A noble house in Córdoba built around twelve flower-filled patios and a walled garden. Wander under orange trees past fountains and geraniums, then tour rooms of tapestries and porcelain.
Patios vs palace, spelled outWhich ticket gets you upstairs
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Tickets
Choose your Viana Palace ticket
In the centre, the self-guided patios and gardens ticket most visitors book. Either side, two guided
visits that also take you into the palace, with tickets included. Every card opens a full tour page.
The question that matters is simple: do you want the patios on your own, the rooms upstairs as
well, or someone to explain what you are looking at? After that, it is a choice between the palace and the
neighbourhood patios of San Basilio.
At the door the patios cost EUR 8.50, the interior tour EUR 9 and the combined ticket EUR 14.
Children under 10 go free. Every option here cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.
What you actually get
Twelve patios downstairs, a whole house upstairs.
The Palacio de Viana grew for more than five centuries, one neighbouring house at a time, from its 15th-century
core to the twelve patios and walled garden you walk today. Its last owners, the Marqueses de Viana, filled it
with tapestries, porcelain, paintings and arms before it opened to the public in 1981. It is now run by the
Fundación Kutxabank and listed as a National Historic-Artistic Monument.
Here is the catch most visitors miss. The standard ticket, at the door or online, covers the patios, the
garden and the ground floor. The rooms upstairs are a separate 40-minute guided tour, in Spanish with a written
English and French translation. Want both? Buy the combined ticket at the desk or book a guided tour that includes
palace tickets.
12
Patios, each different: orange trees, a fountain with a naiad,
the Patio de las Rejas with its iron grilles, and the 1983 Patio de las Columnas.
Patio de los NaranjosPatio de la MadamaPatio de las RejasThe garden
Iron gates, pebble floors and potted geraniums: the language of a Córdoba patio.
01
Is the inside included?
Not on the $10 ticket. The rooms upstairs are an extra guided tour bought at the desk.
02
When is it closed?
Mondays, all year, apart from a few holidays. Summer hours end at 15:00.
03
How long does it take?
An hour or so for the patios. Add 40 minutes for the interior tour.
04
Who might skip it?
Anyone with half a day in Córdoba. See the Mezquita first, come back for the patios.
Your visit
How a visit unfolds
About ninety minutes without the interior, a little over two hours with it. This is the order that works.
01
Plaza de Don Gome
Show your mobile ticket at the gate on the small square and pick up the patio map.
From 10:00 (9:00 in summer)
02
The patios
Follow the map from the Patio de Recibo through all twelve: orange trees, wells, grilles and fountains.
About 60 minutes
03
The garden
End in the walled garden: box hedges, citrus and a fountain, about 1,200 square metres of it.
15 to 20 minutes
04
The rooms upstairs
Optional: a guided tour of the salons, tapestries, porcelain and armour, bought at the desk.
IncludedThe gardenAbout 1,200 square metres of hedges, citrus trees and fountains.
IncludedGround floorThe institutional rooms off the patios, on the standard ticket.
Extra, EUR 9The rooms upstairsGuided only: salons, Flemish tapestries, porcelain, arms and a library.
FreeUnder 10sChildren under 10 pay nothing for any option at the door.
ClosedMondaysAll year, apart from a few holiday openings.
Where it is
Palacio de Viana location
Palacio de Viana
Plaza de Don Gome 2, 14001 Córdoba, Spain
The palace sits on a small square in the quieter north-east of the old town, away from the tour groups
around the Mezquita. The walk up takes about 20 minutes through whitewashed lanes, and it is a good one.
The guided tours meet at the palace gate; the San Basilio patio tours meet near the Alcázar instead.
What a delightful palace. It's the former home of noble people. Well laid out and tranquil. The patios and rooms are a sweet respite from the heat of Cordoba.
★★★★★
Rafael is the funniest tour guide I've ever met. He knows a lot and conveys it in a fun and interesting way that kept everyone's attention.
★★★★★
Beautiful gardens with orange trees, fountains, flower walls & pots and ornate courtyards, 1-2 hours walk through. Absolutely worth it
★★★★★
Such a lovely place to visit. If you are coming to Cordoba you should not miss this, I found this much more enjoyable than the patios tour in the centre of town.
★★★★★
Great tour. Only five in the group plus Emilio, the guide. The tour was in English. Really interesting to hear the histories of the patios.
★★★★★
We loved the gardens they were so beautiful. We didn't have a guide and were glad as it enabled us to just chill and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere.
★★★★★
We had 2 guides: Raphael for the patios, and the house guide for the palace itself. So interesting that we forgot it was in Spanish!!
★★★★★
I learned a lot about the history of the patios, the different types and also we visited patios that weren't overrun by tourist groups.
★★★★★
Enjoyed walking into the patios and seeing the owners little oasis. Beautiful little gardens. A relaxing walk.
Same day, other side of town
Add the Mezquita, skip the queue
Most visitors pair the Viana Palace with Córdoba's Mosque-Cathedral. Do the Mezquita in the morning,
the patios in the afternoon light.
