Córdoba (city, Argentina).
Your next chapter?

Overview

Córdoba is the second largest city in Argentina. It is known for its rich colonial heritage and its old university, now the second-largest of the country. You can’t miss the historical centre and the magnificent churches, the Cathedral and the Jesuitic quarter with the Montserrat School and the old University buildings. Also, Córdoba is home to the perhaps most popular Argentine Latin pop music genre, cuarteto. It has about 2.1 million inhabitants (2022), and is the capital of Cordoba province

Understand

Córdoba is the industrial, cultural and commercial center of Central Argentina. The city, founded in 1573, is in the heart of Central Argentina between the Pampas and Gran Chaco flatlands to the east and the Sierras de Córdoba hills to the west. It is surrounded by beautiful valleys, formed up by three main mountain groups, which are popular tourist destinations. You can perfectly combine a dive into urban life with a trip to the Sierras, as there is plenty of public transport. While the world heritage listed Jesuit buildings from the 17th and 18th century are a big draw, the city is perhaps still better known as a business travel destinations with many congresses taking place here.

Córdoba is known by many as La Docta because of its many universities and science institutes. Around 200,000 people study here, which makes the city's population one of the youngest and liveliest in South America. There is much cultural and night life, primarily in the downtown area (centro) and the neighborhoods of Güemes, Nueva Córdoba, Cerro de las Rosas and Alta Córdoba.

The colonial architecture of the city center now coexists with many modern buildings. Although the oldest buildings are found in the surroundings of the Plaza San Martín (microcentro), the most pleasant areas are now the Nueva Córdoba district south of the center and the area around the Cañada, a small colonial canal that crosses the city. These areas show a mix of well-designed modern buildings and beautiful old houses, often built in neo-colonial style. The old district Barrio Güemes, where many buildings are protected by municipal laws, is now particularly pleasant, with a 19th-century atmosphere rather similar to Buenos Aires' San Telmo district, but with more life on the streets. It has been heavily affected by gentrification.

The city district covers 529 km² (204 sq mi) and has 1.3 million inhabitants. Population growth of the city has slowed down in the past decades, and many people moved to suburbs and satellite towns outside this area. Those west of the city lie in the hills of the Sierras de Córdoba and are residential areas with some tourist attractions (see Go Next). North and east of the city, in the plains, there are poor suburbs with a slum-like appearance like Juárez Celman and Malvinas Argentinas. Greater Córdoba (Gran Córdoba) is home to about 1.8 million inhabitants.

The climate in the city and surrounding areas is pleasant year round. Even in winter there are frequent warm, sunny days, although you must be prepared for cold nights and some chilly, cloudy periods, which never last more than a week or so. During the summer, the rainy season (November to March), it is hot and humid with frequent rain showers and thunderstorms at the afternoon. The rain causes some spot flooding due to an unsatisfactory drainage system. The best time to visit Córdoba is March to May and August to November, when it's not too hot nor too cool and there is little rain.

Córdoba was founded in 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera. For the first two centuries of its history it was the largest and most important town in the region that today is Argentina, until in 1776 Buenos Aires was declared capital of the Virreinato del Río de la Plata. Córdoba's university was founded as early as 1613 by the Jesuits. The Catholic Church had much influence on social life until 1900, and Córdoba sometimes was called "the Rome of Argentina" being a stronghold for conservativism.

In the 1950s the city was industrialized by the Perón and Frondizi governments. In the following decades Córdoba transformed into Argentina's second technology hub behind Buenos Aires, leading above-all in motor industry (IKA - now Renault -, Volkswagen and Fiat), aviation (the famous Fábrica Militar de Aviones, Argentina's main aircraft producer, is here) and, later, in high-tech sectors like software and electronics. Also, the second half of the 20th century was marked by explosive population growth due to migration from northern Argentina. In 1980, the metropolitan area, and in the 1991 census the city itself passed the million inhabitants.

Córdoba has played a major role in some of the revolutionary movements in 20th century Argentina. In 1918 a student revolution, the Reforma Universitaria, led to a modernization of what is now the National University, which until this time had been very conservative and elitist. This revolution spread to all cities of Argentina and most of Latin America, leading to more autonomy and openness in the regional educational institutions. In 1955, the conservative Revolución Libertadora led to the resignation of President Juan Perón. In 1969 and 1971, two left-wing riots known as Cordobazo and Viborazo were among the main reasons for the end of the military dictatorship which had governed Argentina since 1966. While in the 2001/02 crisis the city was fairly quiet, an infamous police riot in 2013 led to two nights of violence which spread to other regions of Argentina.

Beginning with the early 1970s, and more strongly after democratization took place in 1983, the formerly very conservative city began to open and evolve into a cosmopolitan regional metropolis. A unique urban popular culture characterized by comedy, theater and the cuarteto music began to appear. At the same time, Córdoba diversified its economy, evolving from an industrial-governmental provincial town to an important hub for commerce, culture, education and services. Today the city is a "service metropolis" with many advertising agencies, call centers also serving foreign customer and an IT-hub employing more than 10,000 software professionals.

