Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs

On the site of the Alcázar there was first a late-Roman castellum from the 5th century and, later, an Andalusi alcázar whose gardens already existed in the time of Abd al-Rahman II (822-852). The Almohads built a citadel on top of it in the 12th century. After the conquest of Córdoba by Ferdinand III in 1236, the building, heir to the former caliphal palace, was left in ruins.

In 1328, Alfonso XI bought part of the land to build a new fortress, whose works continued until the middle of the century. The Catholic Monarchs lived in the Alcázar for eight years: Maria of Aragon, daughter of Isabella the Catholic, was born there on 29 June 1482, and Boabdil, the last Nasrid sultan of Granada, was held prisoner there after the battle of Lucena in April 1483. In 1486, Christopher Columbus asked for funding and permission for his voyage to America in the Tower of Homage.

Between 1492 and 1812 the Alcázar was the seat of the Court of the Inquisition: in 1504, under the inquisitor Diego Rodríguez de Lucero, 107 people were burned at the stake in a single auto-da-fé. After the abolition of the Holy Office, the building served as the municipal prison until 1941. It was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument on 4 June 1931, and in 1994 it was included in the extension of UNESCO's declaration of Córdoba's historic centre as a World Heritage Site.

Modern restoration began in 1951, promoted by mayor Antonio Cruz Conde; during the process the gate beneath the Tower of the Lions (1952) and the Mudejar baths (1953) were discovered. The monument reopened to the public in 1960. In 2024 it received 706,401 visitors, making it the second most visited monument in Córdoba.

The walled enclosure is divided into two areas: the castle, with towers, halls and courtyards, and the gardens, next to the river. At present only the gardens are open to the public (see the opening hours section), but these are the essentials of the complex.

The Alcázar keeps its four corner towers: the Tower of Homage, octagonal, at the north-east corner; the Tower of the Lions, square, the oldest (13th century) and with one of the best panoramic views of Córdoba; the Tower of the Inquisition, circular and rebuilt in the time of Henry IV; and the Tower of the Dove, rebuilt in the 20th century.

It brings together eight Roman mosaics from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, moved in 1958 and 1959 from beneath Plaza de la Corredera, depicting Polyphemus and Galatea, Medusa, and Eros and Psyche. The same hall holds a Roman sarcophagus from the 3rd century, in Carrara marble, found in the Huerta de San Rafael district in 1958.

The Arab-style baths are laid out in four rooms (changing room, cold, warm and hot) with eight-pointed-star skylights. Next to them are the Moorish Courtyard, with a marble floor, and the Women's Courtyard, built on a stretch of 1st-century Roman wall.

They cover nearly 55,000 m² on three terraces, with ponds, fountains and the Paseo de los Reyes, where sculptures of monarchs by Pablo Yusti are gathered. Historically they were watered with water brought from the Sierra Morena by the Roman aqueduct Aqua Fontis Aureae. In 2026 they are the only area of the monument open to the public.

Since summer 2025 the interior of the Alcázar (towers, halls and baths) has been closed for modernisation of the facilities and for work on the new night show in the gardens; as of 2026 no reopening has been confirmed. Only the garden can be visited, at the following times and rates.

Summer hours (16 June to 15 September): Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:15 to 13:00. Closed on Mondays.

General ticket: €6.71; reduced ticket: €3.56 (large families, youth card, Spanish or international ISIC university students up to 26, over-65s, and members of ICOM and of museum, library and archive professional associations). Entry is free for under-17s, unemployed people, people with a disability of 33% or more plus one companion, teachers and official European guides, and for residents of the municipality of Córdoba.

When the whole monument is open, the usual hours are longer: Tuesday to Friday, 8:15 to 20:15, Saturdays 9:30 to 17:30 and Sundays and public holidays 8:15 to 14:15 in the winter season (16 September to 15 June), with reduced hours in summer. Check the situation before planning your visit, as these conditions correspond to the partial reopening of 2026 and may change.

On foot: the most practical option, since the Alcázar is barely 100 metres from the Mosque-Cathedral, within the pedestrian historic centre.

By bus: Aucorsa line 12 serves the historic centre area where the monument is located.

By car: the nearest car park is Parking La Mezquita, covered and a few metres from the Alcázar. There is also a free parking area next to the Miraflores Bridge, on the other side of the river, a 10-15 minute walk. The Ronda de Isasa, next to the Alcázar itself, is restricted to taxis and buses.

If you prefer not to organise the visit yourself, our guided visit to the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs includes the ticket and lasts 1 hour, with departures Tuesday to Sunday at 13:00 (closed Mondays). The price is €19 for adults, €12 for ages 10 to 14, €6 for ages 3 to 9 and free up to age 2. While the partial closure lasts, the route adapts to the areas open at any given time.