The Viana Palace is about 20 minutes' walk from Córdoba's Mosque-Cathedral, and most visitors do both in a day. This tour skips the ticket queue and keeps one language per group, so the guide never switches mid-sentence. It is the most reviewed tour in Córdoba.
Córdoba is the city of patios, and the Palacio de Viana has more of them than any other house in town.
Here is what you are walking into, and how to see it well.
A house that kept growing
The palace started as a group of 15th-century houses near the church of Santa Marina. Over five centuries and
eighteen owners it swallowed its neighbours, and each new house brought a patio with it. The baroque façade went up
in 1609. In 1814 the Cabrera family roughly doubled the complex. The last private owners, the Marqueses de Viana,
lived here until 1980; a year later the savings bank Cajasur bought it and opened the doors. The newest patio, the
Patio de las Columnas, was only added in 1983.
That history is why no two patios match. One is all orange trees. One keeps the old kitchens. One has a fountain
with a naiad, another a deep well, another the iron grilles that give the Patio de las Rejas its name. Then the
garden opens out, about 1,200 square metres of hedges and citrus behind high walls, and the city noise is gone.
Box hedges, citrus and a fountain: the shape of an Andalusian palace garden.
The honest small print: the online patios ticket costs about the same as the EUR 8.50 at the
door. You pay for skipping the desk and free cancellation, not for a discount, and it does not get you upstairs. Recent
guests also mention works in a central patio; ask at the gate what is open.
Upstairs or not?
The interior tour is 40 minutes of salons, 18th-century Flemish tapestries, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, a
library and a collection of arms and armour. It is guided in Spanish, with a written English and French text, and
photos are not allowed. If rooms and objects interest you, it is worth the extra EUR 9 and the combined EUR 14 is the
cheapest way in. If you came for flowers, the patios alone are the visit.
One of the salons upstairs, seen on the guided interior tour.
Making the most of it
Come on a weekday morning, Tuesday to Friday, and you will have whole patios to yourself. In April and May the
walls are in full flower; in summer go at 9:00, because the palace shuts at 15:00 in July and August. Start at the
Patio de Recibo, keep the garden for last, and pair the visit with the Mezquita on the same day. Mondays it is closed,
so do not save it for the end of a Monday trip.
The Patio de las Columnas, the newest of the twelve.
Straight answers to what visitors ask most about the Palacio de Viana.
How much is the Palacio de Viana?
At the door, the 12 patios and the ground floor cost EUR 8.50, the guided tour of the rooms upstairs costs EUR 9, and the combined ticket is EUR 14. Children under 10 go free. Online, the patios and gardens ticket is from $10 on GetYourGuide, and guided tours with palace tickets start at $37. Full breakdown in the ticket guide.
Does the online ticket include the inside of the palace?
No. The $10 ticket covers the 12 patios and the garden only. The rooms upstairs are a separate guided tour you buy at the desk, or you book a guided tour that includes both. See the interior tour before you decide.
Is the Viana Palace worth visiting?
Yes, if you like gardens and quiet. Twelve patios and a walled garden in one house is something you will not find anywhere else in Córdoba, and it is open all year, not just in May. The patios ticket rates 4.4 from over 1,000 reviews, and several guests preferred it to the neighbourhood patio tours. Skip it if you only have half a day: the Mezquita comes first.
What are the Palacio de Viana opening hours?
From September to June: Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 to 19:00, Sundays and holidays 10:00 to 15:00. In July and August: Tuesday to Sunday 9:00 to 15:00. It is closed on Mondays, apart from a few holiday openings, so check the official site for your date.
How long do you need at the Viana Palace?
About an hour to an hour and a half for the patios and the garden. Add 40 minutes if you take the guided tour of the rooms upstairs. The guided tours sold online run 75 minutes to 2 hours.
Is the Palacio de Viana the same as the Patios Festival?
No. The Festival de los Patios is two weeks in May when private homes, mostly in San Basilio and the old quarters, open their courtyards to visitors. The Viana Palace is a museum with its own ticket and opens all year. Read the palace or the festival.
When is the best time to visit the Viana Palace?
April and May, when the jasmine, roses and geraniums peak. Any time of year, go on a weekday morning. In July and August it only opens until 15:00, so arrive at 9:00 before the heat. More in the best time to visit.
Can you take photos inside the Palacio de Viana?
In the patios and the garden, yes. Inside the palace, in the stables and in the institutional rooms, photos are not allowed. Food, drink, smoking and large bags are not allowed either.
Is the Viana Palace tour in English?
The palace's own interior tour is guided in Spanish, with a written translation in English and French. If you want a spoken English guide, book one of the guided tours and check the language on the listing; one of them uses audio in several languages.
Where is the Palacio de Viana?
At Plaza de Don Gome 2, in the north-east of Córdoba's old town, about a 20-minute walk from the Mezquita. Bus line C2 stops close to the entrance.
Can I cancel my Viana Palace ticket?
Every ticket and tour listed here can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before the start time, on GetYourGuide and on Viator.
Ready to book
Pick your way into the patios.
Mobile tickets, and free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option below.
Patios + interior
★ 4.42 hoursFree cancellation
