'''Cordoba''' is the second largest city in Argentina, with about 2 million inhabitants, and is the capital of the Cordoba province. It is located in the heart of the Argentinean territory on the Pampas. The city is surrounded by valleys, formed up by three main mountain groups. It is known for the colonial buildings in the center as well as for the beautiful hills in the surroundings.

Understand

The city is called ''La Docta'' because of the many universities and scientific institutes. Around 200.000 people study here, which makes the city one of those with the youngest and liveliest appearance in South America. There is much cultural and night life, above all in the ''Guemes'' and ''Alta Cordoba'' areas and in the red light district, the ''Ex Abasto'', called so because until 1990 there used to be a huge market area (Mercado de Abasto, now in the city outskirts).

The colonial architecture of the city center is now cohabiting with many modern buildings. Although the oldest buildings are found in the surroundings of the Plaza San Martin (microcentro), the most pleasant areas are now the ''Nueva Cordoba'' district south of the center and the area around the ''Canada'', a small colonial canal which crosses the city. These areas show a mix of well-designed modern buildings and old houses, often built in neo-colonial style. The ''Barrio Guemes'', which is protected by municipal laws, is particularly pleasant, with an 19th century atmosphere rather similar to Buenos Aires' "San Telmo" district, but with more movement.

The city district itself covers 529 square km (204 sq mi) and has 1.3 million inhabitants, but there are many satellite towns outside this area. Those west of the city lie in the hills of the ''Sierras de Cordoba'' and are residential areas with some tourist interest, such like ''Rio Ceballos'', ''La Calera'', and the famous holiday center Villa Carlos Paz near the ''San Roque'' dam, which provides the city with potable water and some electricity. North and east of the city, in the plains, there are poor suburbs with a slum-like appearance, like ''Juarez Celman'' and ''Malvinas Argentinas''.

The climate in city and surroundings is pleasant the year round. Even in winter there are frequent warm, sunny days, although you must be prepared for cold nights and some chilly, cloudy periods, which never last more than a week or so. In summer, the rainy season (November to March) it is hot and humid and there are frequent inundations because of the bad state of the drainage system. Best time to visit is March to May and August to November, when it's not too hot nor too cool and there is very little rain.

History

The city was founded in 1573 and for a long time it was the largest and most important town in the region that today is Argentina, until 1776 when Buenos Aires was declared capital of the ''Virreinato del Rio de la Plata''. Its university was founded as early as 1613 by the Jesuits. The Catholic Church had much influence on social life until 1900, and Cordoba sometimes was called "Argentina_fs Rome". In 1918 a student revolution, the ''Reforma Universitaria'', led to a modernization of the university, which until this time had been very conservative and was full of corruption. This revolution spread to all cities of Argentina and most of Latin America.

In the 1950s the city was industrialized by Peron and Frondizi governments. Today, Cordoba is Argentina's second technology hub beyond Buenos Aires, leading above-all in motor industry and in high-tech sectors like software and electronics.

Get in

It is very easy to reach Cordoba from other parts of Argentina because of its position in the country's geographical center.

By plane

The International Airport ''Ingeniero Talavella'', also called ''Pajas Blancas'' is 10 km (6 mi) north of the center. There are flights to several towns in Argentina, to Santiago de Chile, Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) and Porto Alegre (Brazil), though now there are fewer flights then in the 90s because of the economic crisis. If you come from overseas you must change in Buenos Aires (you can also do it in Santiago de Chile), where you probably will have to change from ''Ezeiza'' airport to ''Aeroparque Jorge Newbery'' (shuttle bus service relatively expensive, more than half the price of a taxi!).

From the airport there is a normal bus to the central area (A5, 1,50 AR$), a minibus service (about AR$ 5 per person) and taxis(about AR$65).

By train

Until the 1980's Cordoba was an important railway center with many connections. Today, the only line left is that to Buenos Aires, via Villa Maria and Rosario, two times a week. The train is very cheap ($25 for tourist class) in comparison to buses, but the journey is about 5 hours longer because of the deteriorated rails. There is also a daily local train to Villa Maria ($4). Train station (there were many, but most of them are out of use now) is near the omnibus terminal, on Boulevard Peron, another in the suburb of Barrio Ferreyra (south-east of the city).

By car

The city is connected with most greater towns by good asphalted routes. A motorway to Rosario is being built to connect Cordoba with the Buenos Aires - Santa Fe highway; it's already done until Oncativo and between Carcarana and Rosario. Another motorway links Cordoba with Carlos Paz. There is a plan to build other motorways to Santa Fe, Tucuman, and Rio Cuarto.

