Extremely dissapointing and unnacceptable experience
As a group of teachers and students, we had a very negative experience visiting the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba.
Upon arrival, we were abruptly and rudely told to leave the queue because we were a large group without headphones or audio guides. This requirement was never communicated in advance, neither in emails nor on the tickets. When we politely pointed this out, staff reacted aggressively. Some of our students (minors) were physically pushed out of the line, while we were shouted at in Spanish. This was shocking and completely inappropriate.
We then went to collect the required audio equipment from another building (again, without any prior information). After losing about 45 minutes, we returned with everything in order, only to be completely ignored and still refused entry. Our students were extremely upset, especially as they had been looking forward to this visit for a long time.
We were forced to call the police due to the situation and the treatment of our students. The officers understood our concerns and intervened, but even then, entry was handled in a completely arbitrary way: some students were allowed in, others were not, with no clear explanation. In the end, only about half of our group could enter.
Even the group leader was denied entry for a trivial reason, while other visitors inside were clearly not being held to the same standards.
This experience was deeply frustrating and upsetting. There was a clear lack of communication, professionalism, and basic respect. We were also refused assistance in English, which made the situation even more difficult.
We strongly hope that the management takes this seriously, reviews the incident (including camera footage), and ensures that staff are properly trained to deal with visitors, especially school groups, in a respectful and professional manner.
We cannot recommend this experience based on how we were treated.