Which one to choose in Spain
Two ancient sites in Spain. Italica has 9 tickets and tours to book; Medina Azahara has 17 tickets and tours to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Santiponce, Spain
Italica is the Roman city founded by Scipio in 206 BC on the edge of today's Santiponce, 9 km north-west of Seville, and the birthplace of the emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Its excavated new town keeps paved streets, mosaic floors in the houses of the rich and one of the largest amphitheatres of the Roman world.
Córdoba, Spain
Medina Azahara is the ruined palace-city that the first caliph of al-Andalus, Abd al-Rahman III, built in the 10th century on a hillside 8 km west of Cordoba. Only about 10 of its 112 hectares have been excavated, but these include terraced palaces, arcades and carved stone that show the splendour of the Cordoba caliphate.
| Italica | Medina Azahara | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ancient City | Palace, Villa & Baths |
| Civilisation | Roman | Other |
| Founded | 206 BC | AD 936 |
| Area | — | 1.1 km² |
| Entry | EUR 1.50; free for EU citizens with ID | EUR 1.50; free for EU citizens |
| Hours | Tue–Sat 9 am–6 pm (Fri–Sat to 9 pm Apr to 20 Jun); 21 Jun–20 Sep 9 am–3 pm; Sun and holidays 9 am–3 pm | Tue–Sat 9 am to 6 pm, Fri–Sat to 9 pm late Mar–Jun; late Jun–Sep 9 am to 2 pm and 7 pm to midnight; Sun to 3 pm |
| Time needed | 2 to 3 hours | 2 to 3 hours with the museum |
| Booking | Pay at the gate; no need to book | Book the tourist bus or a tour ahead; entry is bought at the museum |
| UNESCO | — | yes |
| Tickets and tours on GetYourGuide | 9 | 17 |
| Official website | yes | yes |