By bus

Buses are now the most popular public transport. Ominibus terminal is at the crossing of ''Boulevard Illia'' with ''Boulevard Peron'' near the Rio Suquia. There are direct connections to all greater cities and tourist centers of Argentina, with the exception of Ushuaia (you will have to change in Rio Gallegos). Very frequent buses to Buenos Aires and Rosario. Also, the local buses to the suburbs stop here, another stop is at ''Mercado Sur'' near Plaza San Martin.

Get around

Since the abolition of the tramway in the 1960s, public transport is limited to buses. They now are divided in "corridors", each of them is associated with a color and a letter: Red (R), Orange (N), Blue (A), Green (V), Yellow (C) and ''celeste'' (E). There are trolleybuses, too (A, B, and C), and a "Transversal" line (T). Most buses will charge 1,50 $, you must pay with bus coins (cospeles) or a special bus card. The buses of the lines 500-501, 600-601, and 700-701, which go around in the outskirts rounding the city, will charge a little bit more.

There are also ''interurbanos'' which serve the suburbs of the city. They charge accordingly to the distance to the terminal, prices vary from about $2 to La Calera up to $6 to the peripheral suburbs of Villa Carlos Paz, Jesus Maria and Cosquin.

Yellow taxis and green remises (with almost their only difference being the color nowadays) are a comfortable way of getting around, with prices starting from around $6 for a 15-block ride. During the last year, traffic in the downtown area has been getting increasingly messy, and the quickest way to move around this area (if you are healthy enough for it) is definitely by bike.

See

There are many colonial buildings in the city center, most of them built by the Jesuits in 17 and 18 century. The ''Manzana de los Jesuitas'', declared Humanity's patrimony by the UNESCO, is a whole block of such buildings, between 27 de Abril, Obispo Trejo, Caseros and Av. Velez Sarsfield.

Churches

  • '''Cathedral''', Independencia / 27 de Abril.
  • '''Iglesia Sagrado Corazon''', Obispo Oro / Buenos Aires, in neo-gothic style, well worth visiting.
  • '''Iglesia de Santa Catalina de Siena''', Plaza Jeronimo Luis de Cabrera
  • '''Monasterio de Santa Teresa''', Obispo Trejo / 27 de Abril, a interesting pink building
  • '''Iglesia de San Francisco''', Entre Rios / Buenos Aires
  • '''Compania de Jesus''', Manzana de los Jesuitas, oldest church of Argentina (1671)
  • '''Iglesia Maria Auxiliadora''', Av Colon / Rodriguez Pena (gegenuber Plaza Colon), grose monumentale neogotische Kirche in Barrio Alberdi
  • Other buildings

  • '''Palacio Ferreyra''', Av. Yrigoyen / Derqui
  • '''Palacio Municipal''', Av. Figueroa Alcorta
  • '''Cabildo''', Plaza San Martin, colonial style, with a museum
  • '''Palacio de Justicia''', Av. Figueroa Alcorta
  • '''Ex Rectorado de la Universidad Nacional de Cordoba''' - Obispo Trejo / Caseros, very fine colonial building with a museum and a beautiful patio.
  • '''Colegio de Montserrat''', Obispo Trejo / Duarte Quiros. School of the Jesuits.
  • '''Banco de la Provincia de Cordoba''', San Jeronimo / Buenos Aires, neo-classicistic style.
  • '''Monument of San Martin''', Plaza San Martin
  • '''Monument to Velez Sarsfield''', Plaza Velez Sarsfield (Av. V. Sarsfield / Av. H. Yrigoyen)
  • '''Monument of Myriam Stefford''', in the outskirts, on RP5 (Av. Armada Argentina), near the toll station of Los Cedros, a huge obelisk
  • Museums

    There are many museums of all kind of things.

    '''Arts:'''

  • ''Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes Emilio E. Carrafa'', Plaza Espana, with interesting paintings
  • ''Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes Dr. Genaro Perez'', Av. General Paz 33, somewhat more "underground" than the Carrafa, interesting.
  • ''Museo Ecclesiastico Dean Funes'' Plaza San Martin in the Oratorio O. Mercadillo, religious art
  • ''Museo de Arte Religioso Juan de Tejeda'', Independencia 122, best museum for religious art in Argentina
  • ''Museo del Teatro y la Musica Cristobal de Aguilar'', Velez Sarsfield 317, Teatro El Libertador
  • ''Centro de Arte Contemporaneo Chateau Carreras'', Parque San Martin, Av. Ramon C. Carcano. A little 19th century castle with a beautiful patio, which exhibits modern art.
  • ''Art Galleries in the Paseo de las Artes'', Belgrano/La Canada/Pasaje Revol
  • ''Museo Iberoamericano de Artesanias'', Belgrano / A. Rodriguez, folk art of Latin American Indians and typical "latinoamericanism" pieces
  • ''Museo Cultural General Paz'', Pringles/Catamarca, Bo. Gral. Paz (sometimes closed)
  • '''Science:'''

