Renaissance Baeza: A Guide to an Andalusian Jewel Amongst the Olive Groves

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Renaissance Baeza: A Guide to an Andalusian Jewel Amongst the Olive Groves

(15 reviews)
Baeza audio tour: Renaissance Baeza: A Guide to an Andalusian Jewel Amongst the Olive Groves
This is a 1.7mi walking tour
It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.
Baeza
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$8.99
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About the Tour

Baeza’s unique Renaissance architecture, combining Italian and Islamic influences with local craftsmanship, has earned it the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On this walking tour, you’ll discover the city’s rich history, stretching from the Copper Age, through a long period of Muslim rule, to the Christian conquest, and Spain’s Golden Age. Along with Renaissance jewels, you’ll see beautiful examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture too.

The tour starts in front of the magnificent Plateresque Ayuntamiento de Baeza (Town Hall), and winds through the wonderfully preserved old city to conclude outside Palacio de los Salcedo (Salcedo Palace). Along the way, you’ll see elegant mansions and centuries-old churches and monasteries that showcase an eclectic mix of architectural styles. You’ll wander through romantic medieval arches and alleyways, and see spectacular vistas across the Guadalquivir River valley.

You’ll also:

  • Learn about Baeza’s strategic importance in the Middle Ages as a frontier town and centre of religious power
  • Discover why the poet Antonio Machado found the city much-reduced and down-at-heel when he came to live here in the early 1900s
  • Find out how Baeza is reinventing itself as a gourmet destination, with fine dining options like the Michelin-starred Vandelvira restaurant, housed in the Convento de San Francisco (St Francis Convent)
  • Get to know the difference between green and black olives and what’s really meant by the term ‘extra virgin olive oil’
  • Admire Antigua Universidad de Baeza (the Old University buildings), the richly ornamented Palacio de Jabalquinto (Jabalquinto Palace) and the simple but beautiful Iglesia de Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz church)
  • Hear about the German connections of Spain’s emperor in Plaza del Pópulo
  • Admire the Catedral de Baeza’s Puerta de la Luna (Moon Gate) and tower

By the end of this 90-minute Baeza tour, you’ll have a good idea of how the city fits into the ups and downs of Spain’s national story. You’ll also have a greater appreciation for the city’s architectural heritage.

Categories
Medieval History UNESCO Sites Architecture Food And Drink Modern History

Tour Producer

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Ben Barclay

18 tours

When I moved to Granada in 2006, I initially intended to stay for a year or two. Maybe three or four at most. But like many people, I was captivated by the city’s history and culture, as well as its strategic location close to the sea and in the shadow of the imposing Sierra Nevada mountains. Having travelled widely before I came here, I knew that Granada was special. Little by little I became a local – a “Granaíno”. As well as enjoying everything Granada has to offer, I love exploring the cities and countryside of Andalucía, and my wife and I recently set up the travel website Andalucía Bound (andalucia-bound.com), which offers inspiration and practical advice for visitors to Andalucía. We're also keen hikers, and for fifteen years we've been running the website treksierranevada.com, with information about self-guided hikes in the Sierra Nevada.

In 2011, I co-founded the educational publisher LinguaFrame S.L., which produces textbooks in English for Spanish secondary schools, and I'm the author and editor of fifteen history, geography and science textbooks. I also work as a government-authorised translator, with my specialist areas including historical and cultural texts for museums and advertising material related to tourism.

Preview Location

Location 25

Puerta de la Luna

Stop here please.

Have a closer look at the door into the cathedral – the Puerta de la Luna, which means moon gate. This door and the rose window above it are in the Gothic style because they are from the original medieval part of the cathedral.

