An iron exhibition pavilion
Built at the end of the nineteenth century and derelict before restoration.
Mercado Victoria — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kent Wang from Barcelona, Spain — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kent Wang from Barcelona, Spain — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kent Wang from Barcelona, Spain — CC BY-SA 2.0
An iron and glass market hall in the Victoria gardens west of Córdoba's old city, today a food hall. The building has a history: it was raised at the end of the nineteenth century as an exhibition pavilion, one of the surviving examples of the iron architecture that spread across Europe after the world's fairs. It stood derelict for years before being restored and reopened. What it is today is a hall of food stalls: Andalusian dishes, tapas, grills and cafés. It should be clear that this is not a market where residents shop but an eating space aimed at visitors and young people, with prices above the neighbourhood bars. Its practical value is that it is covered and air-conditioned, and that matters enormously in Córdoba: the city is among Spain's hottest in summer, passing forty degrees, and cool shaded options become a necessity rather than a comfort. It stands in a public garden a short walk from the old city and the great mosque, so the addition is easy.
Built at the end of the nineteenth century and derelict before restoration.
Córdoba is among Spain's hottest cities; the air conditioning is not a luxury.
Varied stalls letting you taste many dishes in one place.
Jardines de la Victoria, west of the old city
In the tapas bars inside the neighbourhoods, away from the immediate surroundings of the great mosque. Try Córdoba's own dishes: salmorejo, a cold tomato soup thicker than gazpacho, and flamenquín, rolled fried pork. Prices in the back streets are far below the tourist squares.
Avoid being out between one and five in July and August entirely — it passes forty degrees and is not merely uncomfortable. Start at seven in the morning and see the great mosque early, rest somewhere air-conditioned until evening, then go out from six until midnight as locals do.
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