Top Things to do in Province of Jaen
10 Things to Do in Province of Jaen That You Shouldn't Miss
Discover the best top things to do in Province of Jaen, Spain including Fortaleza de la Mota, Cazorla Nature Park (Parque Natural de Cazorla), Rio Borosa, Baeza Old Town, Plaza Vazquez de Molina, Centro Cultural Banos Arabes, Castillo de Sabiote, Jaen Cathedral, Centro Historico, Sinagoga del Agua.
Restaurants in Province of Jaen
1. Fortaleza de la Mota
Overall Ratings
5 based on 351 reviews
Declared Heritage of Cultural Interest of Andalusia. The monumental group of the Fortress of La Mota is strategically perched on the peak of a rugged hill, 1033 m. above sea level. These features, its structure and location, enabled it to have a panoramic view, like a natural watchtower, over the surrounding area. Its most significant historic moment took place during the Islamic invasion: the Castle of La Mota was ordered to be built by the second Lord of the Kingdom of Granada "Aben-abus Ben-Zeiri", around the year 1000. The old walled city included several religious, administrative and government buildings, as well as commercial centres, and was the home of civil and ecclesiastical authorities. One of the most remarkable buildings is the Citadel, built on the highest point of the enclosure, at 1033 metres above sea level. It is comprised of three towers joined by the walls that surround the bailey. The Homage tower, 20 m high, that of the Candle or the Bell, in charge of surveillance of the area in conjunction with the network of watchtowers all over the surrounding land. And lastly, the tower of La Mocha, an excellent lookout point over the city. Within the monumental group of the Fortress of La Mota, there are several themed areas explaining the concept of frontier, the way of life of its inhabitants, the role of the various areas and the relationship of the Fortress with the surrounding areas. Timetable: Autumn/Winter (15 Oct to 31 Mar): 10:00h 17:30h. Saturdays we close at 18:00h Spring/Summer (01 Abr to 14 Oct): 10:30h to 19:30h Open: Monday to Sunday Closed: 25Dic, 01Jan, 06Jan Special opening times: 24Dec, 31Dec, 05Jan: 10ºº to 14ºº hrs.
Reviewed By Peter M - Cockermouth, United Kingdom
Visited today and was impressed that the ticket office advised we could have reduced rate tickets (over 60) and because I have some difficulty walking we could take our car up the Service road and park by the church, excellent and thoughtful.
The walk around the castle and church was fascinating and the views are spectacular.
There is still a great deal of work in progress to excavate and rebuild parts of the site, but the work done so far appears excellent.
We then went back down and into the town which was interesting.
2. Cazorla Nature Park (Parque Natural de Cazorla)
Overall Ratings
5 based on 646 reviews
Reviewed By Lavon R - Israel
We stsrted the reserve from the city of Cozorla. This city was not soecial. Also the river Guadelcabir that was with few water didn't impressed us but when we arrived to the lake that was created due to the Reservoir it was another opera. The lake has beautiful colour. Each corner reaveal some other views.
3. Rio Borosa
Overall Ratings
5 based on 469 reviews
Reviewed By SB1123 - Virginia
One of the best things about this place is that the first part is a very relaxing, peaceful, easy walk beside a babbling stream, but then those who are more adventuresome (and in very good shape) can continue on past the electric company to a very difficult climb that includes some of the most beautiful scenery we've ever encountered. Many families, people walking dogs and older folks were taking a nice morning stroll when we started, and there were places along the way that some were going in the water where it had pooled or was slower moving. Most of these folks must have turned around after a half hour to an hour of walking, because we didn't see a whole lot of people making it to the electric company, which is where the nice, wide, easy walking path ends.
