AR
Córdoba
Argentina's Student Capital
Argentina's Student Capital
The Plaza San Martín (the finest colonial plaza in Córdoba; the Catedral de Córdoba (the finest 18th-century Baroque cathedral facade in South America; free to the nave); the Cabildo (the finest colonial government building; the finest market courtyard)) is the finest free civic experience in Córdoba.
💡 Plaza San Martín (free; the Catedral de Córdoba (the finest 18th-century Baroque cathedral facade in South America; free to the nave); the Cabildo (the finest colonial government building in Córdoba)).
The Manzana Jesúítica (UNESCO World Heritage 2000; the finest single block of Jesuit colonial architecture in the Americas; the Salón de Grados (the finest Baroque university hall in South America); the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (the finest Spanish Baroque altarpiece in South America); the Museum from 300 ARS) is the finest single heritage block in the Americas.
💡 Manzana Jesúítica (UNESCO; from 300 ARS; the finest Jesuit colonial block in the Americas; the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (the finest Spanish Baroque altarpiece in South America)).
The Córdoba Sierras (the finest highland landscape accessible by bus from a major Argentine city; Bus CTM to Carlos Paz (1h; from 500 ARS) or La Cumbre (1h); the finest paragliding in Argentina (La Cumbre; tandem from 3,000 ARS); the Che Guevara childhood home (Alta Gracia; 40km south)) are the finest day trip options from Córdoba.
💡 Córdoba Sierras (the finest highland landscape accessible by bus; Bus CTM to Carlos Paz (1h; from 500 ARS) or La Cumbre (1h); the finest paragliding in Argentina (tandem from 3,000 ARS at La Cumbre)).
Nueva Córdoba (the finest student neighbourhood in South America; the Paseo del Buen Pastor (the finest converted convent-to-arts-centre in Argentina; the finest Friday night outdoor bar); the finest bar and nightlife in Argentina outside Buenos Aires) is the finest neighbourhood evening in Córdoba.
💡 Nueva Córdoba (the finest student neighbourhood in South America; the Paseo del Buen Pastor (the finest converted convent arts-centre in Argentina); the finest bar and nightlife in Argentina outside Buenos Aires) — best on a Thursday or Friday night.
Córdoba eating combines the Argentine national food identity with distinctively Cordoban regional specialities: the Córdoba empanada (fried rather than baked; the repulgue (the crimped edge) is the highest in the Argentine empanada tradition; the filling is the same beef-and-egg recado as the Buenos Aires empanada but the fried version has a crispier exterior; US$2–4 each), the alfajor cordobes (the most celebrated alfajor in Argentina: three shortbread rounds (rather than the standard two) sandwiching two layers of dulce de leche and dusted with powdered sugar; the El Nuevo Mundo brand (the most celebrated Argentine alfajor producer; based in Córdoba) is the finest commercial alfajor in the country), the asado (the Córdoba parrilla; the La Nieta del Asador on the Obispo Trejo is the most recommended Córdoba parilla), and the craft beer (the most developed provincial craft beer scene in Argentina; the Antares taproom on the Hipolito Yrigoyen Boulevard is the reference address for Argentine craft beer outside Buenos Aires). The Nueva Córdoba bar and restaurant strip (the Hipolito Yrigoyen Boulevard from 200 to 1500; the most concentrated eating and nightlife street in any Argentine provincial city) is the essential Córdoba evening address.
The Plaza San Martín (the finest colonial plaza in Argentina after the Plaza de Mayo and the Plaza 9 de Julio).
The Manzana Jesúítica (the Jesuit Block; UNESCO World Heritage 2000; the finest single block of colonial Jesuit architecture in the Americas; the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (1613).
The Che Guevara Childhood Home (Alta Gracia; 40km south; 1h by bus (Bus CTM; from 400 ARS return)).
Nueva Córdoba (the finest student neighbourhood in South America; the barrio of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; the finest bar and nightlife culture in Argentina outside Buenos Aires).
Plaza San Martín (free; the finest colonial plaza in Córdoba; the Cathedral). Manzana Jesúítica (from 300 ARS; the finest Jesuit colonial block in the Americas; the Salón de Grados; the Compañía de Jesús church). Nueva Córdoba (the Paseo del Buen Pastor; the finest Friday night outdoor bar in Córdoba).
💡 Córdoba is the finest Argentine city for the Manzana Jesúítica (UNESCO 2000; the finest Jesuit colonial architecture in the Americas) combined with the 4 Jesuit estancias of the Córdoba Sierras (the UNESCO circuit of 5 Jesuit colonial sites in Córdoba Province — the finest UNESCO heritage circuit in Argentina).
Alta Gracia day trip (40km south; Bus CTM; 1h; the Che Guevara childhood home (free on Sundays; 12 ARS other days); the Alta Gracia Jesuit Estancia (UNESCO)). Or: Córdoba Sierras (Bus CTM to Carlos Paz or La Cumbre; 1h; the finest paragliding in Argentina).
💡 The Alta Gracia day trip (40km south; 1h by Bus CTM; the Che Guevara childhood home (the finest revolutionary biography museum in South America; free on Sundays) and the Alta Gracia Jesuit Estancia (the finest colonial Jesuit estancia in the Córdoba Sierras; UNESCO)) is the finest day trip from Córdoba.
Córdoba is the most affordable of the six Argentina cities in this guide.
The Alta Gracia day trip (bus US$2–3 return; the Jesuit Estancia US$3; the Che Guevara Museum US$5) for a total of US$10–11 pp is the finest single day trip accessible from any Argentine city at any price.
A La Mona Jiménez cuarteto concert at the Córdoba stadium (the most celebrated live music event in any Argentine city outside Buenos Aires)
Bus CTM (Córdoba) for the Sierras excursions (Carlos Paz, La Cumbre, Alta Gracia; from 400–500 ARS).
Free
Manzana Jesúítica (manzanajesuita.unc.edu.ar) for the 300 ARS guided tour booking and the UNESCO heritage site schedule.
Free
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