Getaways from Córdoba: day trips and destinations close by.

Half the plans leave by the A-4

The A-4 crosses the city from east to west and leads to half the plans. Towards Seville, an hour and a quarter away, is Carmona, with the Roman necropolis and the Alcázar. Towards Madrid, past Bailén, the A-32 continues to Úbeda and Baeza and the N-322 approaches the Sierra de Cazorla, where the last kilometres are mountain roads.

To the south leaves the A-45, the Málaga motorway. It leads to Antequera and, from there, to the Caminito del Rey. To the south-east are Priego de Córdoba and the Subbética, with Zuheros, an hour away. Further off, with a night, are Ronda, the Sierra de Grazalema, Doñana and Sierra Nevada.

Without a car, the train is of little use for these trips: the high-speed line to Málaga stops at Antequera-Santa Ana, far from the centre, and for Priego, Zuheros, Carmona or El Torcal you have to go by car. Úbeda has a bus station with regular lines from several Andalusian capitals; check the Sunday timetables, which have few services.

Priego and Zuheros, exactly an hour

An hour away are Priego and Zuheros (60 minutes): the Barrio de la Villa, the Adarve and the Fuente del Rey in the morning, and the Cueva de los Murciélagos in the afternoon.

Between one and one and a half hours are Carmona (75 minutes) and Antequera (90), with the Menga and Viera dolmens, the Alcazaba and El Torcal.

Between an hour and a half and two and a quarter hours the day gets tight: Úbeda and Baeza (100 minutes), with El Salvador and the cathedral; the Caminito del Rey (105), with eight kilometres of walkways, and Cazorla (125), with the Cerrada del Utrero, the source of the Guadalquivir and the tracks of the reserve zone.

From two hours onwards the trip is a weekend one: Doñana and El Rocío (130 minutes), Ronda with one night (150), Sierra Nevada (165), Grazalema (170) and the Alpujarra (175). To the north, already in La Mancha, is Almagro, about two and a half hours away.

The Pradollano snow, less than three hours away

From October to May is the season for the nearby plans. In July and August, Carmona, Antequera, Priego and Úbeda are not recommended: the midday heat is strong and in Carmona almost everything closes at 15:00 on Sunday.

In winter, from December to April, the snow is less than three hours away: two nights in Pradollano for one day on the slopes and another snowshoeing. For a grey Sunday, Cazorla by 4x4: the routes are not cancelled for rain or snow.

With spring, the Cazorla rivers run full, the Cerrada del Utrero and the Linarejos waterfall can be seen with water and the Subbética is green. It is also the season of the Caminito walkways, which close on Mondays.

In summer it is best to look for height and shade: the Sierra de Cazorla in two nights, with the Borosa river and the Cerrada de Elías, or the Poqueira villages in the Alpujarra.

In autumn, in October, the stags bellow in Cazorla and the forest changes colour; in November the Genal chestnut trees turn coppery, which you can see on a weekend in Ronda.

Without a reservation you cannot enter the Zuheros cave

• An hour away: Priego and Zuheros on a Sunday. Baroque Priego in the morning and the cave in the afternoon. Book the visit beforehand: without a reservation you cannot enter.
• Along the A-4: Carmona on a Sunday. The Roman necropolis free, the Torre del Oro of the Alcázar and lunch at Molino de la Romera, all before the monuments close.
• To the east: Úbeda and Baeza. The Sinagoga del Agua and El Salvador in Úbeda, lunch in Baeza and its cathedral in the afternoon. If you prefer to sleep away, Antequera with one night is an hour and a half away.