Córdoba Province · Argentina
Córdoba travel guide
Córdoba is a city in Córdoba Province, Argentina, home to about 1,505,000 people.
- Best months
- April, May and August to October
- Nearest airport
- COR12 km · Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport
- Currency
- ARSArgentine convertible peso
- Time zone
- America/Argentina/Cordoba
- Language
- Spanish
About
About Córdoba
Córdoba is a city in central Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about 700 km (435 mi) northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province and the second-most populous city in Argentina after Buenos Aires, with about 1.6 million urban inhabitants according to the 2020 census.
Córdoba is the industrial, cultural and commercial center of Central Argentina. The city, founded in 1573, is in the heart of Central Argentina between the Pampas and Gran Chaco flatlands to the east and the Sierras de Córdoba hills to the west. It is surrounded by beautiful valleys, formed up by three main mountain groups, which are popular tourist destinations. You can perfectly combine a dive into urban life with a trip to the Sierras, as there is plenty of public transport.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Córdoba
See
There are many colonial buildings in the city center, most of them built by the Jesuits in 17th and 18th centuries. The Manzana de los Jesuitas, declared a UNESCO world heritage site, is a whole block of such buildings, between 27 de Abril, Obispo Trejo, Caseros and Av. Vélez Sársfield. In addition there are many 19th and early 20th century buildings that are worth seeing.
- Córdoba Cathedral
- Capilla doméstica
- Iglesia Sagrado Corazón
- Iglesia de Santa Catalina de Siena
- Monasterio de Santa Teresa
- Iglesia de San Francisco
- Iglesia Compañía de Jesús
- Iglesia María Auxiliadora
- Capilla Jesuítica del Barrio Quinta Santa Ana
- Palacio Municipal
- Cabildo
- Palacio de Justicia
Do
Córdoba has a lot of cultural life, including theater, art galleries and cultural centers except in summer when the scene moves to Carlos Paz and other hillside resorts. But it's a good center for sports, too. A good day trip is a visit to the Jesuit estancia at Jesus Maria. Buses leave regularly from the main bus station, it's a pleasant 80 minute journey and then a 20 minute walk from the bus station to the estancia. The church, surrounding buildings and grounds are well kept. The museum section which occupies some of the rooms in the original buildings is very interesting containing amongst other things a display featuring the age and price of the black slaves who worked there.
- Teatro del Libertador
- Teatro Real
- Espacio Cirulaxia
- documentA / Escénicas
- Teatro María Castaña
- Teatro La Cochera
- Studio Theater
- Teatro Córdoba
- Gran Rex
- Cinerama
- Cineclub Municipal Hugo del Carril
- Teatro Córdoba Cine para ver
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Córdoba to stay in
Most hotels are in the centre, with many cheap ones near the bus terminal. If you want to stay in a little bit more quiet environment, you can take a local bus and sleep in one of the pleasant resorts nearby (In January and February the city will be quieter than the resort suburbs!).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Córdoba
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Córdoba are April, May and August to October. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; December is the wettest, with about 118 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Córdoba: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport (COR), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting in
It is very easy to reach Córdoba from other parts of Argentina because of its position at the geographical center of the country's historical territory (the less-populated Patagonia region in the country's south has only been under Argentina's control since the late 1800s).
Getting around
In the northwestern corner of Plaza San Martín there's a "point zero". Street numbering starts from here, and two streets change their names here. San Martín comes in from the north and is renamed Independencia when going south. Déan Funes, in turn comes in from west and becomes Rosario de Santa Fe going east. Now, any street in the city crossing any of these four streets including their extensions will change their name when doing so. It seems complicated but you will get used to it and can use it for orientation.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
COR · Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Córdoba
Eat
The area around Plaza San Martin is the main tourist precinct and has many eating places during the day but the main eating action during the evening is elsewhere. If you are staying around Plaza San Martin it is better to walk down to the area around Paseo Del Buen Pastor if eating out in the evening especially on Sunday and Monday evening when Plaza San Martin is very quiet.
Drink
The text in this nightlife section dates from 2006. Cordoba has a vibrant nightlife although it dies of somewhat during the university holidays over Christmas and doesn't get going again until March-ish. There are places to cater for all tastes from dingy bars to live shows to the latest and greatest music. There's however no comprehensive event calendar. The main events can be seen at the Voz website owned by the La Voz del Interior newspaper and in the newspaper, that carries an event guide every Thursday. If you like electronic music, the web portal Cosmobeat will guide you to the main events in city and surroundings.
Stay safe
The city is considered safer than Buenos Aires and Rosario, but it's not free of crime. Beware of pick pocketing on the local buses, above all when they are crowded (as they normally are). The avenidas of the Centro and Nueva Córdoba areas are normally safe around the clock, except the area near the Río Suquía from Monday to Thursday (at weekends there is much night-life there and it's safer). There are some dangerous districts and suburbs, but they have no tourist attractions, they often are situated near the outer ring-road (Avenida Circunvalación).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Córdoba: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Córdoba?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Córdoba are April, May and August to October. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; December is the wettest, with about 118 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Córdoba?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport (COR), about 12 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Córdoba?
Argentine convertible peso (ARS).
Nearby
Destinations near Córdoba
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.