours add the Jewish Quarter and the Alcázar.
Wear suitable clothes, take off your hat and leave large bags outside, because they are not allowed. Photographing celebrations is forbidden.

Why this is not a cathedral like the others

A long aisle of red-and-white arches inside the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, with a lit chapel at the far end and visitors in the foreground

The Mezquita began as a mosque. Abd al-Rahman I started it in 785 or 786, and later rulers kept enlarging it until the end of the tenth century. The first thing you notice is the forest of columns: about 850 of them today, carrying two tiers of red-and-white arches.

Then comes the surprise. In 1236 Córdoba became Christian and the mosque became a cathedral. In 1523 the bishop began a Renaissance nave right in the middle of the prayer hall, and it was finished in 1607. So you walk from the arches into a tall church with a dome, without ever leaving the building.

A tenth-century mihrab and a courtyard of orange trees

Al-Hakam II enlarged the prayer hall from 961 and added the new mihrab, the niche that points towards Mecca. It was finished in 971. Before you go in, you cross the Patio de los Naranjos, the courtyard of orange trees, which Abd al-Rahman III reworked in the tenth century.

The minaret he built, finished in 958, is still there, hidden inside the bell tower. A Renaissance tower was built around it, with work starting in 1593 after a storm damaged it in 1589.

Free early visit, night visit and bell tower

From Monday to Saturday you can enter free from 8:30 to 9:30, without groups. It is a short hour, so arrive early. In the evening, the night visit The Soul of Córdoba has two sessions, at 21:00 and 22:30, for a maximum of 100 people. Photos are not allowed during the night visit.

You can also climb the Bell Tower. The climbs leave every half hour, and children under 7 cannot go up. The times are on the opening hours page.

The rules of the visit

Dress suitably, take off your hat and do not enter barefoot. Large bags are banned, tripods are not allowed and you cannot photograph celebrations. Groups of more than 10 people need radio guide systems.