After the Maratón de Almagro: Córdoba
The Route: Almagro → Ciudad Real → Córdoba → Madrid, Seville or Málaga airport Logistics: Bus or taxi to Ciudad Real, then the high-speed train south, about 55 minutes. Two nights, then onward by high-speed train to an airport. Marathon Month: January Duration: 2 nights
Almagro ──(about 30 mins bus or taxi)──> Ciudad Real ──(about 55 mins high-speed train)──> Córdoba (2 nights)
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Madrid (MAD), Seville (SVQ) or Málaga (AGP) ◄──(high-speed train)─────────┘
The Maratón de Almagro is run in the heart of La Mancha, and the fastest way out is south, down the high-speed line through the Sierra Morena to Andalucía. Córdoba was the capital of Islamic Spain in the tenth century and one of the largest cities in Europe. Its old centre is on flat ground beside the Guadalquivir, which suits legs that have just done 14 laps.
January in Córdoba is the quiet season. Afternoons are usually around 15°C and mornings cold, sometimes frosty; the city that bakes in summer is comfortable for walking. The orange trees that line the streets and fill the courtyard of the Mezquita are heavy with fruit. The famous flowered patios are a May event; in January most are closed to visitors.
From Almagro, take the bus or a taxi to Ciudad Real, about 23 km, then a high-speed train south to Córdoba, about 55 minutes. Book the train in advance for the best fares. Córdoba's station is on the north side of the city, about 25 minutes' walk or a short taxi ride from the old centre.
Night One: The Mezquita and the river
The Mezquita-Catedral is the reason to come. Begun in the eighth century and enlarged over two hundred years, the mosque is a forest of more than 800 columns of marble, jasper and granite, carrying red-and-white striped double arches. After the Christian conquest in 1236 it became a cathedral, and in the sixteenth century a Renaissance nave was built in its centre. The whole building is on one level. Buy a timed ticket in advance and allow at least an hour; the entrance is through the Patio de los Naranjos, the courtyard of orange trees.
From the Mezquita, walk down to the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir, pedestrianised and flat, with the Calahorra tower at the far end. The riverside walks on either bank are level and quiet.
Where to stay: Hospes Palacio del Bailío is a converted palace on the north side of the old town, with Roman remains visible beneath a glass floor. Hotel Viento10, a small hotel in a former hospital a few minutes east of the Mezquita, is closer to the river.
Where to eat: Casa Pepe de la Judería, a few steps from the Mezquita, serves Cordoban classics on several floors and a roof terrace: salmorejo, the thick cold tomato soup, flamenquín, a fried roll of ham and pork, and rabo de toro, oxtail stew, which is the one to order in January.
Night Two: The Judería and the Alcázar
The Judería, the old Jewish quarter west of the Mezquita, is a tangle of whitewashed lanes, flat but cobbled. The small medieval synagogue on Calle Judíos is one of only three in Spain to survive from before 1492. Nearby, the Calleja de las Flores frames the Mezquita's bell tower between flowerpots.
The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, the fortress-palace where Ferdinand and Isabella received Columbus, has terraced gardens of pools, fountains and cypresses, mostly on the level. Check winter opening days and hours; municipal monuments close on Mondays.
Where to eat: Bodegas Campos, a warren of patios and barrel rooms east of the centre, has served Montilla-Moriles wines and Cordoban food since 1908.
Getting Home
Córdoba is on the Madrid to Seville high-speed line. Trains reach Seville Airport (SVQ) via Seville Santa Justa in about 45 minutes plus a bus; Madrid-Barajas (MAD) via Atocha in about 1 hour 45 minutes plus Cercanías C1; and Málaga Airport (AGP) in about an hour plus Cercanías C1, 12 minutes. Book the train with the flight.