Tourist information Tourist information at airport, bus terminal, and in the Cabildo building although closed Mondays (listed in See below). Some other provinces, like Tierra del Fuego, Salta and La Rioja have tourist information offices in the city, they are called "casas de provincia".

Get in

It is very easy to reach Córdoba from other parts of Argentina because of its position at the geographical center of the country's historical territory (the less-populated Patagonia region in the country's south has only been under Argentina's control since the late 1800s).

From the Taravella airport there are also direct buses stopping on the way between Córdoba's bus terminal and the attractive suburb of Río Ceballos, but this bus stop is a 5-minute walk away at the E-55 highway and is poorly marked, better ask a local for the exact location. Additionally, the major car rental agencies have offices at the airport.

Until the 1980s Córdoba was an important railway center with many connections. Today, Trenes Argentinos has only one long-distance line left with passenger services, the railway from Buenos Aires, via Villa María and Rosario, two times a week. The train is very cheap in comparison to buses and has a pullman section and sleepers, but the journey is about 5 hours longer because of the deteriorated rails. Fortunately, in 2015 the worst part of the railroad was renovated. Also, in the holiday season you must reserve well in advance as the demand is high. Reservations are only possible at the train stations and you must show your passport or ID card when buying the tickets. There is also a local train from Villa María, three times a week.

The main train station, , is near the omnibus terminal, on Bv. Juan Domingo Perón 101. Most of the city bus lines pass within 400 m of the station, so it's easy to get to your accommodation and attractions. Another station in the neighborhood of Barrio Ferreyra (about 12 km south-east of the city centre). Another train station is about 1 km north of the Suquía River in Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera street. From there, there are 2-3 local trains per day to Cosquín via La Calera and the San Roque dam (very beautiful journey, but slow).

The city is connected with most larger towns by good asphalted routes. A motorway (Ruta Nacional 9) links Cordoba to Rosario and from there, to the Buenos Aires - Santa Fe motorway. Another motorway links Córdoba with Carlos Paz (RN20) - with connections from San Juan and Chile, another dual-carriageway goes to Alta Gracia (RN 5). As of 2015, there are dual-carriageway highways being built to Santa Fe (RN19), Río Cuarto in the south of the province on the way to Patagonia (RN36), and Villa del Totoral (RN9) on the way from Tucumán and the North-West.

Buses are now the most popular public transport. The main bus station, (TOC), is in the east of the city center, between Boulevard Illía and Boulevard Perón streets (Direction: Boulevard Perón 380), near the Río Suquía and the Mitre train station. There are direct connections to all large cities, provincial capitals and main tourist destinations of Argentina, with the exception of Ushuaia (you will have to change in Río Gallegos) and Viedma (changes possible in Bahía Blanca and San Antonio Oeste). There may be buses from international destinations too. Very frequent buses to Buenos Aires (11 hours), Salta (12 hours) and Rosario (5½ hour). Also, the local buses to the suburbs stop here.

The bus station has two separate terminal buildings, T1 or Terminal Vieja and T2 or Terminal Nueva, connected via a tunnel. It is the older building T1 where most of the long-distance buses arrive, and the newer T2 is dedicated mostly to local connections and some lines to Patagonia. Take into account that the whole station is about 700 m long, so it's good to arrive early if you don't know the gate from where your bus starts.

From the bus terminal, there are many possibilities to reach the main hotels and attractions, as it is 500-800 m away from the microcentro.

First, you can reach the microcentro area perfectly walking, for example taking the street of Boulevard Perón to the north and then Rosario de Santa Fe to the west which takes you to San Martín Square, the Cathedral and the pedestrian malls. Second, several local urban bus lines take you to the microcentro and other areas. There are three urban bus stops around the terminal (poorly marked): in Bv. Illia near T1 between Tránsito Cáceres de Allende and Paraná streets, and in Bv. Perón; where there are two stops, one at T1 and one at T2. You must buy a bus card first (see Get around section); you can do this in some of the kiosks at the terminals with the Red Bus sign. Third, there are two taxi stations in T1 and a smaller one in T2. In T2, the station where you can take a taxi to the city center is located at the main floor, the one that leads to the eastern neighborhoods is in the lower floor.

Another smaller bus station is at Mercado Sur, about 400 m south of Plaza San Martín in Bv. Illia street. Only local and regional buses, e.g. to Carlos Paz and Villa General Belgrano, stop here. There are some other minor short- and mid-distance bus stops marked with a red sign (Parada de Transporte Interurbano) but you will have to ask at the main terminal (or locals) which buses stop there as there are no indications.

Get around

In the northwestern corner of Plaza San Martín there's a "point zero". Street numbering starts from here, and two streets change their names here. San Martín comes in from the north and is renamed Independencia when going south. Déan Funes, in turn comes in from west and becomes Rosario de Santa Fe going east. Now, any street in the city crossing any of these four streets including their extensions will change their name when doing so. It seems complicated but you will get used to it and can use it for orientation.

