The prettiest villages in Córdoba province and how to group them

Which official recognitions each village holds

Los Pueblos más Bonitos de España assesses every village before admitting it. Its Andalusia list has 19 villages and Zuheros is the only one from Córdoba province. Any other Córdoba village advertised under that title is not a member.

The other label worth knowing is conjunto histórico, a legally protected historic quarter. The provincial tourist board counts ten in the province including the capital. Among them are Montoro, listed in 1969, Priego de Córdoba, whose Barrio de la Villa and Balcón del Adarve have been protected since 1972, Zuheros, Dos Torres, Aguilar de la Frontera, Palma del Río and Bujalance.

The Subbética: Zuheros, Priego, Cabra, Lucena, Rute and Iznájar

This district has the most villages worth a stop and needs the most time, because the mountain roads are slow. Zuheros and Priego are about 30 km apart.

• Zuheros (75 km, 1 h): white houses pressed against a crag, a castle on the rock and viewpoints at Plaza de la Paz and La Villa. Four kilometres uphill is the Cueva de los Murciélagos, a cave visited only on guided tours.
• Luque (72 km, 1 h): a castle above the village, 4 euros including the local museum, and a station on the Vía Verde del Aceite greenway.
• Priego de Córdoba (94 km, 1 h 20): the Barrio de la Villa, the Balcón del Adarve promenade, the Fuente del Rey fountain, Baroque churches such as La Asunción and the 16th-century Carnicerías Reales.
• Cabra (73 km, 1 h): an old quarter with the church of La Asunción y Ángeles and the castle of the Counts of Cabra, now a school and seen from outside.
• Lucena (71 km, 55 min): the Castillo del Moral, right in the centre, houses the archaeology and ethnology museum. For centuries this was a Jewish town.
• Rute (88 km, 1 h 15): known for its mantecados (Christmas shortbread) and anise spirit.
• Iznájar (107 km, 1 h 25): a castle 533 metres up, above the reservoir locals call the 'lake of Andalusia', with the Barrio de la Villa below it.

The Campiña: Montilla, Aguilar de la Frontera, Baena and Espejo

Wine and olive oil country, all of it under an hour from the city.

• Montilla (44 km, 40 min): birthplace in 1453 of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the Gran Capitán, and home to the house of the chronicler Inca Garcilaso. It gives its name to Montilla-Moriles wine.
• Aguilar de la Frontera (50 km, 40 min): Plaza de San José is octagonal, one of very few in Spain. Nearby are the Torre del Reloj, the remains of Poley castle and the Zóñar lagoon.
• Baena (61 km, 50 min): the Almedina quarter, with a castle restored in 2015, and the Museo del Olivar on olive growing.
• Espejo (36 km, 30 min): the castle crowns the hill and is visible from miles away. It does not open like a regular monument, but the walk up is worth it for the views.

The Alto Guadalquivir: Montoro and Bujalance

Montoro is 45 km and 35 minutes away on the A-4 motorway. The Guadalquivir wraps around it in a meander and most of the town is built in reddish molinaza sandstone. A morning covers it: Plaza de España with the church of San Bartolomé and its tower, the town hall, the former church of Santa María de la Mota and the four-arched Puente de las Donadas, built in the first half of the 16th century.

Bujalance is 16 km from Montoro. Its fortress was founded by Abd al-Rahman III in the 10th century and it is the district's second listed historic quarter.

The Vega: Almodóvar del Río and Palma del Río

Almodóvar del Río is 28 km away, about 35 minutes. People come for its castle, which is privately owned, opens most of the year and charges adults 11 euros.

Palma del Río, 66 km and roughly an hour away, keeps an Almohad walled enclosure listed as a historic quarter. The Puerta del Sol gate carries a 16th-century Plateresque balcony. The brick, tiles and ochre walls tell you Seville province starts next door.

Los Pedroches and the Guadiato: granite and oak pasture

The north feels like a different province. Olive groves give way to oak pasture and whitewash to granite.

• Dos Torres (82 km, 1 h 10): created in 1839 from the villages of Torremilano and Torrefranca. Plaza de la Villa, the granite doorways with coats of arms and the church of Santiago are the best-kept vernacular architecture in the valley.
• Pozoblanco (77 km, 1 h 10): the main town of Los Pedroches.
• Belalcázar (101 km, 1 h 30): its castle has a 47-metre keep. The regional government runs free guided visits, booked ahead, at weekends and on public holidays.
• Hinojosa del Duque (93 km, 1 h 20): the 15th and 16th-century church of San Juan, nicknamed 'the Cathedral of the Sierra'.
• Fuente Obejuna (93 km, 1 h 15): the town of Lope de Vega's play, in the Guadiato valley.

How to group them into day trips

Each of these fits into one day if you leave Córdoba in the morning.

• Northern Subbética: Zuheros and the Cueva de los Murciélagos in the morning, Luque in the afternoon, back via Baena.
• Southern Subbética: Priego de Córdoba at an easy pace and Iznájar at sunset.
• Campiña: Montilla, Aguilar de la Frontera and the Zóñar lagoon.
• Alto Guadalquivir: Montoro and Bujalance, a long half day.
• Vega: Almodóvar del Río in the morning and Medina Azahara on the way back.
• Pedroches: Dos Torres and Belalcázar, with the castle visit booked before you set off.

Before you go: Mondays, heat and hills

Many village monuments close on Mondays. The Zuheros cave is closed on Mondays that are not public holidays and Luque castle closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. On weekdays, phone the village tourist office first.

In July and August the Campiña and the Vega are very hot from mid-morning. Start early or choose the Subbética and Los Pedroches, which sit higher. With a pushchair or wheelchair, bear in mind that Zuheros, Iznájar and Montoro are built on slopes and that Belalcázar castle is reached over steep cobbles.

Without a car you can reach Montilla and Lucena by scheduled bus. For anywhere else, check the timetable with the operator before planning your return, as many villages have only a few departures a day.