Córdoba and the Mezquita from Granada

If the Alhambra shows you the last great flowering of Moorish Spain, the Mezquita of Córdoba shows you its beginning. Córdoba was the capital of the Umayyad caliphate in the tenth century, one of the largest and most cultured cities in Europe, and its Great Mosque was begun in the late eighth century and enlarged over two centuries. Its famous prayer hall is a forest of columns, hundreds of them, topped by double-tiered arches striped in red brick and white stone, in a repeating pattern that seems to continue forever. At the end of the hall the mihrab, the prayer niche, glows with gold mosaics of Byzantine craft. In the sixteenth century a Renaissance cathedral was built inside the mosque, an extraordinary architectural collision that gives the building its present name, the Mezquita-Catedral. Outside, the Patio de los Naranjos, the orange-tree courtyard, and the bell tower that began life as a minaret complete the monument. A day trip from Granada normally includes transport and a guided or free visit, and usually leaves time for a walk through the old Jewish quarter, the Judería, with its whitewashed lanes, flower-filled patios and the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir.

Because itineraries differ between operators, check carefully what is included, such as entry to the Mezquita, a guide, free time and lunch, and what time you will be back in Granada. A guided entrance to the Mezquita is helpful, since the building's layers of history are easy to miss without explanation.

What to look for in the Mezquita: stand in the older prayer hall and let your eyes follow the lines of arches in each direction. Then find the mihrab and the maqsura, the royal enclosure in front of it, with its elaborate ribbed domes. Then walk into the Renaissance nave and consider the contrast.

The story goes that when Emperor Charles V saw what had been done, he lamented that something unique had been destroyed. Whether or not he said it, the sentence captures the tension of the building, which is at once a masterpiece of Islamic architecture and a fully working cathedral.

If time allows, the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs and the old synagogue are short walks away. Lunch is a good moment to try local dishes such as salmorejo, a thick cold tomato soup, and rabo de toro, oxtail stew.

Spring and autumn are the best seasons, and the famous patio festival in May is a highlight but also very busy. If you have four or more days, a Córdoba day makes a fine contrast to the Granada core, and it can be combined with a transfer on to Seville.