By bus Since the abolition of the tramway in the 1960s, public transport is limited to buses. They are cheap by international standards, but often very crowded. As of March 2023, there doesn't seem to exist a centralized online route planner or schedule service that's working. Google Maps doesn't have this information either.

Urban bus lines The lines are divided in corridors, each of them is associated with a color and a number: Rojo (Red, corridors 3 northeast/southwest and 8 northwest/southeast) Naranja (Orange, corridors 1 northwest/southeast and 6 southwest/northeast) Azul (Blue, corridors 2 north/south and 7 east/west (but buses are red and yellow, for now!) Amarillo (Yellow, corridors 4 southwest/north and 5 west/east). The bus line number is a combination of the corridor number and the line's number, e.g. 40 or 51. A few lines have different routes, but this is much less an orientation problem than in Buenos Aires.

There are trolleybuses (A, B, and C) and two circular lines (500-501 and 600-601).

You need a bus card, which can be bought at official points of sale (green/blue posts) in the city center, at some kiosks (look for the Red Bus sign), at the omnibus terminal and at the airport. The old bus coins (cospeles) are not accepted anymore.

Drivers will frequently refuse to accept pesos, but you can also ask other passengers if they'll lend you their card. The buses of the lines 500-501 and 600-601, which go around in the outskirts rounding the city, will charge 15% more. If you combine two different lines from different colors with a no more than 60 minutes' wait, you will pay a smaller sum for the second bus, and it's free to combine between different lines of the same corridor, if they go in the same direction (so normally you cannot return to your starting point without having to purchase another ticket).

There are also interurbanos which serve the suburbs of the city. They charge accordingly to the distance to the terminal, prices vary based on distance, cheaper for closer destinations like La Calera or more expensive for the peripheral suburbs of Villa Carlos Paz, Jesús María and Cosquín.

But these rules are loose and you may often successfully hail a green remis on the street. Taxi drivers are very sensitive about their cars. When exiting please close the door slowly, and remember to try to keep your feet planted to the ground. Also, there are no seatbelts in most taxis. when travelling to the airport.

Traffic in the downtown area has been getting increasingly messy, and the quickest way to move around this area (if you are healthy enough for it) is definitely by bike.

Córdoba has a fairly extensive, though underused, cycleway network (Red de Ciclovías) built in the 1980s and 1990s. The most picturesque cycleway runs parallel to the Suquía River and is a good option to cross the city from east to west. The inner city cycling infrastructure covers only a few main avenues in the Nueva Córdoba and Centro area, linking the University campus (Ciudad Universitaria) with the Patio Olmos, the bus terminal and the Government building (Centro Cìvico).

Due to bicycle theft, it's a good idea to park the bicycle at a guarded carpark, particularly in the city center. Maipú Parking in Av. If you want to go shopping with your bike outside the central district, be aware that only large supermarkets and shopping malls offer (relatively) safe bicycle parking facilities.

There is no public bike-rental system in the city, although there are plans to establish one. There are only a few bicycle rental agencies in Córdoba, two of them are Córdoba Rent a Bike in San Martín 5 and Baluch Backpacker's Hostel in San Martín 338.

See

There are many colonial buildings in the city center, most of them built by the Jesuits in 17th and 18th centuries. The Manzana de los Jesuitas, declared a UNESCO world heritage site, is a whole block of such buildings, between 27 de Abril, Obispo Trejo, Caseros and Av. Vélez Sársfield. In addition there are many 19th and early 20th century buildings that are worth seeing.

Córdoba Cathedral. The Cathedral together with the Cabildo which sits beside it forms the western side of San Martin Plaza. Built between the 16th and late 18th centuries in Latin American baroque style with interesting interior partly built by Native American craftsmen.

Capilla doméstica. Chapel in the "Manzana de los Jesuitas". Not permanently open, it is necessary to ask for permission to visit it. The most beautiful of them all.

Iglesia Sagrado Corazón. A very attractive church in neo-Gothic style, well worth visiting.

Iglesia de Santa Catalina de Siena. Has a beautiful dome.

Monasterio de Santa Teresa. An interesting pink Baroque building near the Cathedral, which hosts the Museum of Religious Art.

Iglesia Compañía de Jesús. The probably biggest attraction of the Manzana de los Jesuitas quarters, this is the oldest standing church of Argentina, built in 1671.

Iglesia María Auxiliadora. Beautiful neo-Gothic church in Barrio Alberdi.

Capilla Jesuítica del Barrio Quinta Santa Ana. The oldest chapel in Córdoba, built in 1607.

Palacio Municipal. The city hall, a large modern building but a bit run-down.

Cabildo. White colonial building with arcades, featuring a large exhibition space and tourist information.

Palacio de Justicia. Large courthouse in neo-classical style.

Ex Rectorado de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Very fine Baroque colonial building from the 18th century with a museum and a beautiful cloister. Nowadays part of the university's faculty for law studies. The cloister is open to the public and tours of the building are available.

