The patios of Córdoba: the May festival and the courtyards open all year
The Córdoba Patios Festival runs from 3 to 16 May 2027, free and with no booking. Outside May you can visit Viana, San Basilio and the Christmas patios.
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The Fiesta de los Patios takes place in the first half of May. The festival calendar approved by Córdoba City Council sets the 2027 edition from 3 to 16 May. Entry to the competing patios is free and you do not need to book.
In 2026, 53 courtyards took part across five walking routes, open from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00. The 2027 timetable and map appear on the council's patios website closer to the date.
For the rest of the year the competing patios are private homes and stay closed. What you can visit are the twelve courtyards of the Palacio de Viana, a paid route in the San Basilio quarter and, in December, the patios that open for Christmas. Details checked in November 2026.
Practical information
- Patios Festival 2027
- 3 to 16 May
- Price
- Free, no booking
- 2026 opening hours
- 11:00 to 14:00 and 18:00 to 22:00
- Competing patios (2026)
- 53, on five routes
- Recognition
- UNESCO intangible heritage, 2012
- Palacio de Viana
- 12 patios, €8.50
What the Patios Festival is
For two weeks in May, residents of the old town open the flower-filled courtyards of their homes to the public, and the council gives prizes to the best. UNESCO added the festival to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. Its description mentions houses shared by several families, neighbours who welcome anyone in for free, and singing, guitar and dancing in the patios themselves.
According to the council, the habit of opening the courtyards began in 1918 and the first patio competition was held in 1921. It was not held again until 1933. Since 2012 there has been access control at the doors.
2027 dates and opening hours
The city's governing board approved the 2027 festival calendar in October 2026. The patios festival and competition runs from Monday 3 to Sunday 16 May, and the competition for decorated window grilles and balconies shares the same dates.
The 2027 timetable had not been published in November 2026. The 2026 one is a fair guide: every day from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 18:00 to 22:00, from 4 to 17 May. The patios close between two and six, so that is the time for lunch and a rest.
The five routes and where to start
The official 2026 map grouped the patios into five routes. Each is done on foot and the map shows the order of the patios.
San Basilio was the busiest route in 2026, followed by San Lorenzo, the Judería (the old Jewish quarter) and Santa Marina. San Pedro and Santiago was not among those four, although the council noted it was the route that grew most. Besides the competing patios, others run by institutions and associations open outside the competition, with their own hours shown on the map.
- Route 1: Santa Marina and San Agustín
- Route 2: San Lorenzo
- Route 3: San Pedro and Santiago
- Route 4: Judería and San Francisco
- Route 5: San Basilio (Alcázar Viejo)
Queues and the best times to go
In 2026 the patios received 956,288 visits in fourteen days, and Saturday 16 May alone saw 95,000, according to council figures. The courtyards are small and visitors go in by turns depending on the size of each one, so at the best-known doors you wait in the street.
The busiest day was a Saturday, and weekends are always the most crowded. With small children or older relatives, go midweek and at the start of each session. The council website has an accessibility section and NaviLens codes for visitors with sight loss.
How the competition works
Only working-class neighbourhood patios compete. Grand houses such as Viana are left out. There are four categories: old architecture, modern architecture, singular patios and convent patios. The jury looks at the variety of flowers, the care of pots and flower beds and the natural light, and since 2006 it has not accepted patios smaller than 19 square metres.
The rules go back a long way. From 1979 onwards seasonal flowers became compulsory and bars inside the patios were banned. That is why what you see is a home looked after by the people who live in it.
Patios you can visit outside May
The Palacio de Viana has twelve courtyards and opens all year. From September to December 2026 it opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 19:00 and on Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 to 15:00, closed on Mondays. The patios ticket costs €8.50, the guided visit to the interior €9 and the combined ticket €14. Children under 10 go free, and the patios have ramps for wheelchairs and pushchairs.
In San Basilio a private patio route advertises itself as open all year. Tickets cost €6.50 from the age of 12 and are free for younger children. You buy them on its website or at its office at Calle San Basilio 14, where you exchange them for the visit tickets. Opening hours change by season and are published by the route itself.
In December the council runs Patios de Córdoba en Navidad, the Christmas opening. In 2025 the patios opened from 5 to 28 December, every day from 17:00 to 21:00. In November 2026 owners were still signing up and this year's dates had not been published.
Good manners inside a patio
You are walking into somebody's home. The council asks visitors to wait their turn, not to linger when people are queuing outside and to ask before taking photographs. There is no general rule on pets, because each owner decides in their own house.
Do not touch the pots. If you want to understand what you are looking at (why there is a well, what a shared 'casa de vecinos' is, how the highest pots get watered), a visit with an official guide helps.
