Cordoba is considered to be a very safe city, although pickpockets have been reported in areas with heavy foot traffic, such as the Mezquita and the Jewish Quarter. Men should keep their money in a front pocket, not a back pocket; women should keep their purses or pocketbooks close to their bodies. Otherwise, take common-sense precautions while on your trip: Keep your wits about you and always look like you know where you are going, even when you may not, so there is no possibility for petty thieves to take advantage of you. Be sure to keep your valuables such as your passport, camera, etc. on your person at all times.

Long lines are not an issue at any of the landmarks in Cordoba, not even busy tourist areas like the Mezquita. The City of Cordoba`s tourism office (english.turismodecordoba.org) offers a Cordoba Card which can only be purchased before arriving in Spain. The card costs less than €50 per person and gives the cardholder free admission into a long list of attractions, but no front-of-the-line privileges.

The currency of Spain is the Euro. US dollars are not accepted. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for euros upon arrival. Currency exchange desks and ATMs can be found at the airport and many locations throughout the city.

English may be spoken at your hotel and in tourist areas, but not everywhere. We suggest you get a good English-Spanish dictionary and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10. To ask someone if they speak English, say `Habla inglés?`.

Traditionally Spanish people have their meals later than in other European countries. Breakfast (desayuno in Spanish) is usually from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the morning and is a light meal with `café con leche`, which means coffee with milk. With the coffee you might have a croissant or a `tostada` (toast with butter and jam). Lunch is an important meal and usually lasts about two hours, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., but some shops and business close by 1 p.m. Dinner (cena) is generally from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m., but you can often find people eating until midnight. Most upscale restaurants do require a reservation, and depending on the restaurant, may require booking weeks or even months in advance.

Note: New anti-smoking laws in Spain prohibit smoking in all enclosed public spaces including restaurants and nightclubs.

If you are looking for souvenirs like Spanish-made jewelry and other authentic gifts, take a look at the shops around the Mezquita. You will find great deals in a lot of these shops. If you aren`t satisfied with the selection of goods in one shop, go to another one; there`s no shortage of similar souvenir stores in the vicinity. If you are looking for designer shopping, including brands well-known in Europe and North American, you will find all the usual suspects around Plaza de las Tendillas.

The City of Cordoba has taken great strides in promoting bicycle travel in and around the city, not just for locals but also for tourists. The City of Cordoba has created its own daughter company, Cordobaenbicicleta (www.cordobaenbicicleta.com), which has planned out bike routes in the historic city center and the suburbs for cyclists to try. When reserving your bicycle ahead of time, Cordobaenbicicleta will ask you where your route will stop and end; they do this because they will bring you your bicycle when you want to start your journey and will pick it up when you`ve finished.