Semana Santa, Holy Week, is one of the most moving and atmospheric times to be in Córdoba. Brotherhoods carry their religious images through the old town, and the official route passes through the Mezquita-Cathedral itself.
What is Semana Santa?
Semana Santa is the week before Easter, when religious brotherhoods (hermandades and cofradías) walk in procession through the streets, carrying large sculpted images on floats called pasos. It is an important religious and cultural tradition across Spain. In Córdoba the processions weave through the narrow streets of the historic centre.
Córdoba’s Semana Santa carries the designation of a Festival of National Tourist Interest.
When is it in 2027?
Easter Sunday in 2027 falls on 28 March, so Holy Week runs from Palm Sunday, 21 March, to Easter Sunday, 28 March 2027. That is a week earlier than in 2026. The exact programme of processions for 2027 had not been published when we checked on 1 October 2026.
The official route
Every brotherhood must follow a common route, the Carrera Oficial. It starts at Plaza del Triunfo next to the Puerta del Puente, runs through Calle Torrijos and Calle Cardenal Herrero, passes through the Puerta del Perdón and the Patio de los Naranjos, goes through the interior of the Mezquita-Cathedral, and leaves by the Puerta de Santa Catalina. About 38 brotherhoods take part.
Because the route runs through the cathedral, the setting is unusual: processions framed by the arches and columns of a former mosque.
What to expect
Watching the processions is free. A calendar site reports that paid grandstand seats along the official route exist, with prices reported in October 2026 as ranging from €6 to €22; check the official brotherhood council for current prices and booking.
Streets in the centre become crowded and some are closed to traffic. Allow extra time to move around, and plan where you will cross the route. Evening processions can be cool: climate data gives an average March high of about 21°C and low of about 7°C, so bring layers.
Rain can force a procession to stay in its church, because the floats and robes cannot be carried in wet weather.
Planning your visit
Hotels fill up. A tourism report cited on a local guide site put hotel occupancy at 87% in Semana Santa 2025, with peak days at 95 to 100%, so book early. Check the opening hours of the Mezquita and other monuments for Holy Week, because they can change during processions.
Sources
Sources: Explore Córdoba: Semana Santa 2027; Arte en Córdoba: La Carrera Oficial; Climates to Travel: Córdoba. Information checked on 1 October 2026.
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