The Patios of Córdoba – what you should know

The Patios of Córdoba – what you should know.

Every year, in May, Córdoba has festival called the Patios of Córdoba. In 2025, it runs from May 5th to May 18th. The Patios of Córdoba are a flower and courtyard festival in one, a chance to visit different courtyards all over the city and admire the flowers and decorations adorning the courtyards.

How it works can be a little confusing depending on what you read. I thought I’d do a very simple, very straightforward post on exactly how it works (it’s not complicated). I’ll also tell you what we liked and what we didn’t like so much about the festival, just so you know what to expect.

Below: a short video to give you an idea of what the courtyards will look like.

How it works

There are different routes of courtyards all over Córdoba. They are all FREE to visit. You can see the map on the official website of the Patios of Córdoba*.

Note: the map shows up on this page. You might not see it properly on the computer (where it doesn’t show you the street names). BUT it does work on your phone and you can zoom in and follow the map that way.

A couple of screenshots from my phone.

If you prefer a physical map (as I do), you can pick one up at the courtyards. At every courtyard there is an attendant, usually a young man or woman wearing a red T-shirt saying “Patios de Córdoba”. They control the lines, letting people into the courtyards. Ask them for a map, they’ll usually have one. It looks like this (I’ve made the below clickable so you can open it and make it big).

You’ll see the different routes in the different parts of the city.

When can you visit the courtyards?

The courtyards are open every day from 11 am to 2 pm…and then again from 6 pm to 10 pm.

What are “the courtyards”?

We didn’t really know what to expect. As we learned, there are many different types of courtyards. Some are the courtyards of churches, museums, and official buildings. But many are private courtyards belonging to families. Sometimes you’ll wander into a courtyard and see a couple of old ladies in rocking chairs just watching everyone: they’re often the owners of the building in which the courtyard is situated. So really, you might get any type of courtyard on the route featuring anything from a huge courtyard (like the one at the archaeological museum) down to small courtyards where only maybe 4 or 5 people can visit at a time.

What can you expect? (lines, waiting times etc)

You’ll know you’re arriving at a courtyard before getting there because there is usually a line to get in. Sometimes the length of a line is misleading because it might be a small courtyard where only 3 or 4 people can go in at a time…or sometimes the courtyard will be bigger and the line might move a bit quicker.

So the time you wait in line may vary. But here is what we experienced:

The average waiting time was about 20 minutes.
There are less people on the early shift (11 am to 2 pm) than on the later shift (6 pm to 10 pm).
The routes in the historic center are busier. The blue route (San Basilio) is very popular and it may take you a long time to get in. We waited 10 minutes at one of the courtyards and the line barely moved…it would have taken about 40 minutes to actually get to the courtyard (we gave up after the 10 minutes). The Purple route Juderia – San Francisco was also busy in places…but it also had some larger venues (like the archaeological museum and the Filmoteca de Andalusia) where lines moved quickly.

The average time we spent in a courtyard was about 5 minutes. The protocol is that people should try to be brief so that the line doesn’t get backed up too much. Another thing: some people visit the Patios on a tour so you can have a group of 20 people waiting in line all together. In some cases this would prompt us to move on to another courtyard where there were less people.

#1 on the Red route even had music (besides which, it was one of the most impressive patios)

And we liked (and didn’t like) about the Patio festival

What we loved

The route allows you to discover not only different parts of Córdoba but also see the interior of buildings/courtyards that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. In a way, it was a bit like a treasure hunt walking around looking for the next Patio. We’ve been to Córdoba a few times previously, usually around the historical center…but taking part in the Patio festival was a great way to explore the city and see it in a different way. It’s made us want to go back and spend more time.

What we liked

We liked visiting the courtyards and seeing the flowers. I won’t lie: it gets repetitious at times, much of the presentations are similar. You might find yourself getting “Patio-ed out” at some point. But that has more to do with the next points I’ll make below – once we got into a courtyard we always enjoyed seeing how they were decorated with flowers, pots and antique furniture.

What we didn’t like

The biggest issue are the lines and schedules. As I say, the average waiting time for a courtyard was 20 minutes, the average time spent in a courtyard was about 5 minutes. So you find yourself waiting around a lot. That get a bit boring. Then there’s the fact that the Patios are open 11 – 2 and then 6 – 10. Again, that means you’re limited to what you can see and you feel you’re always running out of time. We spent 3 hours the 1^st day doing the Orange line, then 3 hours the next day doing the Purple line. We tried later that day to do the Blue line but there were just too many people. I originally thought we could do most of the courtyards in 2 ½ days but there was no way…if you really wanted to see all the courtyards properly you’d probably need a week.

Tip: The Palacio de Viana is known for its patios (12 of them) and flowers. During the Patio Festival, they offer an “Open day” where you can visit the palace and courtyards (this year that was May 7^th). Otherwise, Wednesdays they offer free entry to the courtyards between 2 – 5 pm.

Recommendations

Córdoba is a fantastic city with lots to see. I wouldn’t recommend coming here just to do the Patio Festival even if the Patio Festival is at the top of your list. I would recommend staying a bit longer, maybe a week, and doing a bit of Patios every day (a few hours, so you don’t get Patio-ed out) combining that with all the other great things to see in Córdoba; the Mezquita, the Alcazar, Juderia, Roman bridge, Medina Azaraha and Almodovar Castle in nearby Almodovar del Rio (I’ll be writing soon about Almodovar Castle). Really, there is a lot to see in Córdoba and the best thing about the Patios for us was following the route and discovering more of the city.

Where we stayed; We stayed at Patio del Lino which is situated right next to Palacio de Aviana. Excellent.

Getting to Córdoba; Getting to Córdoba is easy by train: 2 hrs, 10 min from Madrid, 1 hr 45 min from Granada, 1 hr 10 min from Malaga, 50 min from Seville. See the Renfe website.