I visited in early October 2015. And I do not agree with Els. Sorry !

Cordoba is yes a working city, but it's also a university city and has a large area (triangle around the Jesuit Quarter) with lots of restaurants, bars and other places to spend some time. I loved the university and it's architecture; make sure you do the guided tour to visit the inside.

Then the estancias, I saw all. The idea was to see all in one day but I kind of choose the adventurous route through the mountains to the Candelaria. I understand after driving why my navigator said 4x4 only; i was in a simple city car. If you stick to the paved roads you COULD see all 5 in a day. But better Alta Gracia on a seperate morning or afternoon. I do agree tha tone was the less interesting. the others were must better.

please see the link for all photos an my full adventurous story including GPS track how to drive it most quickly.