  • ''Museo Paleontologico de la Universidad Nacional de Cordoba'', Velez Sarsfield 249, where there is the fossile of the greatest pre-historic spider of the world.
  • ''Museo de la Anatomia Dr. Pedro Ara'', Chubut 149.
  • ''Museo de Ciencias Naturales Dr. Bartolome Mitre'', H. Irigoyen 115.
  • ''Museo de Mineralogia Alfredo Stelzner'', Av. Velez Sarsfield 299
  • ''Museo de Zoologia'', Av. Velez Sarsfield 299, 2nd level
  • ''Museo Nacional de Meteorologia Dr. Benjamin Gould'', San Luis 801. Best museum for meteorology in Argentina.
  • ''Museo de Antropologia de la UNC'', H. Irigoyen 174.
  • '''Technology:'''

  • ''Museo del Automovil'', in the industrial complex CIADEA, Bo. Santa Isabel.
  • ''Museo de la Industria'', Parque General Paz, Bo. General Paz, many cars and motorbikes of local production, and an interesting giratory house (''casa giratoria'').
  • ''Museo para Ninos Barrilete'', Av. Costanera, La Vieja Usina. A technical museum for kids.
  • '''Historic Museums:'''

  • ''Museo Historico Marques de Sobremonte'', Rosario de Santa Fe 218, shows the history of city and of Argentina.
  • ''Museo Historico de la Universidad'', Obispo Trejo 242, at the "Ex Rectorado" (now Facultad de Derecho), will show the university's history.
  • ''Museo Colonial Hispanoamericano'', Entre Rios 24.
  • ''Museo Obispo Salguero'', Obispo Salguero 84, Art and historic documents.
  • ''Museo Obispo Fray Jose Antonio de San Alberto'', Manzana de los Jesuitas, religious items
  • ''Museo Numismatico del Banco Nacion'', P. San Martin, Banco de la Nacion, coin collections
  • ''Museo Banco de Provincia de Cordoba'', P. San Martin
  • '''Varied exhibitions:'''

  • ''Museo de la Ciudad'', Cabildo, Plaza San Martin, varied exhibitions, often very interesting
  • ''Centro Jose Malanca'', Entre Rios 40
  • ''Centro Obispo Mercadillo'', Rosario de Santa Fe 39
  • Parks and squares

  • '''Parque Sarmiento''', Nueva Cordoba, the most popular park of the city, with a zoo, a flower garden and an artificial lake
  • '''Parque Las Heras''', Bv. Las Heras / Av. Gral. Paz, a little park at the river Suquia
  • '''Parque de la Vida''', at the La Canada river, south-western Cordoba, a great, pleasant park with interesting scenery
  • '''Parque General Paz''' near the Rio Suquia
  • '''Parque San Martin''', Av. Ramon C. Carcano, at the Rio Suquia, 10 km. west of the city center. Cordoba's greatest park with a ferial complex, a soccer stadium and a (run down) nature reserve.
  • '''Jardin Botanico''', near Rio Suquia 8 km (5 mi) west of the center.
  • '''Isla de los Patos''', Av. Costanera / Hualfin (Bo. Alberdi), an island in the Rio Suquia with a little park, ideal for families.
  • '''Plaza San Martin''', San Martin / Rosario de Santa Fe, the heart of the city, surrounded by historic buildings
  • '''Paseo de Sobremonte''', La Canada / 27 de Abril, an old, very pleasant square of 1785.
  • '''Plaza Espana''', Chacabuco / Av. Yrigoyen, modern square in a rationalistic design.
  • '''Plaza Colon''', Av. Colon / Mariano Moreno, Barrio Alberdi, green, beautiful square
  • '''Plaza de las Naciones''', Av. Sagrada Familia, Barrio Cerro de las Rosas, great picturesque square with a hill
  • '''Paseo de las Artes''', Belgrano / Fructuoso Rivera, square with well-known art and crafts market and old-style buildings
  • Other

  • '''Cordoba Observatorium''', in Barrio Observatorio, one of the world's most important until 1900.
  • '''Centro Espacial Teofilo Tabanera''', Ruta C-45, Falda del Canete, 15 km (9 mi) south-west. Argentina's main space center, with a museum.
  • '''Observatorio Bosque Alegre''', 25 km (15 mi) south-west of the city, now the main telescope.
  • Do

    Cordoba has a lot of cultural life, except in summer when the scene moves to Carlos Paz and other hillside resorts. But it's too a good center for sports.

