Day trips from Córdoba: eight outings

Medina Azahara, the nearest and the one with a bus

The archaeological site is on the Palma del Río road, at kilometre 5.5. You park at the museum and a shuttle bus runs up to the ruins every 15 to 20 minutes. The shuttle costs 3 euros return, 1.50 for children aged 5 to 12 and over-65s, and is free for under-5s. The last one leaves 60 minutes before closing.

Admission is free for EU citizens with ID and 1.50 euros for everyone else, so bring your passport or identity card. Parties of fewer than ten do not need to book: you collect the ticket at the museum desk. A full visit takes two and a half to three hours.

From 21 September to 20 March it opens Tuesday to Saturday 9:00 to 18:00, Sundays and public holidays 9:00 to 15:00. From 21 March to 20 June, Fridays and Saturdays run until 21:00. From 21 June to 20 September, Tuesday to Saturday 9:00 to 14:00 and 19:00 to midnight. It closes on Mondays unless the next day is a holiday.

Without a car, the Autocares Bravo bus leaves from Glorieta de la Cruz Roja and stops opposite Mercado Victoria. There are two departures on opening days, 10:00 returning at 13:30 and 10:45 returning at 14:15, plus a 21:15 night service in summer. Adults pay 10 euros, children aged 5 to 12 and Córdoba residents 5 euros. Buy the ticket in advance.

Almodóvar del Río castle

It is 29 km away on the Palma del Río road, 35 to 40 minutes. This is a privately owned castle open to the public, on a hill about 250 metres high, and you walk round at your own pace along a signposted route.

From October to March it opens Monday to Friday 11:00 to 14:30 and 16:00 to 19:00, weekends and holidays 11:00 to 19:00. In April, May, the second half of August and September it closes at 20:00. In June, July and until 14 August, weekdays are 9:00 to 15:30 only. It is closed on 25 December and 1 January, and on the afternoons of 24 and 31 December and 5 January.

General admission is 11 euros for adults aged 14 to 64, 6 for children aged 5 to 13 and 8.50 reduced. At weekends and on holidays there is a dramatised tour at 12:00 and in the afternoon: 16 euros for adults, 11 for children. Without a car, ask the Córdoba metropolitan transport consortium about buses.

Zuheros and the Cueva de los Murciélagos

Zuheros is 75 km away, an hour on the N-432. The cave is 4 km further uphill and can only be visited with a guide, in groups of up to 30.

According to the town council, from Tuesday to Friday there are two tours, bookable in advance, at 12:30 and 17:30 (16:30 from October to March). On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays there are five: 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 17:00 and 18:30, the last two moving to 16:00 and 17:30 in winter. It is closed on Mondays that are not holidays.

You book by email or phone with the Zuheros tourist office, Tuesday to Friday mornings. The ticket desk is in the Ecomuseo, 200 metres before the cave, and opens between 25 and 15 minutes before each tour: arrive later and you lose your slot. It is cool inside all year, so bring a layer and shoes with grip. Confirm the times when you book and ask whether an English-speaking guide is available.

Priego de Córdoba

It is 94 km and an hour and twenty minutes away. Priego fills a whole day: the Barrio de la Villa, the Balcón del Adarve, the Fuente del Rey, the Baroque churches and the Carnicerías Reales. The castle is in the centre and its opening times come from the municipal tourist office.

If you start early, you can stop at Zuheros on the way back, about 30 km away, or drive down to Iznájar to see the reservoir.

Montilla and its wineries

Montilla is 44 km away, about 40 minutes. It is the capital of Montilla-Moriles wine, and the trip consists of touring a winery and strolling the centre, where the Gran Capitán was born and the house of the chronicler Inca Garcilaso still stands.

Each winery runs its own tours and nearly all require an appointment. Book before you leave and ask whether a tasting is included. A scheduled bus runs from Córdoba, with roadworks affecting some departures in November 2026.

Montoro

It is 45 km and 35 minutes away on the A-4 motorway. The old town, on a meander of the Guadalquivir, takes a morning: Plaza de España, the church of San Bartolomé, Santa María de la Mota and the Puente de las Donadas. It has been a listed historic quarter since 1969.

In the afternoon you can carry on to Cardeña, an hour from Córdoba, where the natural park has its Venta Nueva visitor centre.

The Sierra de Hornachuelos

The natural park covers almost 60,000 hectares. The Huerta del Rey visitor centre, just outside Hornachuelos, is about 52 km and a little over an hour away, and it is where to start.

The Botánico trail leaves from beside the centre. Los Ángeles, a linear walk of 3.9 km, starts at the jetty near the Bembézar diversion dam and is for walkers only. Guadalora is 6.5 km one way and two and a half hours, needs a permit and closes during the high fire-risk season. In August 2026 the regional government posted a notice closing Los Ángeles from kilometre 3.1, so check the notices before you go.

The Vía Verde del Aceite and the Campiña greenway

The Vía Verde del Aceite follows the old olive oil railway for 127 km between Jaén and Puente Genil. The surface is asphalt and compacted earth, and the Spanish Railways Foundation rates it suitable for people with reduced mobility. The best stretch for a day runs from Luque (kilometre 65) to Cabra (kilometre 88), through Zuheros and Doña Mencía, over iron viaducts such as the 104-metre one at Zuheros. Doña Mencía station has a cycling centre that hires out bikes.

The Vía Verde de la Campiña starts at Valchillón station, about 11 km from the centre, and reaches La Carlota after 26 km. It has almost no shade, so save it for autumn, winter and spring.

What you can do without a car

Medina Azahara, on the tourist bus. The nearest hills, on the Aucorsa outer lines: line T goes to Santa María de Trassierra and line N to Cerro Muriano. Montilla and Lucena have scheduled buses.

Zuheros, Priego, Montoro and Hornachuelos have few connections a day. Without your own car, hiring one for the day works better than depending on the last bus back.