12 Step Planet: Córdoba

How do I get there?
Ryanair fly Dublin-Seville on Tuesday and Saturday from around €80 return including taxes. Regular buses leave Arrivals (€2.30 one-way) for Seville’s Santa Justa railway station, which has twice-hourly express trains to Córdoba (€9 one-way, www.renfe.com).
When should I go?
With daytime temperatures rarely dipping below 15 degrees even in December, the Andalusían city is very much a year-round destination. That said, you’d want to be taking serious amounts of Factor 50 with you in August when it’s hotter than parts of the Sahara Desert!
What are the touristy things to do?
The city is justifiably proud of its Mezquita cathedral, one of Europe’s largest, which spent the first four hundred years of its life as a mosque and is the pick-up point for pony & trap rides round the Judería – a charming jumble of whitewashed houses, tree-lined squares and hole-in-the-wall bars serving montilla sherry straight from the barrel. The atheists among you might prefer a visit to the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a palatial mish-mash of Moorish and classical Spanish architecture, which is another of the reasons that Córdoba was recently afforded UNECSO World Heritage status.
Anything else?
No visit to Córdoba – or indeed anywhere in Andalucía – is complete without sampling a neighborhood flamenco club like Tablao Cardenal (Calle Torrijos 10). Unless you enjoy being in close proximity to groups of wobble-arsed Germans, avoid anywhere that hands out flyers or offers hotel pick-ups – the good places don’t need to tout for business.
What about eating?
Head to Corregidor Romero where El Rincón de Carmen, Casa Pepe de la Judería, El Churrasco and half-a-dozen other tapas bars specialise in Córdoban fare like rabo de toro (oxtail), salmorejo (chilled tomato & garlic soup), and arroz marinera (the local take on paella). You can piece together a substantial meal for as little as €15.
What should I avoid?
The looney tunes bloke who hangs around the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos hassling tourists for money. The locals seem to think he’s a bit of a ‘character’ but we reckon he needs a good twotting.
Where can I stay?
Doubles in the old town Hostal El Triunfo (Corregidor Luis de la Cerda 79) cost just €38 a night. If you’re not on a budget, the boutique AC Córdoba Palacio (Paseo de la Victoria) has beautifully designed rooms and, more importantly, a rooftop pool for €127 a night. These rates only apply if you go through the ever-dependable www.booking.com.
How much to get tanked?
With a glass of montilla costing just €1 and a bottle of cheeky house white or red rarely more than €8 – we can thoroughly recommend the local Moscotel and Syrah – not a lot!
What should I bring home?
A bottle or five of montilla. Forget the syrupy gloop your mam has at Christmas, Córdoban sherry is dry, nutty and drunk by hip young things as well as old coffin-dodgers.
Why should I go?
For the food, sunshine and lively atmosphere – Córdobans need only the flimsiest of excuses to throw a party! The city is at its most bonkers in early September when thousands take to the streets for the Fiesta de la Fuensanta. Apparently there’s a religious element to it, but we were too busy necking jugs of montilla with the locals to notice.
Why should I not go?
Anyone looking forward to hanging out in Irish bars and scoffing all-day English breakfasts will be sorely disappointed. Draconian planning laws mean it’s almost impossible to open any type of business that doesn’t meet with the local council’s approval.
What’s my challenge?
Not to buy an apartment – the average cost of a two-roomed gaff is €120,000 – and wave ‘adios’ to this NAMA-fied nation of ours.