One Day in Jaen: History and Culture

The journey begins in the city of Cordoba. After a little over an hour and a half's drive, you will reach the city of Jaén.
On the way you will be surprised by the number of olive groves on the side of the road. Huge extensions of trees cover the hillsides.

Choose a centrally located hotel with parking. Drop your bags and get ready to explore the city.

The first stop on this walking route through the city is Jaén Cathedral (Catedral de la Asunción), the most emblematic monument in Jaén and stands out in its landscape.
It was built on the site of an ancient mosque and has suffered many modifications over the centuries. The present building was designed in the 16th century. Now is one of the most important Renaissance monuments in Andalusia. Inside is the relic of the Holy Face: a cloth that tradition says Christ used on his way to Calvary.
General admission is 6 euros, over 65 years old 5 euros, 13-25 years old 4 euros and under 12 years old, free. You can check the information and buy tickets on the official website. A free audio guide is offered with the purchase of the ticket.
Open Hours: Monday - Friday: 10:00 - 14:30, 16:30 - 20:00 Saturday: 10:00 - 20:00 Sunday: 10:00 - 11:30, 16:00 - 19:30

The next proposed stop is a visit to the Arab Baths of Jaén, which are located in the Palace of Villardompardo. To get there, you can take the narrow Calle Maestra (which starts from the cathedral) which is part of the Mozarabic pilgrimage route. In addition to the Arab baths, in the Palace is also the Museum of Art and Customs of Jaén and the Naïf Art Museum.
Pay attention to the ceilings and walls of Arab baths. You will find stars and remains of paintings from other periods.
Entrance to visit the three sites is free of charge. Also, the palace has a terrace with a viewpoint from where you can enjoy beautiful views.
Open Hours: Tuesdays - Saturdays and public holidays: 09:00 - 21:00 Sunday: 09:00 - 15:00 Monday: closed

It's time for lunch! You can walk to Calle Milán in Priego, where you will find several places to eat.
One of them is the restaurant Café Taberna del Moral, where you can eat tapas, raciones or menú del día (menu of the day). You can eat indoors or on the terrace.
Wednesday - Thursday: 12:00 - 17:00, 19:30 - 00:30 Friday - Sunday: 12:30 - 00:30 Tuesday: 19:30 - 00:30 Monday: closed

The third stop of the day can be the old Jewish quarter, known as the Santa Cruz quarter, which was located between the current Martinez Molina and Huertas streets.
As always, in these cases, the best thing to do is to walk around aimlessly and pay attention to everything you see.
On the way you will pass the Plaza del Rostro, where there is an iron sculpture in homage to the illustrious Jaén Jew Hasday ibn Shaprut, who was a doctor and diplomat, who transmitted values such as tolerance and peace. For this reason, the sculpture also has the three symbols of the three religions that were present in Jaén: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

After the walk there is nothing better than a coffee break. Choose one with a good pastry shop, such as the Ysla pastry shop. There you can try many traditional sweets such as pionono, milhojas, merengue and barquillo, among others.
You can also buy coffee and sweets to take away and continue walking.
Open Hours: Monday - Friday: 08:00 - 20:30 Saturday - Sunday: 09:00 - 20:30

To visit the last places of the day, you can pick up the car at the hotel and drive to them. The first is the Mirador de la Calle Duque and the second is the castle of Santa Catalina. Another option is to walk up Calle Duque from Calle Capitán Aranda Alta and use the car just to go to the castle.
From the viewpoint you have a nice view of the Cathedral. There is a parking space there, but it might be full, so you can try it on the way back.
Until recently, you could only go up to the castle by car, but a bus line to the castle has been opened. It is line L30. You can check the stops on the official website.
So, you can choose the way and the order in which you want to do the route of these last two proposed sites.

The end of the day ends with a visit to one of the most beautiful and attractive places in Jaén: the Castle of Santa Catalina. This castle was built on the site of an ancient citadel (alcazaba) from the 9th century, when Ferdinand III conquered the city in the mid-13th century. It was later modified to reinforce the defences during Napoleon's invasions.
If you are travelling in summer, this is the best time to enjoy the sunset views and not suffer so much from the heat. If you are travelling in winter, you can make this visit after lunch and then continue with the suggested itinerary.
Open Hours: Summer (16 June - 15 September) Monday - Saturday: 10:00 - 14:00, 17:00 - 21:00 Sunday: 10:00 - 15:00 Holidays and Sundays before public holidays: 10:00 - 14:00, 17:00 - 21:00
Free admission Wednesday from 11:00 to 21:00
Winter (16 September - 15 June) Monday - Saturday: 10:00 - 18:00 Sunday: 10:00 - 15:00 Holidays and Sundays before public holidays: 10:00 - 18:00
Free admission Wednesday from 15:00 to 18:00. The last access 30 minutes before closing. A full visit can take approximately one hour.
To check timetables, ticket prices and to buy tickets see the official website.
After exploring the castle, you can walk along a path (with stones) to the Mirador de la Cruz (viewpoint). From there, you have spectacular views of the town and the olive groves.

Before dinner, stop by a supermarket (if it is near the hotel, the better, so you can park the car) to buy water, fruit, biscuits and sandwiches (or whatever you want for lunch the next day) because the proposal is to have a picnic at the reservoir you will visit.
This supermarket closes at 21:00 and is closed on Sundays.

To end the day there is nothing better than a good traditional dinner. You can choose La Manchega Restaurant, which is one of the oldest in the city. You can choose from migas, patés, meats, oxtail, omelettes, aubergines with honey, among other dishes.
Open Hours: Wednesdays - Mondays: 10:00 - 16:00, 20:00 - 00:00 Tuesday: closed

Now it's time to get back to the hotel for a good rest and prepare for the next day's adventures.