Above the rose window, th... Read More
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Major Landmarks

  • Baeza Town Hall

  • Ayuntamiento de Baeza

  • Escultura de Gaspar Becerra

  • Mercado de abastos de Baeza

  • Baeza Market

  • Convento de San Francisco

  • Benavides Chapel

  • Vandelvira Restaurante

  • Iglesia de la Purísima Concepción Padres Carmelitas

  • Aliatares Tower

  • Paseo de la Constitución

  • Plaza de la Constitución

  • Plaza del Pópulo

  • Casa del Pópulo

  • Fuente de los Leones

  • Lion Fountain Baeza

  • Antigua Carnicería

  • Arco de Villalar

  • Puerta de Jaén

  • Estatua de Fernando III

  • City Walls of Baeza

  • Arco del Barbudo

  • Barbudo Arch

  • Aula de Antonio Machado

  • Antonio Machado's classroom

  • Antigua Universidad de Baeza

  • Baeza’s Old University

  • Palace Jabalquinto

  • Plaza de Santa Cruz

  • Church of Santa Cruz

  • Church of the Holy Cross

  • Plaza de Santa María

  • Baeza Cathedral

  • Seminario San Felipe Neri

  • Seminary of Baeza

  • Casas Consistoriales Altas

  • Fountain of St Mary

  • Puerta de la Luna

  • Moon Gate

  • Plaza del Arcediano

  • Puerta del Perdón

  • Rubín de Ceballos Palace

  • Bishops' Palace

  • Romanesque ruins of the Church of San Juan Bautista

  • Mirador de las Murallas

  • Guadalquivir viewpoint

  • Plaza de los comuneros

  • Puerta de Úbeda

  • Ubeda Gate

  • El Torreón de Baeza

  • Monumento a los Ballesteros

  • Centro Interpretación de la Baeza Medieval "Torreón Puerta De Úbeda"

  • Parroquia de San Pablo

  • Palacio de los Cabrera

  • Palacio de los Acuña

  • Palacio Sanchez Valenzuela

  • Monumento a Antonio Machado

  • Palacio de los Salcedo

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.
  1. Start location
    Pl. de los Leones, s/n, 23440 Baeza, Jaén, Spain
  2. Total distance
    3km
  3. Final location
    C. Aguayo, 2, 23440 Baeza, Jaén, Spain
  4. Distance back to start location
    208.03m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts outside Baeza’s Town Hall (Pje Cardenal Benavides, 10, 23440, Baeza).

Baeza makes a great day trip from Granada, Córdoba or Jaén. If you’re coming by car, there is free on-street parking just outside the historic centre and a convenient paid underground car park in Calle Compañia. It takes about an hour and a half to drive from either Granada or Córdoba. I don’t recommend driving into the historic centre – the roads are very narrow and access is restricted for non-residents.

Buses from Granada take about 2 hours on average. From Córdoba, the journey time is similar, but there are fewer departures, which makes day-tripping difficult. You can find the times and book tickets on the bus company Alsa’s website. The bus station is on Avenida Alcalde Puche Pardo, about a 1 km walk or taxi ride from the start of the tour.

You can also reach Baeza by train. The Linares-Baeza station, which has direct trains to destinations including Madrid, Valencia and Seville, is about a 15 km bus or taxi ride away.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Baeza has quite a few sites of interest, which I’ll point out along the way. Most of them don’t take very long to visit, but some opening times are a bit limited, and they vary throughout the year. It’s a good idea to get an-up-to-date listing when you pass the Tourist Office, which is on our route.

Baeza is becoming a popular destination for gastrotourism, and I’ll point out some of the best restaurants. Reservations are absolutely essential for the Michelin-starred Vandelvira Restaurant, and also advisable for Acebuche. And it’s always a good idea to book ahead if you have your heart set on a particular restaurant.

Best time of day

Baeza is particularly popular at weekends for Spanish tourists, so avoid these if you don’t like crowds. On the other hand, many sites of interest and restaurants are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and in some cases even on Wednesdays at certain times of the year.

Some of the sites have quite limited opening hours – a few are only open in the mornings, and others are closed over lunch. Whichever day you go, you can visit sights like Baeza Cathedral and Santa Cruz church, and enjoy Baeza’s biggest attraction of all: strolling around its beautiful streets and soaking up the atmosphere.

Like everywhere else in inland Spain, Baeza gets extremely hot from June – September, so in these months aim to start out early in the morning to avoid the worst of the heat.
Baeza is very compact, so it’s a perfect day trip destination. But it’s also worth staying overnight to enjoy the fine dining and romantic moonlit streets, and if you want to go into all of the main attractions, you’ll probably need more than a day.

Precautions

We'll be walking along cobbled streets, so you'll need comfortable shoes. Sunblock and a bottle of water are also essential if the weather is warm and sunny, which it often is in Baeza! In summer, I recommend doing the tour in the morning, before it gets too hot.

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