Cordoba or Salamanca ?

Salamanca, no contest, too bad you can only stay one night. IMO, much more beautiful that Cordoba. IMO, other than the mezquita in Cordoba there is not much more to see.

both have their merits - I'd say it depends on the train connections and journey times: maximise your time in the city you choose. cruiseluv's assertion that there is little to see in cordoba beyond the mezquita is laughable. my advice: read up on both through the web/guidebooks and see which suits your party better. weather will probably be better in cordoba

You do not have the options you think you do; this question isn't really about merits as much as logistics; one overnight? The closest and easiest logistics should be your choice, namely Salamanca. For a semblance to Cordova fascinating Moorish past, you can always head out to nearby Toledo.

Less than two hours by train from central Madrid to central Córdoba (AVE):
http://www.meleterc.com/AVE_timetables.html#Madrid
http://www.viajar.com/trenes/spider.do

According to the author Michael Jacobs, first foreign member of three of Spain's most prestigious gastronomic societies - La Muy Illustre y Noble Orden de la Cuchara de Palo, Academia Andaluza del Vino and El Dornillo - the restaurant Caballo Rojo in Córdoba is one of the very best of all of Southern Spain. Inspired by al-Andalusian cuisine and serves dishes such as Sephardic salad, Cod fillet with cinnamon, Monkfish Mozarabe and Lamb chops in honey:
http://www.elcaballorojo.com/

And, of course, Salamanca would also be great.

thanks for your input.
We visited Toledo and Granada : re Moorish past - loved both.

Tough choice! Both are wonderful in their very different ways, and both (to my way of thinking) deserve at least 1.5 - 2 days! The suggestion to take travel options into account in light of the things you most want to see is a good one.

BTW, I had a wonderful meal at Caballo Rojo several years ago - glad to hear it is still there and still worthy of consideration!

I'm with portuense - I'd need to know more about the total trip. Are you only visiting Madrid plus one overnight city? Or do you have additional plans outside of Madrid? Also, when is your trip?

thanks CathyM.
we are traveling at the end of April. We'll be staying in Madrid for several days ( 4-5), also
going to Barcelona for four days afterward.
We are not fond of too many day trips while still jet lagged.
If we stay overnight in Salamanca , we have to go back to Madrid (not driving) for another night before leaving for Barcelona.
I know Cordoba could be visited in one (long) day trip from Madrid.
There is always Seville....
Of the mentioned cities, I have not seen Salamanca; my husband : Salamanca, Cordoba , Seville.
Decisions..decisions

To avoid the extra night in Madrid, would it be possible to go straight to Salamanca? Spend a night or two there before visiting Madrid?

thanks kja, it is a possibility....

We returned from a 3 week trip to Spain mid November. We were not impressed with Cordoba. We spent two nights and other than the Mezquita nothing much to see or do. We didn't go to Salamanca so can't comment on that. We feel we could have better spent our time elsewhere!

good grief! people should really research before travelling a long way to visit somewhere. Then perhaps they wouldn't come away thinking their destination was dull. Try this - and even here there's no mention of the very pleasant zoo, outer city parks, Roman temple, the museum in the tower across the river, the riverside itself...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/spain/andalusia/739061/Cordoba-the-perfect-break.html

We'll be in Andalucia next month. I've booked 2 nights in Cordoba and I'm finding it hard to fit everything in we want to see in that time, there seems to be so much to do.

Have you seen Cordoba's tourism web site? www.turismodecordoba.org It's jam-packed with all kinds of attractions and historic sites and everything in between.

And, don't forget about Medina Azahara on the outskirts of town. If you take the shuttle bus, that will eat up 4.5 hours of your day. There's a new museum/interpretation center there, too.

thanks for the useful comments and ideas.

The scantily-known Salamanca ia amazing!

Plaza Mayor
http://www.fuenterrebollo.com/Matematicas-Taller/Tuto/plaza-6.jpg

Façade of University
http://lh6.ggpht.com/bkmiller464/R9M5LNzW0gI/AAAAAAAAEuc/TGo2w3Sytwg/Salamanca+February+2008+202.jpg

Cathedral
http://www.fuenterrebollo.com/Heraldica-Piedra/Salamanca2/Catedral/cate-2.jpg

San Esteban church
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Iglesia_San_Esteban_Salamanca.jpg

La Casa de las Conchas (The Shells House)
http://www.coprepa2006.es/imagenes/galerias/.webdav/castillayleon/salamanca/sa_casa_de_las_conchas.jpg

Colegio Anaya
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_-MTojsFPtfA/SLrJfn1P-OI/AAAAAAAAAmk/pz8TY984Wqo/015+Salamanca,+Colegio+Anaya.jpg

Palacio de Monterrey
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Palacio_de_Monterrey_Salamanca.JPG

Glazed ceiling at Casa Lis, Museo de Art Nouveau & Art Decó
http://www.languageswork.org.uk/laftas/images/Casa%20Lis%20in%20Salamanca.jpg

Escuelas menores patio.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/fullsize/1158318283055267345YFUxcB

Puente romano (The Roman Bridge)
http://www.portalviajar.com/europa/espana/salamanca/salamanca%2027%20-%20puente%20romano.JPG

Pedestrian streets
http://www.educulture.org/photos-full/pedestrian-salamanca.jpg

Jamón from Guijuelo (Salamanca)
http://www.cuinaguijuelo.com/tienda/images/Jamonaco.JPG

great links Revulgo. thanks

Salamanca is also a possibility for me for the first week of February. Looking at either MAD or BCN. If I go to MAD, thought about going directly to the train station from the airport to take the train to Salamanca.

It seems do-able. One thing you can't do is go from Salamanca to Toledo or vice versa. It seems you have to go through Madrid between the two cities.

Oh and wanted to add, went to Cordoba as a day trip between Granada and Seville this past September.

Nice but the Mezquita, beyond the initial impact of those striped arches, was so-so.

The Alcazar was nice though, especially the gardens. The bleached-out Jewish quarter looked good in the blazing sun too.

Cordoba had all those canvas canopies draped between buildings. First time I saw it (hadn't yet gone to Sevilla).

Nice but one reason for me to re-visit would be to go in the spring when they have a patio festival where a lot of Cordobans open their patios to the public.

Both Salamanca and Cordoba are great choices and yet they are very different from each other. Personally, I'd choose Cordoba as it will be very different from Madrid and Barcelona, your other 2 destininations for this trip. The weather in Cordoba at the end of April should be wonderful. The flowers will be in full bloom too.

I'm definately a poster that believes Cordoba has plenty to warrant at least 1-2 nights. I've visited Cordoba 3 times - once as a daytrip between Madrid and Sevilla. This was simply a visit to the Mezquita and Juderia area. Another trip I visited for 3 nights but did a daytrip to nearby Montoro. This spring I visiited for 3 nights during the Patio festival. I avoid the Juderia/Mezquita area during mid-day when it can be overrun by large tour groups. A big advantage of staying the night is to investigate this area after the daytrippers have all left. Nanbug is right - the website of the Cordoba tourism office is packed with information on the sites Cordoba has to offer.

Have you considered heading directly to Cordoba when you arrive and stay for 1-2 nights? If your flight arrives into Bajaras mid-morning you could be in Cordoba by mid-afternoon. You'd have your first (likely jet-lagged) night in Cordoba and could return to Madrid late the next day (day 2) or early on day 3.

thanks CathyM..
still planing; booked flight to Madrid, out of Barcelona.