Córdoba · Andalusia · next to the Mosque-Cathedral
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos: tickets, hours and what to see
A medieval fortress-palace by the Guadalquivir, used by Isabella and Ferdinand as a base for the war on Granada. Gardens, towers, Roman mosaics and the Royal Baths.
Today
Opening hours for every month are on the Opening hours page.
Checked against the official website on 30 October 2026 · Official source
In short
- In winter, from 16 September to 15 June, the Alcázar is open Tuesday to Friday from 8:15 to 20:15, on Saturday from 9:30 to 17:30 and on Sunday and holidays from 8:15 to 14:15. Monday is not an opening day.
- In summer, from 16 June to 15 September, it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 8:15 to 14:15, with the last session at 14:00.
- Inside there are Mudejar courtyards, Roman mosaics, the Royal Baths and large gardens.
- The Mosque-Cathedral is next door, so the two fit in the same day. A combined tour covers both and the Jewish Quarter.
A fortress with a royal past
King Alfonso XI ordered the present fortress in 1328, on top of Roman, Visigothic and Umayyad remains. Later it became the base of Isabella I and Ferdinand II during the campaign against Granada. In 1486 or 1487 Columbus came here to ask for their support. They paid him, but they backed the voyage only after Granada fell in 1492.
It has a darker chapter too: from 1482 the Inquisition used the Alcázar and kept a tribunal here for about three centuries.
What you see inside
Four towers rise from the walls: the Tower of Homage, the Tower of the Lions, the Tower of the Inquisition and the Tower of the Dove. The Tower of the Lions is where visitors enter. Inside, the Hall of Mosaics shows Roman mosaics found under Plaza de la Corredera at the end of the 1950s, and the Royal Baths date from 1328.
The gardens, in the form you see today, date from the middle of the twentieth century.
Visitor guide
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