Beyond this, there's a lot of clambering of large boulders, climbing very steep and sometimes dangerous hills, and making your way through fairly dark tunnels (bring a flashlight! or a torch, if you're British!) where it's easy to bump your head (yes, that's the voice of experience), interspersed with some relatively easy stretches that provide very welcome relief. Your reward is some jaw-droppingly gorgeous scenery, a very cool aqueduct that runs through the tunnels and along the path at the top, and the opportunity to see the beginnings of a river as it comes bubbling up from within the mountain (go left when you get to the first lake--I think someone actually scrawled 'nacimiento', the Spanish word for 'birth', on a sign that didn't otherwise indicate which way to go to follow the river to its source). The round-trip took us around 6 hours, and we're fairly fast walkers. We were exhausted at the end, but we would do it again in a heartbeat.
A few more hopefully helpful bits of advice:
--The first caves you see going up the mountain are not the ones you want. You'll definitely be able to tell when you've gotten to the right ones, as there's a handrail leading up to them and you start walking next to the aqueduct right before entering. Oh, and the entrance is at the top of a ridiculously difficult hillside to climb.
--The trail is well marked until you get to the electric company, after which you're on your own. It's fairly obvious which way to go, but you'll have doubts at some points. Just picking whichever way seemed right worked for us the whole way.
--On the lower part of the trail, staying to the right where it forks allows you to stay next to the river, which is a much prettier walk. This takes you off of the wide, easy path for a while, but the narrower one is not super difficult and is much nicer. We came back down the other way when were tired.
--To get to the start of the hike by car, you take the road opposite the tourist center downhill for a mile or so, at which point you'll see a large dirt parking lot on the left. Getting to the beginning of the hike from here did not seem obviously marked at all to us. Go left out of the parking lot, walk down the road until you see the river, and there you'll see a sign indicating where to begin (along with lots of other people probably).
--It gets really hot in the summer, but the water is cold. We found that dipping our hats in the water and then putting them back on kept our heads nice and cool.
--Entrance and parking are free of charge.
Have fun!
4. Baeza Old Town
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 720 reviews
Reviewed By Yves F - Portimao, Portugal
Old stones and gatherings of kids with smart-phones around Fountains and on squares: strange contemporary mixture! The clash of old and new was most pleasant and the kids/youths were polite and behaved...
Only one tiny thing: surely there must be a way to 'hide' TV aerials and such?
5. Plaza Vazquez de Molina
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 453 reviews
Reviewed By Gaily1 - Manchester, United Kingdom
Amazing place to wander around and spend a day. Great shops nearby & lots of great places to eat. It was raining when we visited but it was still very beautiful.
6. Centro Cultural Banos Arabes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 522 reviews
Reviewed By Aliceband979 - Aylesbury
We visited the baths during the recent heatwave so it provided welcome cool refuge from the searing heat outside. The explanatory film was easy to get the gist of how the baths worked even if (like us) your Spanish is rudimentary. It was really interesting, especially seeing the remains under the glass floor.
7. Castillo de Sabiote
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 258 reviews
8. Jaen Cathedral
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 980 reviews
Reviewed By TravelsofCorina - Orlando, Florida
Another lovely Cathedral of Spain. I found this one quite unique as the ceilings had beautiful designs and character to them. It is well maintained and a beauty inside and outside. We went during a mass so we got in for free, otherwise, I believe it is €5 to go in. You can find the mass times online or outside the Cathedral.
9. Centro Historico
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 260 reviews
Reviewed By manswa - Stockport, United Kingdom
A well preserved old town that is justifiably presented as a piece of old Spain. Very peaceful and not at all crowded this is a lovely place to spend 2-3 hours just wandering. There are plenty of bars and restaurants for refreshments - particularly important as when we were vising the temperature was mid 30's Centigrade
10. Sinagoga del Agua
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 826 reviews
La Sinagoga del Agua has been discovered in 2007 and opened to public visits in 2010 in the monumental city of Úbeda by the family Crespo- López. It is a totally private initiative of restauration of a space hidden into several houses belonging to different families where they were living a normal life, with no idea about the greatness of the place walled into their houses. The visit costs 4,50€ per person (3,50€ kids under 12 and groups over 15 persons). All visits are guided IN SPANISH and last about 30 minutes. We have written information in ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, ITALIAN and BRAILLE Private guided visits are available, booking required, outside of the opening timetable (see calendar on web site) Information and booking: Artificis
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