Colegio de Montserrat. School of the Jesuits, in a Baroque building.

Monument to Myriam Stefford. A huge obelisk in the outskirts, on RP5 near the toll station of Los Cedros.

Faro del Bicentenario. A lighthouse 1000 km from the sea, near Plaza España.

Córdoba has a large variety of museums of different types.

Archaeology and Anthropology museum. Ground floor: Archaeology - people from 10,000 years ago - before the Spanish came. Upstairs: More recent anthropology.

Dinosaur/fossil museum. Bright, well-presented museum showing life in the province from hundreds of millions of years ago.

Museo Paleontológico de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. This museum has a large and eclectic collection. It has an impressive collection of fossils including the fossil of the greatest pre-historic spider of the world but also has a zoology section a mineralogy section and considerable space devoted to Charles Darwin and the voyage of The Beagle including an original edition of the Origin of the Species given to the National Academy of Sciences by the author.

Museo Histórico Marqués de Sobremonte. Museum about the history of the city and Argentina, with a focus on the colonial time. The building is an attraction in itself.

Museo Histórico de la Universidad. At the "Ex Rectorado" (now Facultad de Derecho), will show the university's history.

Museo Obispo Salguero. Art and historic documents.

Museo Obispo Fray José Antonio de San Alberto. This building is a convent for Carmelite nuns first and a museum second thus can only be visited by guided tour. It was built as a private house and then given to the church as a residence for male novitiates and is now a convent and orphanage. The emphasis of the museum is the life of the building over the centuries. The small crypt and refectory are interesting and then you can head downstairs to try your hand at printing on what used to be the only printing press in Cordoba given to the Jesuits by special dispensation. A visit to this museum is mandatory for the children of the Jesuit school in Cordoba.

Banco de la Provincia de Córdoba. Monumental bank building in neo-classic style, hosts a bank museum with coin collections.

Museo de la Memoria. The military dictatorship of the 1970s and 80s had a much feared division in Cordoba dedicated to abducting, torturing and murdering citizens that they took a dislike to. Much of this activity took place in a small police building immediately behind the Cabildo. It is now a museum with photos of the disappeared and statements of the survivors and the families of the disappeared. It is an horrific place inducing anger and fear in equal measure.

Museo de Bellas Artes Evita. Hosting the permanent art exhibition of the provincial government, and sometimes also displays temporary exhibition. The museum gives a good overview of Argentine painting from the early 19th century to modern work. Palacio Ferreyra, where the museum is, is a neo-baroque palace and one of the oldest grand buildings in town.

Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emilio E. Caraffa. Focuses on Argentine and Latin American contemporary art - paintings, sculptures and other art forms. Spacious and pleasant. Changing exhibitions.

Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Dr. Genaro Pérez. The second largest art museum in town with a permanent and changing exhibitions. Somewhat more "underground" than the Caraffa, interesting.

Museo de Arte Religioso Juan de Tejeda. Described as the best museum for religious art in Argentina.

Museo del Teatro y la Música Cristóbal de Aguilar. Theater and music museum.

Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Chateau Carreras. A little 19th-century castle with a beautiful patio in the west of the city, which exhibits modern art.

Art Galleries in the Paseo de las Artes. Changing exhibitions.

Museo Iberoamericano de Artesanías. Folk art of Latin American Indians and typical "latinoamericanism" pieces.

Museo Cultural General Paz. Cultural center.

Museo de la Anatomía Dr. Pedro Ara. Anatomical museum.

Museo Nacional de Meteorología Dr. Benjamin Gould. Best museum for meteorology in Argentina.

Museo de la Industria. Many cars and motorbikes of local production, and an interesting rotating house (casa giratoria).

Children's museum Barrilete. A technical museum for kids with many things to try out.

Museo de la Ciudad. Varied exhibitions, often very interesting

Centro Obispo Mercadillo. Varied exhibitions.

Parque Sarmiento. The most popular park of the city, with a zoo, a flower garden and an artificial lake.

Parque Las Heras. A small park north of the Suquía river.

Parque de la Vida. At the La Cañada river, south-western Córdoba, a large, pleasant park with interesting scenery and sports facilities. Unsafe at night.

Parque General Paz. Small park near the Río Suquía, near the interesting Industry Museum

Reserva Natural Urbana General San Martín. Córdoba's largest park with a fair complex, a soccer stadium and a nature reserve which protects the original Espinal woodlands covering most of Córdoba province before the 20th century.

Parque de las Naciones and Parque Autóctono. Two small parks with a hill and good views of the city.

Isla de los Patos. An island in the Río Suquía with a little park, ideal for families. Pretty crowded on weekends, when a small Peruvian market with some Andean food is held here.

Plaza San Martín. The heart of the city, surrounded by historic buildings. In the middle stands a monument to general San Martín ("the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru"). Street musicians play here at night.

Paseo de Sobremonte. An old, very pleasant square built in 1785.

Plaza de la Intendencia. A nice public square between the city hall and the main courthouse.

Plaza España. Modern square in a rationalistic design. It's in the middle of a busy roundabout.