    Cultural life

    There are over 50 theaters, and many culture centers and "arte bars", where you can see theater, art exhibitions and different music acts. Every 2 years there is the ''Festival de Teatro del Mercosur'', Argentina's most important theater festival, with many groups of South America.

    Most important theaters include:

  • '''Teatro del Libertador''', Av. Velez Sarsfield / Duarte Quiros, the biggest and most traditional, in Italian opera-house style, featuring opera and classical music, but also more modern pieces.
  • '''Teatro Real''', San Jeronimo 66, facing Plaza San Martin, the second traditional theater, with a wide variety of shows, including opera, music, and humor.
  • '''Teatro Comedia''', Rivadavia 254
  • '''Spacio Cirulaxia''', Pasaje Perez 12
  • '''documentA'''
  • '''Teatro La Cochera''', Fructuoso Rivera 541
  • '''Teatro Pacifico''', Dean Funes 266
  • '''Teatro Maipu''', Maipu 350
  • '''Teatro Cordoba''', 27 de Abril / Belgrano (with cinema exhibitions)
  • Modern theater is also shown in ''Cineclub Municipal Hugo del Carril'' (s.u.), where there are parodies of popular movies, each Monday.

    Mainstream '''cinemas''' are in the shopping centers of Patio Olmos, Nuevo Centro and Cordoba Shopping, but there are some traditional cinemas in the city center.

    There are also more many art-cinemas, with some of them being very active cultural centers.

  • Cineclub Municipal Hugo del Carril [http://www.ccmunicipal.com.ar/], Bv. San Juan and Obispo Trejo,
  • Teatro Cordoba Cine para ver [http://www.cineparaver.com.ar], 27 de Abril / Belgrano
  • Facultad de Lenguas of the University, the
  • '''Centro Cultural Espana Cordoba''' (see below)
  • '''Sociedad Britanica''' (British Society).
  • Many "arte bars" show movies, too.

    In the many cultural centers there are not only a wide variety of shows and exhibitions, but you can also assist at many courses:

  • '''Ciudad de las Artes''', Av. Ricchieri (Parque Sarmiento; Bo. Villa Revol), a new cultural complex with many institutes
  • '''Paseo de las Artes''' (see above)
  • '''Pabellon Argentina''', the cultural center of the University
  • '''Centro Cultural Espana Cordoba''', Caseros / Independencia, shows of modern music, theater, cinema and multimedia arts, and literature
  • '''Goethe-Institut''', Plaza Espana (Nueva Cordoba), German culture center
  • '''Casa Grote''' (Padre Grote, Bo. General Bustos), "underground" culture center, with exhibitions, music and theater.
  • '''990 Arte Club''' (Bv. Los Andes y Las Heras)
  • There are also cultural activities at the '''CPC'''s (municipal district centers).

    Sports

    In the Parque Sarmiento and Ciudad Universitaria you can do a wide variety of sports, including soccer, basketball, mountain-bike, and hockey.

    The Universidad Nacional de Cordoba [http://www.unc.edu.ar] offers courses in a variety of sports, including climbing and sailing. Secretaria de Educacion Fisica, Av. Valparaiso S/N.

    The best-known soccer teams of Cordoba are ''Belgrano'' and ''Talleres'', although they actually don't play in the First Division. The first division team, ''Instituto'' is less known. In Third Division there are ''Racing de Nueva Italia'' and ''General Paz Juniors''.

    Cordoba has a very good basketball team, ''Atenas'', which holds the record of championships in Argentina and is known as one of the best outside the USA.

    '''Stadiums:'''

  • '''Estadio Cordoba''', Av. R.C. Carcano, Parque San Martin. Known as "Olympic" stadium (although there never were olympic games in Argentina). It doesn't belong to a specific club, so all important matches are held here.
  • '''C.A. Instituto''', Jujuy / Quevedo, Bo. Alta Cordoba.
  • '''El Gigante de Alberdi''' (Belgrano), Orgaz / La Rioja, near Av. Colon
  • '''La Boutique''' (Talleres), Av. Riccheri 3200 / Av. Talleres, Bo. Jardin. Often closed, because Talleres often plays in Estadio Cordoba.
  • Swimming

    Although some locals do so, it is not recommended to swim in the polluted Rio Suquia, except for the extreme north-west of the city.

