Patios of San Basilio and the Axerquía route

It is the headquarters of the Association of Friends of the Cordoban Patios, with free entry every day from 11:00 to 14:00, all year round. The San Basilio district has its own page in this guide; here it matters as a starting point because it is the only patio in the area with fixed hours and free access throughout the year. To the next stop it is 3 minutes' walk (210 metres), down Calle San Basilio.

It is the entrance to a paid route (6.50 euros) bringing together 5 private patios on the street, the first with more than 500 years of history and decorated with more than 600 flowerpots. It is included in the route because, together with the previous stop, it lets you see in a very short stretch the variety of San Basilio patios, from free to private. The next stop is 3 minutes away (240 metres), on the same street.

The second paid route in the area (15 euros), with 3 or 4 more patios within the same district. It closes the San Basilio block before crossing to the Axerquía. The stretch to the next stop is the longest of the route: about 27 minutes' walk (2 kilometres) across the historic centre.

Now in the Axerquía, this free centre explains the origin and history of the Patios Festival with panels and audiovisuals, in a former communal courtyard. It is worth checking the hours before going, because at times it has been temporarily closed. The patios of the next stop are spread around the surrounding streets, a few minutes' walk away.

It is the paid route (7 euros) bringing together 5 patios around San Lorenzo and Santa Marina, among them those known as San Juan de Palomares, Mariano Amaya and Las Beatillas. Tickets are sold in florists and bookshops in the district, not at a single point, so it is worth asking for the exact location on arrival. The route ends here, in the heart of the Axerquía.

Counting only the walks between stops, the route adds up to about 35 minutes. With the visit to the patios, between 10 and 20 minutes each depending on size, the full route takes a morning, between 3 and 4 hours if you go into all the paid stops. Outside the May Festival not all private patios open, so it is best to focus on the two free stops, San Basilio 44 and the Interpretation Centre, and check beforehand whether the paid routes are running that day. During the festival (from 4 to 17 May 2026) the number of open patios in both districts multiplies and it is best to go first thing in the morning to avoid queues.

Comfortable footwear: the route crosses cobbled streets of the historic centre. No booking is needed for the free stretches; on the paid routes you just turn up at the indicated entrance. In summer it is best to do the route first thing in the morning, before the heat builds, and carry water. Outside May, check in advance which private patios are open that day, because not all of them open outside the competition period.

This route can be shortened by staying only in San Basilio, or only in the Axerquía, if you do not have a whole morning. But covering both districts one after the other is the only way to really compare the two styles of Cordoban patio in a single visit.