Nighttime fun in the oldest part of Córdoba usually means visiting several tapas bars surrounding the Mezquita. Foremost among them is Casa Pepe, Calle Romero, 1 (tel. 957-20-07-44), an atmospheric old hideaway in an antique building where many generations have lifted a glass before you. It's open daily from 1 to 4pm, and like most of the other places, reopens from 8pm to 1am. Nearby is Casa Salinas, Puerto de Almodovar, 2 (tel. 957-29-08-46), offering glasses of sherry and plates of tapas. Bar El Juramento, Calle Juramento, 6 (tel. 957-48-54-77), is old-fashioned enough to be cozy and crowded enough to be convivial. The oldest bodega in Córdoba (opened around 1812) is the Casa Miguel, Plaza San Miguel, 7 (no phone). And for a bar where discussions about the relative merits of Andalusian bullfighters always seem more passionate than anywhere else in town, head for Bar Círculo Taurino, Calle Manuel María Arcona, 1 (tel. 957-48-18-62). Small, cramped, and loaded with memorabilia from bullfights past, it's near the Plaza Colón.

La Canoa, Pasaje Ronda Los Tejares, 18-20 (tel. 957-47-17-61), has a rustic interior decorated with wine-barrel tables and Carthusian cellar decor. A glass of wine or beer will be more of a rapid pick-me-up than something to linger over for hours. You can order a ration of Serrano ham or a hefty platter of cheese if you're hungry. La Canoa, between the Plaza de Colón and the Paseo de la Victoria, is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 4pm and 8pm to midnight (closed 2 weeks in Aug). Push back a thick curtain to enter the dimly lit Casa Rubio, Puerta de Almodóvar, 5 (tel. 957-29-00-64), where you'll find a gruff but accommodating welcome at the rectangular bar or in one of a pair of rooms partially covered with Andalusian tiles. We like the leafy inner courtyard where iron tables and a handful of chairs wobble only slightly on the uneven flooring. Casa Rubio is open Thursday through Tuesday from 8am to 3pm and 8pm to midnight.

The city's most popular flamenco club is El Cardenal, Calle Torijos, 10 (tel. 957-48-31-12). Shows are presented at 10:30pm Monday through Saturday, with a cover of 2,800 ptas. (17ˆ, $16), which includes the first drink. If you want to shake your booty, head for the popular Disco Cahira, Calle Conde de Roblado, s/n (no phone), which holds court nightly after 11pm within a busy commercial neighborhood of modern Córdoba. For more formal entertainment, check out the listings at the city's theatrical grande dame, the early-1900s Gran Teatro de Córdoba, Av. Gran Capitán, 3 (tel. 957-48-02-37), site of most of the ballet, opera, chamber-music, and symphony performances in town.