Plaza Colón. Green, beautiful square surrounded by buildings worth seeing.

Paseo de las Artes. Square with well-known art and crafts market and old-style buildings.

Paseo del Buen Pastor. This was once a women's prison butted up against an early twentieth century church. The area has been completely redeveloped and the only original building is the church itself which has been carefully restored and has a certain grandeur. The rest of the area has an art gallery, cafes, bars and a large outdoor area. It is very popular with students and is now the centre of the Nueva Córdoba area.

Córdoba Observatory. In the late 19th century, this was one of the world's most important astronomic observatories.

Observatorio Bosque Alegre. The follower of Córdoba Observatory, the most important observatory of Argentina these days.

Centro Espacial Teófilo Tabanera. Argentina's main space center, with a museum.

La Perla. Memorial to the victims of the military dictatorship (1976-1983), housed in a former prison. You can get here by buses going via Malagueño to Villa Carlos Paz.

Do

Córdoba has a lot of cultural life, including theater, art galleries and cultural centers except in summer when the scene moves to Carlos Paz and other hillside resorts. But it's a good center for sports, too.

A good day trip is a visit to the Jesuit estancia at Jesus Maria. Buses leave regularly from the main bus station, it's a pleasant 80 minute journey and then a 20 minute walk from the bus station to the estancia. The church, surrounding buildings and grounds are well kept. If you are looking for lunch in town the happening spot is the Rincon Nuestra on Colon street.

There are over 50 theaters and culture centers and some "arte bars", where you can see theater, art exhibitions and different music acts. Every 2 years there is the Festival de Teatro del Mercosur, Argentina's most important theater festival, with many groups of South America.

Teatro del Libertador. The biggest and most traditional, in Italian opera-house style, featuring opera and classical music, but also more modern pieces.

Teatro Real. The second traditional theater, with a wide variety of shows, including opera, music, and humor.

Studio Theater. A theater and discothèque.

Teatro Córdoba. With cinema exhibitions.

Modern theater is also shown in Cineclub Municipal Hugo del Carril. In addition there may occasionally be theater shows in the Ciudad de las Artes cultural center, the university's main event venue Pabellón Argentina and at the Quality Espacio event venue, see listings in the appropriate sections below.

The Festival de Teatro del Mercosur takes place every two years, including theater performances from all over South America.

Movies Multiplex cinemas are in the shopping centers of Patio Olmos, Nuevo Centro and Córdoba Shopping, but there are some traditional cinemas in the city center like:

There are also cineclubes, cinemas, with some of them being very active cultural centers.

Cineclub Municipal Hugo del Carril. Showing more "serious" films.

British Culture Association Argentina.

In the many cultural centers there are not only a wide variety of shows and exhibitions, but you can also assist at many courses:

Ciudad de las Artes. A new cultural complex with many institutes, a varied program and many courses.

Pabellón Argentina. The cultural center of the University.

Centro Cultural España Córdoba. Shows of modern music, theater, cinema and multimedia arts, and literature

Goethe-Institut. German culture center.

Casa Grote. "Underground" culture center, with exhibitions, music and theater.

Instituto de Culturas Aborigenes. First governmental institute for the culture of the native people. Officially recognized courses in native languages and folklore.

There are also cultural activities at the CPCs (municipal district centers).

There are many sport clubs where you can do a wide variety of sports, being the most popular association football, basketball, and field hockey. The clubs will mostly charge a monthly fee. There are also paid soccer fields (mostly of reduced size for 5 or 7 players per team), and you can do inline skating, mountain-bike and play soccer in an informal way in the parks, like the Parque Sarmiento, and the many plazas in the barrios outside the city centre.

The Universidad Nacional de Córdoba offers courses (for a small fee) in a variety of sports, including climbing and sailing. Secretaría de Educación Física, Av. Valparaíso S/N.

Association football (soccer) is the most popular sport, like in most of Argentina. The best-known soccer teams of Córdoba are Belgrano, Talleres and Instituto. Belgrano plays in First Division, Instituto in Second Division (B Nacional) and Talleres in third division. Córdoba has also a very good basketball team, Atenas, which holds the record of championships in Argentina and is known as one of the best outside the USA.

Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes. Known also as "Olympic" stadium (although there never were Olympic Games in Argentina). It doesn't belong to a specific club, so all important football matches and many other sports and entertainment events are held here. With a capacity of 55,000 spectators (all-seater) it's one of the largest stadiums in Argentina.

Estadio Monumental Alta Cordoba. Instituto's stadium, is the second largest. Capacity: 30,000.

Estadio Gigante de Alberdi. Belgrano's stadium near Av. Colón in the Alberdi neighborhood, is the third largest with 28,000 spectators.

Estadio "Francisco Cabasés" (La Boutique de Barrio Jardín). Capacity: 16,500.

Orfeo Superdomo. The largest indoor stadium of Argentina with a capacity of about 12,000.

Polideportivo Carlos Cerutti. Another large indoor stadium, where Atenas' basketball team plays regularly. Pinzón 1950.

