3 Days in Córdoba, Argentina Itinerary: UNESCO Jesuit Block, Güemes & Sierras

Three full days in Córdoba give you two unhurried days to explore the UNESCO colonial heart, the Beaux-Arts museum mile of Nueva Córdoba, and the artisan courtyards of Barrio Güemes on foot, followed by a full third day in the surrounding Sierras de Córdoba.

Day 1: Plaza San Martín, UNESCO Manzana Jesuítica, La Cañada & Barrio Güemes

• 09:30, Plaza San Martín, Cathedral & Cabildo Histórico: Start at the 1573 heart of the city on Plaza San Martín. Step inside the Catedral Nuestra Señora de la Asunción to see its Baroque main altar and Emilio Caraffa frescoes, then walk through the two-storey white arcades of the 1610 Cabildo Histórico.
• 11:30, UNESCO Manzana Jesuítica (Compañía de Jesús, 1613 University & Monserrat): Walk two blocks south-west along Calle Obispo Trejo to the Iglesia de la Compañía de Jesús (1640 to 1671) to admire its cedar vault built like an inverted ship's hull, followed by a guided tour of the historic rectory cloisters, Salón de Grados, and 17th-century library of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba next to the Moorish-arched Colegio Nacional de Monserrat.
• 16:30, Arroyo La Cañada Walk, Casa de Pepino & Paseo de las Artes in Güemes: Follow the tipuana-shaded stone walls of Arroyo La Cañada south-west to the 1914 ship-prow grocery museum of Casa de Pepino, browse the artisan stalls of Feria Paseo de las Artes, and stay in Barrio Güemes for empanadas cordobesas and a glass of Fernet con Coca.

Day 2: Nueva Córdoba, Paseo del Buen Pastor, Museum Mile & Cuarteto Culture

• 10:00, Museo del Cuarteto & Teatro del Libertador San Martín: Begin at the corner of Rivera Indarte and Colón at the Museo del Cuarteto before passing the opulent 1891 Italianate opera house Teatro del Libertador General San Martín on Avenida Vélez Sársfield.
• 11:30, Paseo del Buen Pastor & Iglesia de los Capuchinos: Enter Nueva Córdoba to see the restored 1901 chapel and fountain plaza of Paseo del Buen Pastor, then step inside Augusto Ferrari's 1934 neo-Gothic Iglesia del Sagrado Corazón (Los Capuchinos) to see its celestial ceiling painted with Southern Hemisphere constellations.
• 14:30, Palacio Ferreyra (Museo Evita), Museo Caraffa & Parque Sarmiento: Walk down Avenida Hipólito Yrigoyen to Plaza España to tour the 1916 Beaux-Arts mansion Palacio Ferreyra and the contemporary galleries of the Museo Emilio Caraffa, finishing with a late-afternoon stroll around the rose garden and lake of Parque Sarmiento (1889).

Day 3 Option A: Alta Gracia, Villa General Belgrano & La Cumbrecita

Head south-west for a full-day loop combining the 1643 UNESCO Estancia Jesuítica de Alta Gracia and Museo Casa del Che Guevara with Dique Los Molinos, Central European pastries in Villa General Belgrano, and a forest walk in pedestrian-only La Cumbrecita (1,450m).

Day 3 Option B: Camino de las Altas Cumbres & Quebrada del Condorito

Alternatively, drive west across the 2,100-metre Pampa de Achala plateau on the Camino de las Altas Cumbres for the four-hour hike to the Balcón Norte condor lookout in Parque Nacional Quebrada del Condorito.