Córdoba is a small city of some 140,000 residents in the high mountain region of southern Veracruz. Visitors often take in Orizaba on the same trip. The two cities together make up the bigger part of a metropolitan area of some 330,000 residents. It's not enormous, but you'll want for nothing.
Always with one foot in its illustrious history, Veracruz here explodes into a thousand colors. First impressions can leave visitors thinking the city is wildly exotic. It's actually the hub of a coffee and sugar cane region. Accessible, and walk-able, it's a city of crooked streets and vibrant plazas.
The city is historically famous for the 1821 Treaties of Córdoba, which recognized Mexico as an independent country. But people come today to walk the edge of the Porvenir Lagoon and to visit the coffee plantations. The Municipal Palace overlooks the Parque 21 de Mayo. And this lined by the arches where vendors trade in wool and weavings of impeccable taste.
The city hosts prominent international festivals of jazz and dance. But year round, you may think that there's a festival going on. The city just feels that way.
Visitors who aren't driving will get to Córdoba in about five hours from Mexico City. The trip from Veracruz or the Veracruz Airport is just a little over two hours. Both ADO and AU run regular daily buses from all of these locations.
