THE PATIOS DE CÓRDOBA

Patios are the foundation of traditional housing in Cordoba from the industrial era through to the 1970s. Houses were organised around a central patio, and everyday life was concentrated in that space: washing areas, kitchens, bathrooms and the well for water, along with plant pots and greenery as part of neighbourhood life.

That way of life gave rise, in 1921, to the festival of patios, wrought-iron grilles and balconies, a celebration with more than a century of history that was declared UNESCO World Heritage in 2012.

Outside the festival, the most direct way to see patios de Córdoba at any time of year is to head to the Barrio de San Basilio, the Alcázar Viejo, where you can visit 5 patios. You enter through each house's entrance hall and, at the back, the patio opens up with its plant pots and greenery, just as a Cordoban patio is understood the whole year round.

The patios open to visitors are easy to spot when you arrive, by the two hedge planters flanking the entrance door. Admission to these patios (outside the competition) costs €6.50, and there's also the option of guided tours, both during and outside the competition. In terms of accessibility, most are fitted with ramps to get over the odd step.

Outside the festival, the patios can be visited in the Barrio de San Basilio, also known as Alcázar Viejo, where there are 5 patios open to visitors. You'll recognise them because the entrance doors usually have two hedge planters on either side, and beyond the entrance hall, the patio opens up.

During the festival, usually held in the first two weeks of May, the patios are spread across the entire historic centre. Around 50 patios enter the competition and around 10 more can be visited outside it, organised into 5 routes so you can visit them in an orderly way.

During those dates, the patios can usually be visited every day from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00. The San Basilio patios outside the competition usually keep hours of 11:00 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 20:00.

Admission to the festival is free and open to everyone. Outside the competition, the patios open to visitors in the Barrio de San Basilio cost €6.50, and there's also the option of guided tours, both during and outside the competition.

Before you go, it's worth checking the official patios tourism website to confirm up-to-date opening hours. In terms of accessibility, the vast majority can be visited because ramps are put in place over steps whenever needed.

During the festival, the patios de Córdoba are spread across the whole historic centre so the visit can be organised in an orderly way. Around 50 patios enter the competition, and around 10 more usually open outside it, spread across five routes: Santa Marina – San Agustín, San Lorenzo, San Pedro – Santiago, Judería – San Francisco and San Basilio.

Outside those dates, the visit is concentrated mainly in San Basilio, the neighbourhood many locals call Alcázar Viejo, where you can visit 5 patios for the rest of the year.

If you'd like to visit them, you can do so with our guided tours of Córdoba, available both during and outside the festival.