    You can swim at the following spots:

  • ''La Calera'', 18 km (11 mi) north-west from the center, where the Suquia is clean and there are many pleasant spots, with rocks and little cascades, like ''Diquecito'' and ''Casa Bamba''.
  • ''Saldan'', north of La Calera, where the Arroyo Saldan and the Rio Suquia offer good possibilities
  • ''Rio Ceballos'', a very attractive suburb, 30 km (18 mi) north-west from the center in the hills, can be reached by a very good highway. There is the ''La Quebrada'' artificial lake, with a dam, and in the surroundings there are many little rivers and cascades.
  • ''Los Aromos'', ''La Bolsa'' and''La Serranita'' near Alta Gracia, 30 km (18 mi) south-west, with river beaches and much tranquility.
  • Villa Carlos Paz, at River San Antonio, although the more central beaches and the Lake San Roque seems to be polluted, so better go to ''Cuesta Blanca'' 10 km (6 mi) south, where there is an isolated, very attractive beach after a 40-min walk, the ''Playa de los Hippies''.
  • There are many buses (all 20 min) to all mentioned spots.

    If your are on a hurry you can swim, too, in the many ''piscinas'' (swimming pools) in the outskirts of the city itself, and even in the city center, but most of them are rather poor and you will have to pass a medical examination.

    Events

    Events like congresses, big concerts, and exhibitions are hold at the following centers:

  • '''Predio Feriar''', Av. R. C. Carcano, Parque San Martin. Great events and congresses, some festivals.
  • '''Orfeo Superdomo''', Rodriguez del Busto / Cordillera (Bo. Villa Cabrera), music and sports events including boxing
  • '''Pajas Blancas Center''', M. P. de Cabrera 7500, concerts and congresses
  • '''Forja''', Bo. Talleres Este (5 km {3 mi} east of center), often concerts, but also congresses
  • '''La Vieja Usina''', Av. Costanera R. Mestre (Bo. Alberdi), frequent music and theater events.
  • '''Sala de las Americas''', Av. H. de la Torre (Ciudad Universitaria), many concerts and theater events.
  • '''Centro Cultural Gral. Paz''', Catamarca / Pringles, an old warehouse, many rock concerts and theater events
  • '''Anfiteatro''', Parque Sarmiento, beautifully located but actually little use.
  • Some events also take place in the soccer stadiums mentioned above.

    Learn

    There are many public and private universities, which are open to foreigners for studies and research. The greatest is the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba [http://www.unc.edu.ar], with 120.000 students, particularly good in technology, medicine and architecture.

    Many organizations will give you a Spanish course, the cheapest are the ones of the local university, but they are at least for a year. Intensive courses from private institutions can be very expensive, up to US$ 1000 for three weeks, though lower cost options do exist.

    Work

    Cordoba has now a comparatively low unemployment rate (9 %), but wages are considerably lower than in Buenos Aires (but also the prices).

    With English and Spanish knowledge you can work in many sectors, like gastronomy, tourism, or telemarketing (best chance for a part-time job).

    The city actually has a fast-growing software industry and there is a lack of qualified personnel (the local university cannot satisfy the demand anymore). So if you are a software engineer you have good chances of finding a relatively well paid job in Cordoba.

    If you want to work, you should get your work permit in your home country, although it's also possible to get it in the local ''Direccion Nacional de Migraciones'' (migration office), at Caseros / Ayacucho.

    Buy

    Cordoba is a good shopping city, where you can buy near all kind of things now at very cheap prices. The most active zone is the peatonal area and the nearby Mercado Norte, with cheaper prices. There are modern shopping malls, too: Patio Olmos and Garden Shopping (center), Dinosaurio Mall and Cordoba Shopping (northwest), and the Nuevo Centro Shopping (west) where there is also the Sheraton Hotel. In the Nueva Cordoba area, but also in some central galleries, there are many modern-style shops and boutiques for young people, with often self-designed clothing. Note that electronic items like televisions, cameras and computers are the same price like in Europe and the US; particularly cellular phones even tend to be more expensive and are using old standards like GSM and CDMA.

    Local arts and crafts are sold at the ''Paseo de las Artes'' (Saturday and Sunday recommended), where you also can buy some local food like salamis, honey, and ''alfajores'' (a local sweet with ''dulce de leche'') in the very pleasant Guemes district (see above). There is also a arts and crafts market at Parque las Heras, on weekends, and some others at the main city squares and at the pedestrian mall at night after 8 pm. In summer most craftsmen move to the Sierras, where there is an attractive market at the dam ''Dique San Roque'' 10 km (6 mi) north of Carlos Paz, 15 km (9 mi) west of La Calera and 25 km (15 mi) from Cordoba itself, via route E-55.

    Eat

    Most restaurants are in the ''Cerro de las Rosas'' area, the Avenida Colon and in Nueva Cordoba, but nearly in all parts of the city you will find some good places to eat.

