באיסה

Spring and autumn are the most comfortable. Summers are hot, and winters can be cold. Semana Santa and the festivals of late summer are the main events.

• Catedral de Baeza is a cathedral combining Gothic, Renaissance and Moorish elements, built on the site of a mosque.
• Palacio de Jabalquinto is a 15th-century palace with a flamboyant Gothic façade and a Renaissance courtyard.
• Plaza del Pópulo is a picturesque square with a fountain, the Casa del Pópulo and old gates.
• The Puerta de Jaén and the Arco de Villalar are gates of the old walls.
• The Aula de Antonio Machado is a classroom kept as it was when the poet taught here.
• The Torre de los Aliatares is a medieval tower in the old town.
• The Iglesia de Santa Cruz is a Romanesque church.

• Walk through the Plaza del Pópulo and the cathedral square.
• Visit the Antonio Machado classroom.
• Taste the olive oil at a local mill.
• Combine Baeza and Úbeda in a day.

• Úbeda (about 9 km): the sister town in the UNESCO listing.
• Sierra de Cazorla (about 60 km): a large natural park with forests and rivers.
• Granada (about 110 km): the Alhambra.
• Córdoba (about 140 km): a mosque-cathedral.

Other places nearby:

• Jaén province: Úbeda.
• Andalusia: Granada, Córdoba and Antequera.

• By train: The Linares-Baeza station is about 15 km away, with trains to Madrid, Córdoba and Seville. Book on Renfe.
• By bus: Buses run from Jaén, Úbeda, Granada and Madrid.
• By car: The A-316 road links Baeza with Úbeda and Jaén.

• On foot: The old town is compact and flat, and everything is close.
• Taxi and bus: For Úbeda and the station.

• Is a car worth it?: Not for the town. It helps for Cazorla.
• Parking: Paid and free car parks near the old town.
• Roads: Roads are in good condition and traffic is light.

The food is that of Jaén: olive oil, andrajos, pipirrana, ochíos (small bread rolls), remojón (a salad with orange and cod) and local cheeses. Olive oil tasting is a speciality.

Baeza is a safe town. Summer heat is strong, and the stone streets are slippery when wet.

Baeza was an important frontier town in the Reconquista, taken by Ferdinand III of Castile in 1227. It flourished in the 16th century, when the university was founded. The Renaissance buildings were designed with the influence of Andrés de Vandelvira.

Antonio Machado lived in Baeza as a French teacher in the early 20th century. In 2003 the town was inscribed with Úbeda on the UNESCO list.

Quick practical facts for Spain at a glance: