Baeza (Jaén, Andalusia)

Baeza

Renaissance, tranquility, and olive oil

Jaén

Andalusia

Jaén
Max 18ºC / Min 9ºC
Jaén / Andalusia

Baeza is in the province of Jaén, where some of the world’s finest olive oil is produced.

The city stands in a vast sea of olive groves, and its cobbled streets boast some of Europe’s best-conserved Renaissance buildings. Along with its sister city Úbeda, it forms part of a World Heritage site. An essential destination which evokes other times.

Monuments in stillness and silence

Baeza is a quiet place. So quiet that you can hear the wind blow around the buildings, and how different footsteps sound on cobbled streets. It is surrounded by a vast plain of olive trees and its maze of streets leads to a historic quarter conserving centuries of history in its architecture. Mansions bearing coats of arms, churches, palaces and squares, among small whitewashed houses and walled alleyways.Three squares - Plaza de Santa María, Plaza de Santa Cruz and Plaza del Pópulo - sum up Baeza. Three spaces that invite you to stop and admire sights like the Cathedral and the Seminary of San Felipe Neri, on Plaza de Santa María; Jabalquinto Palace, the old University and the church of Santa Cruz, on Plaza de Santa Cruz; and the Lions Fountain and the Villalar Arch on Plaza del Pópulo. It takes about ten minutes to walk from one square to the next.

A destination for gourmets and poets

Extra virgin olive oil is the star ingredient in the cuisine of Baeza, and you can taste it in almost every dish. It really shines in recipes like lomo de orza (pork), bacalao a la baezana (cod), or soups and stews like potaje, cocido mareado, or andrajos. A very popular local snack is ochío, a bread made with olive oil, which can be sweet or savoury. In Baeza you can even find olive oil ice cream. To learn more about olive oil and olive trees, we recommend the Olive Culture Museum in Baeza.Baeza still has more for you to discover. For example, it was the scene of the first meeting of two of the great poets of Spanish literature: Antonio Machado and Federico García Lorca. Machado was a professor in the former University of Baeza, where his classroom has been conserved with furniture of the period and can be visited. During his time here, he published his “Complete Poems”, and met the young Lorca, who visited Baeza as a student.

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What to visit

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Don’t miss it

What to visit

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What to do

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Tourist visiting a historic city in Spain

How many of Spain’s Heritage Cities do you know?
https://www.spain.info/en/places-of-interest/alhambra-generalife-gardens/

Routes of the Al-Andalus Legacy
Practical information

How to get there - transport information

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How to get to aeroplane

How to get to train

  • The Linares-Baeza train station is located around 15 kilometres from Baeza.

  • There are direct trains to Madrid (from 3hr 15min), Seville (around 2hr 45min) and Malaga (around 2hr 40min), among other destinations.

  • To get to Baeza from the station you can take a direct bus (the journey takes around 25 minutes) or through Úbeda (about an hour).

  • The AVE high-speed railway station in Cordoba is around 150 kilometres away.

  • Ticket booking

How to get to bus

  • The bus station is just a kilometre from Plaza de Santa María, next to the city’s old town.

  • There are direct routes to destinations such as Úbeda (around 15 minutes), Granada (around 1 hr 30 min), Malaga (around 3 hr 30 min) or Madrid (just under 4 hours), among others.

  • More information

How to get there by road

  • From Madrid, via the A-32 and then the A-4.

  • From Seville, via the A-32 and then the A-4.

  • From Malaga, via the A-44 and then the A-92.

How to get around in bus

  • There is a bus route that covers Baeza, but it is only recommendable to visit the part of the city beyond the old town.

  • They run from 8 am to around 8.30 pm.

How to get around in other means of transport

  • The best way to get around the old town centre is on foot.

  • Baeza taxis are white with a maroon diagonal stripe on the door. There are two taxi ranks: one at the bus station and another in Plaza de España.

  • The city can easily be covered by bike, although you need to take into account that there are some fairly difficult slopes and most streets are cobblestoned. There is also an 8.5-kilometre cycle lane that connects Baeza and Úbeda, highly recommended if you like cycling.