    Budget

  • '''31 Grados''', Bv. Chacabuco, pleasant modern bar which serves hot dogs ("panchos") in all sort of exotic flavors, and electronic music
  • '''Juanito''', Av. Pueyrredon, Mexican food, often crowded at weekends
  • '''Mega Doner''', Ituzaingo / Rondeau, Doner Kebap in various flavors
  • '''Ugi's Pizza''', Bv. Illia / Ituzaingo, cheap pizzas (a clone of the Buenos Aires original)
  • Mid-range

  • '''Rincon Chino''', Av. Colon, All-You-Can-Eat with Chinese and Argentine food
  • '''Potrerillo''', Bv. Las Heras / Av. Tillard, Mexican food, after 3am it converts into a (mainstream) discotheque
  • '''Casa de Salta''', Caseros / Independencia, northern Argentina food
  • '''Al-Malek''', Derqui 255, arabic food, pleasant, good food, but often crowded
  • '''Plaza Austria''', Costanera, German food and local beer, at the Rio Suquia
  • '''Las Tinajas''', Bv. San Juan, another at Av. Colon, a huge All-You-Can-Eat with Argentina and Chinese food
  • '''Equilibrate''', V. Sarsfield 29, vegetarian restaurant and delivery
  • Splurge

  • '''Rita''' (four restaurants, in Nueva Cordoba, Villa Cabrera, Alta Cordoba and Carlos Paz), modern and stylish resto-bar with electronic music or live bands, and a wide variety of ethnic food.
  • '''18''', Av. Costanera, nouvelle cuisine
  • '''Il Gatto''', Av. Gral Paz and Av. Colon, Italian food
  • '''Guccio''', Av. H. Yrigoyen 71, international specialties
  • '''Rancho Grande''', Av. Rafael Nunez, typical Argentine "Parrilla", meat.
  • '''San Honorato''', Pringles esquina 25 de Mayo, (0351) 453-5252, [http://www.sanhonorato.com.ar/]. Closed on Mondays, open for lunch & dinner. Built inside an old bakery, San Honorato is not only delicious food; it is an experience in itself. After ordering, you will be asked to proceed to the vine cellar, where the owner and his son welcome you with a glass of wine and some bites while your food is cooking. $50 - $100.
  • Drink

    Cordoba has a very vibrant nightlife although it dies of somewhat during the university holidays over Christmas and doesn't get going again until March-ish. There are places to cater for all tastes from dingy bars to live shows to the latest and greatest music. The main events can be seen at the Site "Cordoba.Net" [http://www.cordoba.net] and in the ''La Voz del Interior'' newspaper. If you like electronic music, the web portal Cosmobeat [http://www.cosmobeat.com] will guide you to the main events in city and surroundings. Only the gothic scene is under-represented, there are only irregular parties. Also don't expect too much night life between sunday and tuesday, when only a few clubs are open (particularly monday).

    In the following three districts there is the most active night life:

  • '''Nueva Cordoba''', where many students from the interior live, there are many bars and pubs and some mainstream clubs
  • '''Ex Abasto'''. the "red-light district" near River Suquia, many rock and cuarteto clubs and some greater discotheques, wide variety of music between mainstream and underground. The surrounding area is relatively unsafe, so keep at the main streets, which at weekends are full of young people.
  • '''Chateau Carreras''', near Parque San Martin, the most "chic" area, expensive clubs, most of electronic music, some with international pop or cuartetos.
  • There are also some expensive clubs in the ''Cerro de las Rosas'' district. In ''Alta Cordoba'' and nearby ''General Bustos'' districts there are many arte bars with live music. In the suburbs of ''Villa Allende'', ''Saldan'' and ''La Calera'' there are some popular clubs too. In summer there is a very active night life in Villa Carlos Paz, minibuses will take you to the biggest clubs from ''Plaza Velez Sarsfield'' at 1 am if you pay the entrance fare in advance.

    The authentic urban music of Cordoba is the lively, fast ''Cuarteto'', invented in the 1940s but has changed greatly in the 1980s and 1990s, including more Central American (merengue) and pop influences. Bands of this genre play live several times a week, in the so called ''bailes'', at sport centers, halls and great discotheques. Most of the visitors of these bailes are working-class youths or slum kids. If you want to visit a baile, particularly that of the most popular singer ''La Mona Jimenez'', take a local with you, because there is frequent fighting and other alcohol excesses, but men generally only get in trouble if they speak to someone's girlfriend. For women there are no special dangers, because Argentine men are generally very polite to them, but don't feel disturbed if many boys want to speak to you...