Parque Sarmiento listed in See above is during the weekend a place for many locals to do sports: e.g. football playing, jogging and biking.

Although some locals do so, it is not recommended to swim in the polluted Río Suquía, except for the extreme north-west of the city. Houses in the northwest of the city are guaranteed to have swimming pools, all the way to Unquillo.

If you don't want to make a trip to the outskirts, you can swim in the many piscinas (swimming pools) in the city itself, and even in the city center, but most of them are rather poor, and you will have to pass a medical examination.

Natatorio Municipal. The largest public swimming pool, in Sarmiento Park, but is only open between late December and early March and often very crowded.

You can swim at the following spots in the surroundings: La Calera, 18 km (11 mi) north-west from the center, where the Suquía is clean and there are many pleasant spots, with rocks and little cascades, like and .

Río Ceballos, a very attractive suburb, 30 km (18 mi) north-west from the center in the hills, can be reached by a very good highway. There is the artificial lake, with a dam, and in the surroundings there are many little rivers and cascades.

, , and near Alta Gracia, 30 km (18 mi) south-west, with river beaches and much tranquility.

Villa Carlos Paz, at River San Antonio. The more central beaches like are very crowded in summer, and the has only small beaches and is pretty polluted. So better go to the beaches south of the central area like and nearby beaches at and . At 10 km (6 mi) south of Carlos Paz, there is an isolated, very attractive beach after a 40-min walk, the .

There are many buses (every 20-30 min) to all mentioned spots.

The official web site of Córdoba is Cordoba.gov.ar, a good internet portal with the best event information is Vos, run by the most popular local newspaper La Voz del Interior.

Events like congresses, conventions, big concerts and exhibitions are hold at the following centers:

Predio Feriar. Large events and congresses, some festivals.

Orfeo Superdomo, see above, has music and sports events including boxing.

Pajas Blancas Center. Concerts and congresses.

Forja. Often concerts, but also congresses.

Plaza de la Música. Frequent music and theater events.

Centro Cultural Gral. Paz. An old warehouse, many rock concerts and theater events.

Teatro Griego. Beautifully located outdoor amphitheater, but it is little used.

Some events also take place in the soccer stadiums mentioned above.

Some important and interesting yearly events are the Feria Internacional de Artesanías (arts and crafts fair) in autumn and the Book fair in September. Since 2005, Córdoba hosts Sexpoerótica, the most important adult convention of Argentina and now one of the largest of Latin America, with more than 70,000 visitors in 2014, in autumn.

The Noche de los Museos is an irregular event (2-3 times per year) when you can visit many museums of the city without having to pay, until 01:00 or 02:00.

Córdoba has the reputation of being a conservative city, but the LGBT presence and tolerance towards them has increased greatly over recent decades. The first dedicated gay club of Argentina, Piaf, has been opened here in the 1980s, and there are now strong organizations lobbying for LGBT issues. There are also some travel agencies specialized in LGBT visitors.

Although local LGBT people tend to be less extroverted than in Buenos Aires, as a LGBT visitor you can show your affections openly, at least in the cosmopolitan central districts (Centro, Nueva Córdoba, the eastern parts of Güemes and Alberdi, and General Paz). In the poorer neighborhoods and the outskirts of the city, however, you should be more careful (including the western part of Güemes quarter around Zen club), as there have been incidents of discrimination against LGBT people and tolerance generally is lower.

Learn

There are many public and private universities, which are open to foreigners for studies and research. They have exchange programs with universities from around the world. The largest is the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, with 120.000 students, particularly good in technology, medicine and architecture.

Many organizations will give you a Spanish course, the cheapest are the ones of the local university, but they are at least for a year.

Work

With English and Spanish knowledge you can work in many sectors, like gastronomy, tourism, or telemarketing (best chance for a part-time job). Some American companies have outsourced their telemarketing to companies in Córdoba, meaning English-speaking staff can find jobs in this sector.

The city also has a fast-growing software industry and there is a lack of qualified personnel. So if you are a software engineer you have good chances of finding a relatively well paid job in Córdoba.

If you want to work, you should get your work permit in your home country, although it's also possible to get it in the local Dirección Nacional de Migraciones (migration office), at Caseros / Ayacucho, if you come from a country with a visa-free agreement with Argentina.

Buy

Córdoba is a good shopping city, and you can buy near all kind of things at reasonable prices. The most active zone is the Peatonal pedestrian mall around San Martín Square and the nearby Mercado Norte and Mercado Sur areas, with cheaper prices. In the Nueva Córdoba and Güemes quarters, but also in some central galleries, there are shops and boutiques with locally designed clothing.

Shops downtown are usually open Monday to Friday 9:00-20:00, in the suburbs with a break in the afternoon: 9:00-13:00 and 17:00-22:00. Malls and supermarkets are often open 9:00-22:00 every day of the week.

