Cordoba

During my travels of South America we stumbled across the city of Cordoba almost by accident, as a stopping point between some of the more well known visiting places. It was a memorable stop though with it’s picturesque scenery and endless activities and is recommended to anyone in the area.

The city is known as the Heartland of Argentina due to its location in the centre of the country and is one of the more prosperous parts of this economically crippled nation. It was the original capital city of Argentina and is now only behind Buenos Aires in national importance economically.

It is Argentina's colonial capital with a population of over a million people and is nationally recognised as a University town. As such it is cluttered with old scholar buildings such as the Montserrat School (1687) and churches including the amazing the Church Compania de Jesus (1640), which offer those interested in architecture a real feast. The city spirals out from the Plaza San Martin (dated from 1577) a central square with the street vendors and artistes, which will become familiar to all travelling in this region.

The city hosts the oldest University in the country and it is no coincidence that you are left with a distinct feeling of similarity with the vibe in Oxford in England.

There are hundreds of trips and excursions on offer for those looking for more than a city tour, with the vast majority taking full advantage of the city’s location under the Andes. For more active people there are options aplenty for the likes of mountain biking, golf, parasailing, 4 x 4 biking, horseback riding and climbing. For those looking for a more relaxing time there are plenty of markets as well as bars, restaurants, and shopping areas, all of which offer bargains aplenty with the devaluation of their currency
Culture comes in the form of The San Martin Theatre (1891) which is the oldest theatre in the country and offers locals and tourists alike with the opportunity to witness a whole host of musical and theatrical performances.
As is so often the case, we were met with wonderful weather during our stay here and although this may have contributed to the times we had here I would not hesitate to return again on a miserable day.

The best way to reach the city from other areas of the country is by coach as there is an almost non-existent train service in the country and the coaches are designed to facilitate the long journeys necessary in a country of this size. It is always worth paying the extra few pounds to travel as high class as possible though as this way you guarantee a chance to sleep!! The coach station is a modern setting with all the facilities you could need. There is an airport with flights daily to other surrounding cities if you are either short of time or not up for a bit of rough travel!!

All in all Cordoba stands out in my memory as an escape from the harsh travelling in other parts of South America and it offered a well needed chance to relax in a historic city with all the amenities and recreational opportunities necessary to do so.

It is warmly recommended as a stopping point for anyone planning a trip to the region, although for anyone on a tight schedule I would probably recommend Buenos Aires if a choice has to be made – solely due to the fact that you get a far better appreciation of the economic crisis Argentina is in as well as the big city environment.