    The order of the following list is from cheap to expensive:

  • '''Bar de Don Mario''', San Martin / Rondeau (Nueva Cordoba), a little, cheap rock bar in Nueva Cordoba, frequented by students
  • '''La Rustica''', Zona Ex Abasto near Av. Tillard, cheap bar with local punk rock and heavy metal, no live music, but sometimes strip dancers, frequented by students and "rollinga" (rock) youths
  • '''Petalos de Sol''', Av. Figueroa Alcorta / Bv. San Juan, one of the most popular and typical student rock / reggae bars in the centre, open every day.
  • '''Paris Bar''', student club in Nueva Cordoba, with pop music, a chic but a bit "retro" atmosphere
  • '''990 Arte Club''', Bv. Los Andes, alternative club with live music, at the Abasto, rock, reggae and sometimes theater. One of the centres of Cordoba's "hippie" culture.
  • '''Jamaica''', Montevideo / Figueroa Alcorta (centre), afterhour bar with rock and reggae music
  • '''Beep Pub''', Sucre near Av. Colon, gay afterhours bar with shows
  • '''Casa Babylon''' [http://www.casa-babylon.com.ar/], Bv. Las Heras 34 (Ex Abasto), alternative club, electronic music on Fridays, but Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays there is live music of local and national bands of all musical genres.
  • '''El Ojo Bizarro''' [http://www.coculturaclub.com.ar/], Igualdad 154 (Ex Abasto), the most famous alternative pub-bar with retro floor and electronic music, hip hop and reggaeton at Tuesdays.
  • '''Peekaboo''', Av. Tillard 1255 (Ex Abasto), electronic music club, a little bit more chic than Babylon and El Ojo.
  • '''La Barra Boliche''', Lima / Alvear (Centro), big mainstream club with three floors (pop / cuarteto / electronic)
  • '''Palm Beach''', Bv. Las Heras (Ex Abasto), Cuarteto club, only open if there is a live band
  • '''Era Groove House''', Bv. Las Heras / Gral. Paz (Ex Abasto), electronic music afterhours
  • '''Bon Voyage''', Bv. Las Heras (Ex Abasto), another electronic music afterhours, very dark
  • '''Captain Blue''', Av. Tillard, frequent local and national live bands.
  • '''Piu''', Bv. Las Heras (Ex Abasto), after hour with a bit "special" music and a bit strange people, open often until 2 pm
  • '''Zen''', Av. Fuerza Aerea near Canada, big gay disco with two floors, now very much the "in" place
  • '''Dublin''', Bv. Chacabuco Ecke San Lorenzo, Irish Pub with some traditional Irish food and beer
  • '''Johnny B. Good''', Rafael Nunez, another at Yrigoyen, expensive after-office and cocktail bar with live rock and electronic music
  • '''Rinzaclub''' [http://www.rinzaclub.com.ar], Bv. Illia 34, electronic music and pop, Wednesdays recommended
  • '''But Mitre''' [http://www.butmitre.com.ar], Marcelo T. de Alvear (Nueva Cordoba), big, expensive club with very "chic" visitors
  • '''Lokitas''', Av. del Piamonte S/N (Zona Chateau), the most famous Techno and House Club
  • '''Carreras''', Av. del Piamonte S/N (Zona Chateau), techno-house club with expensive drinks
  • '''El Colono''', Av. del Piamonte S/N (Zona Chateau), cuarteto and mainstream music
  • '''El Rancho''', General Paz / Costanera (Ex Abasto), expensive mainstream after hour
  • '''Piaf''', Barrio San Martin, best-known gay club in Cordoba
  • '''Eiffel Resto Bar''', Barrio Nueva Cordoba, Transito Caseres 518, Drink, Pizzas and "Lomitos" A beef sandwich (delicious!)
  • Sleep

    Most hotels are in the centre, with many cheap ones near the bus terminal. If you want to stay in a little bit more quiet environment, you can take a local bus and sleep in one of the pleasant resorts nearby (Note that in January and February the city itself will be quieter than the resort suburbs!).

    Budget

  • '''Hotel Victoria''', 25 de Mayo Ecke Chacabuco. Old traditional hotel, has recently improved greatly, now not anymore the cheapest of the city
  • '''Tango Hostel''', Fructuoso Rivera 70 (Bo. Nueva Cordoba), English spoken, international guests. This small hostel (19 beds) is an excellent place to stay if you like having a drink or 3 and mixing with other travelers. Close to the city and very friendly and honest owners. Dorm 11 US$.
  • '''Cordoba Backpackers''', Dean Funes 285 an HI Hostel 3 Blocks from the plaza. Dorm 23 pesos for members(members/nonmembers)
  • '''Hostel Joven''', Tablada 414, [http://www.hosteljoven.com/]. A lively, not too expensive hostel not far from the city centre.
  • '''Locomotion Pop Hostel''', Montevideo 225 (Bo. Guemes)
  • '''Cordoba Hostel''', Ituzaingo 1070 (Bo. Nva. Cordoba)
  • Mid-range

