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Arcos de herradura de ladrillo y piedra y columnas de mármol en el interior de la Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba, con una lámpara colgante.

Mezquita of Córdoba: how to book and when to go

The short answer: buy your ticket in advance on the official website and, if you can choose, visit in the afternoon. It is quieter and far more enjoyable.

The Mosque-Cathedral is Córdoba’s most important monument and one of the most visited in Spain. It is worth arriving with a clear plan.

Red-and-white horseshoe arches and marble columns inside the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, with a hanging lamp.

How long you need

Allow about an hour and a half. With a guide you understand what you are seeing: the successive extensions, the mihrab, the cathedral rising in the middle. Without one, it is easy to walk through without knowing what you are looking at.

The interpretation centre: start here

A few months ago the monument opened an interpretation centre. It holds the ticket office, a café and a gift shop, but also a museum with videos and scale models. Spending a little time there before you go in helps you understand the building’s history.

When to go

In the afternoon. In the morning many tour groups pass through, eat in Córdoba and head on to other cities, so it is busier. If you stay overnight in Córdoba and can visit in the afternoon, it is a different experience.

There is also a free option: from Monday to Saturday you can enter without a ticket between 8:30 and 9:30 am. It is a self-guided visit: groups and guides are not allowed during that time.

General opening hours

  • March to October, Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 7 pm.
  • November to February, Monday to Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm.
  • Sundays: special hours, because the monument closes for worship. It usually opens 8:30 am to 11:30 am and reopens at 3 pm.
  • Holy Week: hours change a lot and on some days it closes while the church is prepared for the processions. Always check first.

Since everything depends on your dates, check the hours on the official website just before you go.

How to book

Always buy your ticket in advance on the official ticket website. You skip the queue and choose the day and time that suit you. If you travel at a busy time, do it well ahead.

Common mistakes

  1. Going in the morning, at the peak of the groups.
  2. Leaving the ticket for the same day.
  3. Not checking Sunday hours or Holy Week.
  4. Visiting without knowing what you are looking at.

If you’d like us to plan it for you

We book your tickets, choose the time that works best for you and walk with you as an official guide, at your pace. Design your trip with us or message us on WhatsApp.