Local arts and crafts are sold at the Paseo de las Artes (Saturday and Sunday after 17:00), where you also can buy some local food like salamis, honey, and alfajores (a local sweet with dulce de leche) in the very pleasant Güemes district (see above). The area is now the most popular shopping area at weekends.

There is also a smaller arts and crafts market at Plaza San Martín, and some others at other city squares. In summer some craftsmen move to the Sierras, where there is an attractive market at the dam Dique San Roque 10 km (6 mi) north of Carlos Paz, 15 km (9 mi) west of La Calera and 25 km (15 mi) from Córdoba itself, via route E-55.

Antiquities and second hand There's a concentration of antiquity shops along Belgrano 700-900 at the level of Paseo de las Artes, and in Pasaje Revol there's a small antiquity market. There are also many second hand shops in the Mercado Norte area.

An interesting experience is to visit the flea market in Villa El Libertador neighborhood (about 8 km south-west of the city center) on Sunday mornings, the center of the Bolivian community, where you can find also cheap Andean food.

There are many galleries and some modern shopping malls. The most well-known are and (central district), and (northwest), and the (west) where there is also the Sheraton Hotel. They are popular with middle-class Argentines, but the offer is limited to large franchises. Electronic items like televisions, cameras and computers usually have higher prices than in Europe and the US; cellular phones from established brands tend to be most expensive.

Mercado Norte. An area with specialized shops of all kinds. For example you can find music shops along Riviera Indarte, home electronics shops along Rivadavia, cheap clothing and sports equipment along San Martín and used goods around the corner of Riviera Indarte and Humberto 1°. Mercado Norte is also the name of a large market hall where you can buy groceries.

Mercado Sur. This area is known for shops with cheap clothing and professional shops for industrial needs. Nearby are the student neighborhoods of Nueva Córdoba and Güemes which have shops with clothing for different subcultures and works by local fashion designers.

Every district has a supermarket or at least a small grocery store (these tend to have lower prices than supermarket, though the selection is limited).

Eat

The area around Plaza San Martin is the main tourist precinct and has many eating places during the day but the main eating action during the evening is elsewhere. If you are staying around Plaza San Martin it is better to walk down to the area around Paseo Del Buen Pastor if eating out in the evening especially on Sunday and Monday evening when Plaza San Martin is very quiet. Gastronomy hubs are the city center (particularly General Paz, Illia and Colón avenues), the Cerro de las Rosas area (large restaurants, relatively high prices, often pleasant outdoor bars), Güemes (Belgrano and Alvear streets, with a mix of mid-range and upscale restaurants and bars), General Paz (with some of the most renowned restaurants) and Nueva Córdoba (mostly fast food). In the main avenues of the outskirts you will find some good places to eat, too.

You will find a great deal of parillas (barbecue restaurants) - no surprise as you're in Argentina. There are also a surprising number of Arabic and Mexican restaurants.

Choripán stands, very tasty sandwiches with Argentinian sausage (chorizo), most stands are inside Parque Sarmiento and near the Suquía river

Juanito. Mexican food, often crowded at weekends.

Chinese Wok Rafael Nuñez. Affordable Chinese restaurant with a nice garden.

Emir. Modest looking restaurant with good Middle Eastern food. They have another restaurant at Fragueiro 1339 (Alta Córdoba).

Cafe 180. Light and airy cafe with good breakfasts and lunches. A pleasant courtyard and friendly staff.

Casa de Salta. Northern Argentine food.

Al-Malek. Arabic food, pleasant, good food, has moved from Nueva Córdoba to General Paz neighborhood.

Plaza Austria. Next to Suquía River, this restaurant serves Middle European cuisine and has a beer garden.

Las Tinajas. Asian shopping mall with a large buffet with Chinese, Argentine and international dishes.

Il Gatto. Italian cuisine; pizza and pasta.

San Honorato. Closed on Mondays, open for lunch & dinner. Built inside an old bakery, San Honorato is not only delicious food; it is an experience in itself. After ordering, you will be asked to proceed to the vine cellar, where the owner and his son welcome you with a glass of wine and some bites while your food is cooking.

Doc Vinos y Cocina. Argentine and international cuisine.

Alcorta. Upscale restaurant with traditional Argentine cuisine, focusing on beef.

Rancho Grande. Argentine parilla with good though relatively expensive meat dishes.

Drink

The text in this nightlife section dates from 2006.

Cordoba has a vibrant nightlife although it dies of somewhat during the university holidays over Christmas and doesn't get going again until March-ish. There are places to cater for all tastes from dingy bars to live shows to the latest and greatest music. There's however no comprehensive event calendar. The main events can be seen at the Voz website owned by the La Voz del Interior newspaper and in the newspaper, that carries an event guide every Thursday. If you like electronic music, the web portal Cosmobeat will guide you to the main events in city and surroundings. The gothic scene is under-represented, there are only irregular parties.

Most clubs close at 05:00, and there is a local law prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages between 05:00 and 09:00. The once-vibrant afterhour scene has died somewhat since this law came into force. Also don't expect too much night life between Sunday and Tuesday, when only a few clubs are open (Monday night has the least events).

