Under $100: Córdoba, Spain

Located in the heart of Andalusia, Córdoba is often looked over in favor of larger neighbors Sevilla and Granada, but this small city in southern Spain has just as much to offer in the way of history, architecture and delectable Spanish cuisine.

Any Spanish morning should begin with a café con leche and a plate of churros, accompanied by chocolate dipping sauce. This traditional Spanish snack can be found at nearly any cafeteria where coffee is sold.

Córdoba is known for its well-kept, decorated patios; tours of collections of such patios cost just €7 ($8.25). Knock on the doors to be shown the patios by locals who care for them with pride. Patios can be seen as part of the Palacio de Viana, a former house for nobility that now contains the Museum of Patios.

Largely influenced by the Moors, a Muslim group that emigrated from North Africa to Southern Europe during the Middle Ages, Córdoba’s cuisine features a pleasing mixture of Spanish and African dishes. Sample the former at Bodegas Mezquita Cruz del Rastro where tapas dishes are on order for a wallet-friendly price. Teteria Petra serves Moroccan favorites such as tagines and mint tea, plus offers the opportunity to partake in hookah.

Córdoba’s most well-known attraction is La Mezquita, a mosque built in the 700s A.D. that served as a holy house for Islam and Catholicism. Also known as the Cathedral of Córdoba, the building boasts one of the best examples of Moorish architecture characteristic of this region. Visitors can enter during the day for €10 ($11.79) or take in the majesty and unique light in the evening hours for €18 ($21.22).

To round out the day, meandering through the streets of Córdoba’s Jewish Quarter can take you through hours of narrow alleyways, past lush courtyards and close to cozy cafes.