Cordoba Patios Festival Walking Tour: 10-15 Private Courtyards

Step inside the houses locals keep closed all year

A walking tour of Cordoba's Patios Festival takes you into 10 to 15 private courtyards decorated with hundreds of flowers and plants, open to visitors only during the two-week May festival. A local guide leads you through hidden neighborhoods to find the winning patios, stops at three historic churches (Santa Marina, San Agustin and San Lorenzo), and ends with a glass of D.O. Montilla-Moriles wine and a tapa at a typical local tavern. The tour runs 2.5 hours and is available in English, Spanish or French.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cordoba Patios and Churches

• Meet at Santa Marina Church square
• Visit 10 to 15 private patios
• Stop at Church of St. Augustine
• See outside of San Lorenzo Church
• Enjoy wine and tapa at local tavern

The experience

The Cordoba Patios Festival happens once a year in May, and for two weeks private houses throw open their doors to show off courtyards planted with hundreds of flowers and plants. This tour is the only way most visitors get inside them: the patios stay locked the rest of the year. You'll visit 10 to 15 of the winning entries, moving through neighborhoods where a stranger without a guide would walk past the right addresses without knowing. The owners are there and want to talk about how they built and decorated the spaces, so you get the story behind what you're looking at instead of just the view.

The route connects the patios to three of Cordoba's oldest churches, each one a stop on its own. You start at Santa Marina, a 13th-century church that mixes proto-gothic and Mudéjar styles and sits in the square where your guide meets you. From there the walk takes you to San Agustin, where construction began in 1328 in Gothic style, and you'll see more patios in that neighborhood. The final church is San Lorenzo, one of the city's most beautiful, built on the site of a mosque that itself replaced a Visigothic church. After you see the outside of San Lorenzo, you stop at a typical local tavern nearby for a glass of D.O. Montilla-Moriles wine and a tapa: a real break in the middle of the afternoon, not a rushed photo stop.

The guide is a local who knows which patios are worth the detour and how to find them without backtracking. Tours run in English, Spanish or French, and the pace suits all fitness levels. Entry to the patios is free during the festival, so the price covers only the guide and local taxes. The walk takes 2.5 hours total, and public transportation stops are nearby if you need to get back to your hotel.

What’s included

• Local qualified guide in your choice of English, Spanish or French.
• entrance to all 10 to 15 private patios during the festival.
• a glass of D.O. Montilla-Moriles wine and a tapa at a local tavern.
• local taxes.

Options for this experience

2 options

Patios and Perfumes, May 2027Guide in English, Spanish or French · Available from 3 May 2027Festival of Cordoba Patios

Premium Patios & Perfumes 2027Guide in English, Spanish or French · Available from 3 May 2027May Festival of Cordoba Patios

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 3 May 2027

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (under 10)

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and French

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Konexion Tours

Is this one for you?Book the Premium option if you want smaller groups and more time to linger in each patio and speak with the owners. Choose the standard May 2027 tour if you're flexible on group size and want the core experience at the lower price. Both tours visit the same patios and include the same guide and wine stop. The difference is group size and availability.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 10).

When does the Cordoba Patios Festival happen and how many courtyards do we actually visit?

The festival takes place every May for two weeks, and this tour visits 10 to 15 of the winning private patios. These are the same courtyards that stay locked to the public for the other ten months of the year.

Will I get to talk to the people who own these houses?

Yes. The owners are present during the tour and are happy to speak about how they decorated their patios. You get the story of each space directly from the person who created it.

What churches do we see on this tour?

The tour includes three historic churches: Santa Marina (a 13th-century Fernandinean church), San Agustin (begun in 1328 in Gothic style), and San Lorenzo (built on the site of a former mosque). You'll see them as stops between the patios, not as the main focus.

Is there food or drink included?

Yes. Near the end of the tour, you stop at a typical local tavern for a glass of D.O. Montilla-Moriles wine and a tapa. This is included in the price.

How long does the tour take and is it physically demanding?

The tour runs 2.5 hours and is suitable for all fitness levels. It's a walking tour through neighborhoods with patios, so you'll be on your feet, but the pace is manageable for most people.