In the following districts there is the most active night life: Nueva Córdoba, home of many students from other Argentine towns, with many bars and pubs and some mainstream clubs Güemes, particularly in the Belgrano street, the Marcelo T. de Alvear avenue ("La Cañada" area) and the surroundings, with many pleasant bars and some few larger clubs. Some good clubs are also in the Roca avenue west of Cañada. Ex Abasto, the former red-light district near River Suquía, many rock and cuarteto clubs and some greater discothèques, wide variety of music between mainstream and underground. The surrounding area is relatively unsafe, so keep at the main streets, which at weekends are full of young people. Chateau Carreras, near Parque San Martín, the most "chic" area, expensive clubs, most of electronic music and international pop, but also some cuarteto parties.

There are also some expensive clubs in the Cerro de las Rosas district. In Alta Córdoba and nearby General Bustos districts there are some arte bars with live music. In the suburbs of Villa Allende, Saldán and La Calera there are some popular clubs too.

The authentic urban music of Córdoba is the lively, fast Cuarteto dance music. It was invented in the 1940s by Cuarteto Leo group but has changed greatly in the 1980s and 1990s, including Central American (merengue) and pop influences. Bands of this genre play live several times a week, in the so-called bailes, at sport centers, halls and great discothèques. Most of the visitors of these bailes are from the lower social classes. If you want to visit a baile, particularly that of the most popular singer La Mona Jiménez, it's best to take a local with you. There is sometimes fighting between local gangs, but male visitors generally only get in trouble if they speak to someone's girlfriend. For women there are no special dangers, because Argentine men are generally very polite to them, but don't feel disturbed if many guys want to speak to you ...

Bar Monserrat (café). No WiFi. Traditional atmosphere.

Antares. Reliable artesanal cerveza chain. Recommend Parma pizza. This outlet has a view of the Paseo del Buen Pastor and Iglesia de los Capuchinos from upstairs balcony. Wifi.

Johnny B. Good. Expensive after-office and cocktail bar with live rock and electronic music.

Bar de Don Mario. A small, cheap rock bar in Nueva Córdoba, frequented by students.

La Rústica. Cheap bar with local punk rock and heavy metal, no live music, but sometimes strip dancers, frequented by students and "rollingas" (rock fans). Also serves snacks, pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and some simple meals.

Pétalos de Sol. One of the most popular and typical student rock / reggae bars in the city center, open every day except Monday.

Jamaica. Bar with rock and reggae music.

Clarke´s Irish Bar. Authentic Irish bar, Irish owned with real cans of Guinness imported from Dublin.

Los Infernales de Güemes. Gastropub. Each table got a chance to sing or play for the whole bar's pleasure!

X bar. Wide range of cocktails and a wide range of prices too, good music and great vibe.

Dada Mini. Cool bar with a great menu, often there are live performances.

El Colono. Cuarteto and mainstream music.

Casa Babylon. Alternative club with live music of local and national bands of all musical genres. Sometimes electronic music events.

La Barra Boliche. Big mainstream club with three floors (pop / cuarteto / electronic).

990 Arte Club. Alternative club with live music, at the Abasto, rock, reggae and sometimes theater. One of the centres of Córdoba's "hippie" culture.

Beep Pub. Gay afterhours bar with shows.

Zen. Big gay-lesbian disco with two floors, now very much the "in" place

Sleep

Most hotels are in the centre, with many cheap ones near the bus terminal. If you want to stay in a little bit more quiet environment, you can take a local bus and sleep in one of the pleasant resorts nearby (In January and February the city will be quieter than the resort suburbs!).

Kailash Hotel Boutique. It offers Hindu-inspired rooms, all of which have a mountain view, a king-size bed, down-feather pillows, and Ayurvedic breakfast. Some of its amenities are swimming pool, solarium with a wooden deck, Wi-Fi access, and a stargazing deck. While staying here you can visit some tourist spots like Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, The San Marcos River Gorge, and Arturo Illia Dam.

Link Cordoba Hostel. All rooms are modern and spacious. with fans, good lighting, and separate shower and bath facilities. The kitchen is fully equipped and there is a TV room, bar, terrace and chill out space with barbecue amenities.

Gran Hotel Victoria. Old traditional hotel, has improved greatly, and is no longer the cheapest of the city.

Hostel Jóven Casa Reggae. A lively, not too expensive hostel not far from the city centre. Free wifi, Breakfast.

Aldea Hostel Córdoba. The facilities include kitchen, bar, pool table, table tennis, table football and free internet. Singles and doubles also available.

Le Grand Hostel. True to its name, this hostel has a large number of beds.

Hotel Dr. Cesar Carman. Part of a chain operated by the Argentine automobile club. You will be charged less if you are member of ACA and partner clubs.

Felipe Segundo Hotel. Close to the main square. It's neat and tidy. Breakfast included.

Hotel NH Córdoba Panorama. This traditional hotel is in the heart of the city. The hotel offers 140 rooms, gym, massage services, meeting rooms and a swimming pool.