ARGENTINA – A day in Cordoba, a vibrant cultural & modern city

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

Cordoba is the capital city of the province with the same name. It’s the second city after Buenos Aires in Argentina in size. Each year I visit Argentina and this year I visited Mendoza and Cordoba. The main interesting sight in Cordoba is the Jesuit Block and Jesuit Estancias of Córdoba around it. I already wrote about my day trip outside of Cordoba, now it’s time to tell you about the city itself. Enjoy a day in Cordoba!

Cordoba is a vibrant & thriving city

Cordoba is a city that combines its heritage within a modern cityscape. It’s a vibrant city due to its famous university with students from all over the world. I started my day tour from the Azur Real Boutique Hotel where I stayed. It is located just two blocks from the Plaza San Martin. The core, where everything is happening, starts at the Plaza San Martin. From there towards the Arturo Illia Boulevard and the triangle between Av. Hipolito Yrigoyen and Boulevard Chacabuco. In those areas, also called the microcenter, you find lots of bars, restaurants and the places of interest are also located there. I cannot advise on restaurants as I stayed just two nights in Cordoba of which one evening was gone by driving (read my story) dangerous roads and the second I had dinner in the restaurant of the Azur Real Boutique Hotel which I can highly recommend. The triangle mentioned above is not huge and easy to walk. You will find people from all ages relaxing on the squares, green areas and so on. Go relax yourself in the sunshine; everything goes slow in Argentina. The best place to do this is across the street of the Sagrado Corazon Church. From the street life you can see that it’s a thriving university city. For sightseeing in the city a day is enough, but if you want to relax and enjoy some nightlife I can recommend Cordoba with its vibrant nightlife.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta
ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

The Jesuit Block in Cordoba

The Jesuit Block of Córdoba is probably the most important remaining historical place in Cordoba. In my previous article about the Jesuit Estancias of Córdoba I already explained who the Jesuits were. They were part of the Catholic Church and arrived to South America in the early 17th century. They brought the religion of the Catholic Church to South America. To visit the Jesuit Block one needs to take a guided tour as several rooms are not open for the public. Make sure you do this as it’s worth to see these rooms. The tour starts at the Church of Jesus.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

The church is the only part of the tour where it is allowed to make photos. It’s beautiful decorated with wood carvings painted in gold. The roof is made of wood. At the altar you will see several statues carved out of wood in a carved wooden frame.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

The tour continues behind the altar towards the library where you can see books from the 16th – 18th century. After the library the tour ends in the room where the graduates get there diploma’s. This is a beautiful decorated room, you must see it. Unfortunately I was not allowed to make photos. The full tour takes approximate an hour and costs just a few dollars.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

Other places of interest in Cordoba

The main area of interest is around the Plaza San Martin. At the square you should change Dollars to Pesos at one of the newspaper kiosks. You will get a lot more Pesos on the “black market” or Blue Dollar exchange. The main place of interest here is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. Its construction took over two centuries and it wasn’t even finished when it officially opened in 1709. Its baroque exterior overlooks the Plaza San Martin. The interior has an interesting silver altar made in Peru. Various frescoes and murals on the ceiling and walls were added two centuries later. It’s a beautiful cathedral and worth a visit. Continue onwards to the Jesuit Block described above and then towards the Sagrado Corazon Church.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

The Iglesia Sagrado Corazón is a beautiful example of a church built in neo-gothic style. This church should be on your itinerary in Cordoba. The area around the church is full of bars and restaurants and you will find a lot of local people there.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta

Cordoba has a lot of theaters and if you have the time I strongly recommend visiting one. I wandered a bit through the old streets of Cordoba. Especially in the microcenter you will see a lot of Spanish colonial buildings. There are various museums and parks worth a visit. My goal was to see the main places of the city including the Jesuit Block which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you have been reading more of my stories you probably know by now that my goal is to see all UNESCO sites. I loved my two nights and 3 days in Cordoba. I arrived by plane from Mendoza and I continued to Buenos Aires to finish my trip of Argentina.

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Gallery Cordoba city trip

Click an image for a full screen gallery of more photos taken during this trip. If you like to use any photo for commercial, private or editorial use please contact first for permission and/or pricing.

ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta
ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta
ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta
ARGENTINA - A day in Cordoba, the city of universities La Docta