1. Cordoba City

This town, wonderfully rich in history and cultural importance, is also small enough to cover easily and enjoyably on foot. It has a delightfully contrasting mix of sights, from the architectural splendour of the great mosque – with a Christian church oddly sprouting out of its centre – to the whitewashed glories of the old Jewish quarter, the splendid Alcázar, and the frankly morbid museum dedicated to the bullfight. There are other engaging museums as well, featuring works of art by both Old Masters and local artists, and ancient artifacts evoking the area’s influential past (for further details see Córdoba City).

2. Ubeda

Ignore the downtrodden outskirts as you approach this town – once you get to the historic centre you will realize that it is one of Andalucía’s most remarkable splendours. The keynote here is architecture – an entire district of mostly Renaissance edifices built for local nobility in the 16th century. One of Andalucía’s greatest architects, Andrés de Vandelvira, was the genius who gave most of these structures their harmonious forms (for further details see Baeza and Úbeda).

3. Baeza

Like nearby Úbeda, this smaller town is also a jewel of Renaissance glory, but includes earlier remains dating back to the Moors and, before them, the Romans. The town radiates a sense of tranquillity as you walk from one cluster of lovely buildings to another. Again, much of the beauty owes its existence to Vandelvira (for further details see Baeza and Úbeda).

4. Medina Azahara

The building of the first palace here dates from AD 936, commissioned by Caliph Abd el- Rahman III, Emir of Córdoba and the man who brought the city to glory. He named it after his favourite wife, Az-Zahra (the Radiant). Though it is little more than a ruin now, at one time it incorporated a zoo, ponds and gardens, baths, houses, barracks, markets, mosques, a harem of 6,000 women and accommodation for 4,000 slaves. Decorated with ebony, ivory, jasper and marble, it even had a pool of mercury that created dancing lights on the walls and ceiling.Ctra Palma del Río km 5.5, W of Córdoba • 957 10 49 33 • Open Apr–May: 9am–8pm Tue–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun; Jun–mid-Sep: 9am–3:30pm Tue–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun; mid-Sep–Mar: 9am–6:30pm Tue–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun • Adm (free for EU members)

5. Castillo de Almodovar del Rio

Originally the site of a Roman, then a Moorish, fortification, the present fairytale castle goes back to the 1300s century, when it was embellished in Gothic style. Legend holds that ghosts of those who died while imprisoned here haunt the eight monolithic towers.25 km (16 miles) W of Córdoba • 957 63 40 55 • Open Jul: 9am–2pm Mon–Thu, 9am–2pm & 7pm–midnight Fri–Sat, 10am–6pm Sun; Aug:10am–3pm Mon–Thu, 10am–3pm & 7pm–midnight Fri, 10am–midnight Sat, 10am–6pm Sun; Sep–Jun: 11am–2:30pm & 4–8pm Mon–Fri (to 7pm Nov–Mar), 11am–8pm Sat & Sun (to 7pm Nov–Mar) • Adm

6. Montoro

Laid out on an undulating series of five hills at a bend in the river, this ancient town sports a Baroque tower and a handsome 15th-century bridge. Other sights include a good Museo Arqueológico Municipal and the eccentrically kitsch Casa de las Conchas, a shell-encrusted folly; contact the tourist office to arrange a tour.

Museo Arqueológico • Plaza de Santa María de la Mota • 957 16 00 89 • 11am–1pm Sat, Sun & pub hols • Free

Casa de las Conchas • C/Criado 17 • 957 16 00 89 (tourist office) • Adm

7. Valle de los Pedroches

The far north of Córdoba Province is fertile grazing land for farm animals, as well as deer and wild boar. Most importantly, it is a “land of acorns”, densely clad with holm oaks and therefore a prime zone for raising the famed Iberian black pig. In October, the creatures are fattened up on acorns and their meat is elaborately cured to produce succulent jamón ibérico or pata negra, the local product rivalling that of Jabugo in Huelva Province.

8. Montilla

This town is the centre of Córdoba’s wine-making region, where the word amontillado originates, meaning “in the style of Montilla”. The wine produced here is like sherry, but nuttier and more toasted – and since the region is hotter than around Jerez, the grapes ripen more intensely and the wines need no fortifying. You can taste the difference at Bodegas Alvear.Bodegas Alvear • Avda de María Auxiliadora 1 • 957 65 01 00 • www.alvear.es • Open for tours in English 12:30pm Mon–Fri; by appt Sat, Sun & pub hols (groups of 7 or more) • Adm

9. Jaen City

This modern provincial capital is set off by the dramatically placed ramparts of the mighty Castillo de Santa Catalina, originally Moorish, and the immensity of its double-towered cathedral by Vandelvira (for further details see Catedral de Jaén). You can fully experience the castle and its spectacular views of the city and surrounding olive groves, as it now houses a parador. Another rewarding stop is the Museo Provincial, with the country’s finest collection of 5th-century BC Iberian sculpture.

Cathedral • Plaza Santa María • Open 10am–2pm & 4–8pm Mon–Fri, 10am–2pm & 4–7pm Sat, 10am–noon & 4–7pm Sun • Free

Museo Provincial • Paseo de la Estación 27 • Open Jun–mid-Sep: 9am–3:30pm Tue–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun; mid-Sep–May: 10am–8:30pm Tue–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun • Adm (free for EU members)

10. Alcala La Real

The Fortaleza de la Mota that dominates this once strategic town is unique in Jaén Province in that its original Moorish castle was built by the rulers of Granada. Mostly in ruins, it still preserves the original seven gates. Inside, built on the remains of a former mosque, is the Gothic-Mudéjar church of Santo Domingo, which uses the former minaret as a belltower (for further details see Fortaleza de la Mota, Alcalá la Real).Fortress • 639 64 77 96 • Open Apr–mid-Oct: 10:30am–7:30pm daily; mid-Oct–Mar: 10am–5:30pm daily (to 6pm Sat); • Adm