Santa Cruz: Ategua, Feria and Campiña

Culture and History

The archaeological site of Ategua is located in the Campiña of Córdoba, in the district of Santa Cruz, and is an ancient site in the surroundings of Santa Cruz. Ategua preserves an archaeological stratigraphy more than 3,000 years old.

Ategua had an amphitheatre built in the first century for around 6,000 people. In 1982, Ategua was declared a national monument, and in 2004 it was declared a Site of Cultural Interest as an archaeological zone.

A Roman bridge is hidden among the reeds at the Arroyo de Trinidades.

For planning your day, you can treat the historical context as a separate focus alongside festivals, museums, gardens, parks and trails. If a travel group has different interests, these topics can be considered separately without prescribing a fixed order.

Festivals and Regional Destinations

The Feria de Santa Cruz takes place in honour of the Apostle Santiago in the Campiña, on the route to Granada. Every year, it is attended by visitors from outside the area and residents from the surrounding region. It lasts three or four days and features live music, dancing and fireworks.

For your stay, you can assess an event date differently from an individual museum, garden or park destination. Which focuses you combine is entirely up to your own schedule.

The wider regional surroundings of Santa Cruz include the Museo Garnelo, the Museo Histórico de Montilla and the Museo Alfonso Ariza; all three are museums. Also located in the wider regional surroundings of Santa Cruz are the Parque Zoológico Municipal, a zoo; the IMGEMA Jardín Botánico de Córdoba, a botanical garden; the Escritora Elena Fortún Garden, a garden; and Sotos de Albolafia, a park.

Hiking and Landscape

The Santa Cruz–Córdoba stage leaves Santa Cruz at the cemetery, reaches the CP-113 road and joins the Vereda de Granada after five kilometres.

The GR 43 Cordel de la Campiña, officially recognised as a long-distance hiking trail, connects Córdoba via Castro del Río with Albendín and is 62 km long in total. It passes through large grain-growing areas alternating with olive groves and several cortijos across hilly terrain.

When planning your trip, you can distinguish between an individual section of the route and a longer hiking connection. Even within a travel group, you can assign different importance to nature and cultural topics.

Travel Planning

On the listings pages for a holiday apartment in Santa Cruz, you can compare the travel dates, room category and cancellation policies. You can give these details different weight depending on your desired travel dates and personal plans; the choice does not have to be reduced to a single aspect. You can also adjust the importance of culture, the festival programme and the landscape to suit your own daily rhythm.

Other Places

Alcaracejos, Montilla, Zambra, Cañete De Las Torres, Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo, El Carpio, El Villar, Villa Del Río

To the higher-level travel overview: Cordoba.