SUPERMARKETS

Today I would like to talk about supermarkets in Córdoba, since when we arrive at a new city, it can be a bit difficult finding places where you can go to buy stuff for your house, and after a certain time we have no idea which places are cheaper or more expensive than others, or where we can find certain things.

In Córdoba there are many types of supermarkets, from posh and expensive ones to more affordable ones, where most students buy.

We will start from the most expensive ones to the cheapest ones:

Source

El Corte Inglés

this is the most expensive one that we can find in Córdoba. It's located in a shopping mall in the city centre, on one of the last floors. Here, you can find many products: books, clothing, electrical appliances, computers, accessories, etc, and they have a supermarket. You can find meat, fish and fresh high quality fruits, so if you want good products don't forget to come here. They also have good seafood, although in Córdoba there are better places to buy it. The good thing about this supermarket is that it has everything, including foreign products, so if you miss something from your country you can come here and look for it. When I say it's expensive I mean that prices aren't affordable at all but, mainly, for students.

Hipercor

there is only one in Córdoba and it's a bit far from the city, although you can go by bus. It's a shopping centre with a supermarket. It belongs to El Corte Inglés so it's very similar but probably a bit cheaper. This shopping centre is bigger than El Corte Inglés.

Carrefour

this supermarket is worldwide known, at least, it's quite popular in Europe. It's a french brand and normally it's also inside of a shopping centre where you can find more shops apart from the supermarket. Prices are more adjusted to a student budget, so it's a good idea for your weekly shopping, especially taking its sales into account, and you should bring you own list not to wander along all of the halls. The good thing about this supermarket is that it's big and very well organised. Products also have a very good quality and a cheaper own brand. Another positive thing is that they also have many foreign products, indeed, there is one hall exclusively for these products. In addition, it's supportive with the specific area it's located on and tries to sell as many products as they can made in this area.

Mercadona

this is a very popular supermarket in Spain, probably the most important Spanish one. Here, there are many products of its own brand, good quality, but fruits, which are simply acceptable, and they have everything. It has a very good quality own brand related to cosmetics and hygienic products, I recommend it for sure, it's the one that I use and I have never had any problem. It has a good quality butchery and fishery.

Piedra

It's a Cordoban supermarket, you can find a lot of them in the city, so you will always have one nearby. One positive thing is that they aren't closed during midday so if you forget to buy bread, drinks or any essential ingredient for your meal you can go in just a moment. If you have any other supermarket, it won't be a problem but it's going to be normal having a Piedra close to you. I don't recommend it to do a big shopping, just for little things. It has a butchery and a fishery, but I don't recommend them neither.

Dia

this supermarket has its own brand that supplies Carrefour so it has good products too. It's cheaper than the other ones so it's great for students, and it also has normal brands. You can create a Dia card for free that if you show it every time you buy, they will give you some discount vouchers which are very useful. I usually do my shopping here, so I recommend it from my own experience. The bad thing is that there aren't many of them and they aren't very big. It has neither butchery nor fishery, but it sells frozen fish and meat and packed sausages.

Lidl

this is also well Known in Europe as Carrefour. It has very cheap products but sometimes its quality is not like the rest. It's the best place to buy sweets, chocolate and cheese, since it has a high quality variety from many different countries. I think there is only one in Córdoba, next to the train station, but I'm not sure.

All of these supermarkets are open from morning until evening, their timetable: from 9:30 to 21:30, just some exceptions (El Corte Inglés and Carrefour close at 22, for example).

You can also find some neighbourhood shops, where there are many stands of several things and they are probably more natural. Some of them can be found in Ciudad Jardin, close to Diego Serrano Street; Sector Sur, close to Plaza del Mediodía, and Plaza de la Corredera (the most typical and bigest one). Soon another gourmet market will be opened where you can find a taperia and taste some products, it will be unique in Andalucia, located in Avenida de la Victoria.

Personally, I recommend to buy fruits, meat and fish in the neighbourhood shops, which are more specialised.

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