  • '''Hotel Automovil Club''', Av. Sabattini 459, you will be charged less if you are member of ACA and partner clubs
  • '''Hotel El Virrey''', Bv. Mitre 227
  • '''Felipe Segundo Hotel''', San Jeronimo 279
  • Splurge

  • '''Sheraton Hotel''', 5-star, Duarte Quiros facing Cordoba Shopping, the best in Cordoba, sometimes congresses, good views of the city.
  • '''Plaza Internacional Cordoba Hotel''', 5-star, San Jeronimo 137, the most centrally-located of all
  • '''Holiday Inn''', 5-star, Beltran / Cardenosa
  • '''Cordoba Park''', 4-star, Bv. San Juan 165, facing Plaza Velez Sarsfield.
  • '''Hotel de La Canada''', 4-star, M.T. de Alvear 580, pleasant area
  • Contact

    Telephone caracteristic of Cordoba is 0351, except for the Arguello area in the North-West, of which it is 03543.

    Probably Cordoba is the city of Latin America with most internet cafes per capita, above all because of the many students. One hour of internet usually costs about $1 to $1,50.

    The official web site of Cordoba is Cordoba.gov.ar [http://www.cordoba.gov.ar], a good internet portal with the best event information is Cordoba.Net [http://www.cordoba.net], run by the most popular local newspaper La Voz del Interior [http://www.lavozdelinterior.net].

    Stay safe

    The city is considered safer than Buenos Aires and Rosario, but it's not free of crime. Beware of pick pocketing on the local buses, above all when they are crowded (as they normally are). The avenidas of the Centro and Nueva Cordoba areas are safe around the clock, except the area near the Rio Suquia from Monday to Thursday (at weekends there is much night-life there and it's safer). There are some dangerous suburbs, but they have no tourist attractions, they lie often near the outer ring-road (Avenida Circunvalacion). Villa El Libertador and the Santa Isabel area, at the road to Alta Gracia, are considered the most dangerous districts.

    There are no special health risks, apart from homeless dogs in the suburbs which can transmit rabies if they bite, but this is rare. In some areas, particularly in the South-East and in the eastern Rio Suquia area water and air are polluted, which is a great danger for the people who live there, but this districts are normally outside of tourist's itineraries.

    There are many hospitals. Two of the best of the private ones are the ''Hospital Privado'' and the ''Sanatorio Allende'' in Nueva Cordoba. If you don't have medical security, you will be attended at the public hospitals, above all the ''Hospital de Urgencias'' in city centre, at no cost, but if you can we recommend you to donate some money for there is sometimes lack of medicines, and other things.

    Cope

    Tourist information at airport, bus terminal, and in the Cabildo building. Some other provinces, like '''Tierra del Fuego''', '''Salta''' and '''La Rioja''' have tourist information offices in the city, they are called "casas de provincia".

    Local newspapers are '''La Voz del Interior''' [http://www.lavozdelinterior.net], the best, cheaper ones are '''La Manana de Cordoba''' [http://www.lmcba.com.ar], '''Dia a Dia''' and '''Reporte 15'''. Information about the economy can be found in '''Comercio y Justicia'''.

    Local magazines include '''Orillas''' (politics), '''Aqui''' (general information), '''Ocio Urbano''' (culture and events), '''Las Rosas''' (scene/boulevard magazine of the Cerro de las Rosas, expensive and poor), and '''Punto a Punto''' (economy).

    Get out

    You can continue to the ''Sierras de Cordoba'', the hill district west of the city, which is the second most popular tourist destination of Argentina beyond the Atlantic Coast. The nearest resorts are only 20 km (12 mi) of the Circunvalacion, but they tend to be crowded, so if you expect more peace and tranquility better go to the Traslasierra Valley (120 km {74 mi} west of the city), the huge plains and deep gorges of the ''Quebrada del Condorito'' national park between Carlos Paz and Mina Clavero (few services, but very pleasant scenery, superb views of nearly the whole Province of Cordoba and condor watching) or the more southerly resorts like La Cruz, Achiras or Rio de los Sauces (particularly pleasant, with good trekking). In January and February, however, the entire region is full of tourists.

    About 250 km (155 mi) NE is the huge ''Mar Chiquita'' lake, with an extension of about 6000 sq. km ((2,300 sq mi) the second of South America. The only beach resort at its shoreline, Miramar, is far less crowded than most of the Sierras towns, and there is an interesting bird-life. Miramar, one of Argentina's most popular resorts in the 1950s and 1960s, still suffers an inundation from 1975 in which the lake destroyed half of the town and the coastal boulevard, but now has been re-modeled and is getting more popular again.

    Cordoba is a good stopping point if you go from Buenos Aires to the Andean Northwest with its beautiful tourist attractions.