JAÉN , the provincial capital and by far the largest town, is an uneventful sort of place with traces of its Moorish past in its ruined castle and in the largest surviving Moorish baths in Spain. The town is centred around the Plaza de la Constitución and its two arterial streets, Paseo de la Estación and Avenida de Madrid.

West of the main plaza is the imposing seventeenth-century Renaissance Catedral (daily 8.30am-1pm & 5-8pm; free), while to the north, between the churches of San Andrés and Santo Domingo, you'll find the painstakingly restored Moorish hammam in the Baños Arabes (Tues-Fri 9am-8pm, Sat & Sun 9.30am-2.30pm; free). Among the finest of their kind in Spain, the baths were originally part of an eleventh-century Moorish palace, and are now located inside the Palacio de Villardompardo, which was constructed over the Moorish palace. Jaén's Museo Provincial , Paseo de la Estación 29 (Tues 3-8pm, Wed-Sat 9am-8pm, Sun 9am-3pm; ¬1.50, free to EU citizens), has a large archeological collection including some remarkable fifth-century BC Iberian sculptures, now set to become the centrepiece of a major new museum of Iberian art.

Jaén's turismo , c/Maestra 13 (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat & Sun 10am-1pm; tel 953 242 624), with good town maps, is located slightly to the north of the cathedral, and the train station is further north along the same street (bus #10 from the centre). The bus station (tel 953 250 106) is on Plaza Coca de la Pinera, also off the Paseo de la Estación. If you want to stay , budget options include the basic Hostal Martín , c/Cuatro Torres 5 (tel 953 220 633; ¬12-18), near the Plaza de la Constitución, and Hostal La Española , c/Bernardo López 9 (tel 953 230 254; ¬18-27), by the cathedral. There are more expensive options on the Paseo de la Estación and Avenida de Madrid, including Hotel Europa , Plaza de Belén 1, just off Avda. de Madrid (tel 953 222 700, fax 953 222 692; ¬36-48). Overlooking the town and built in the shell of a Moorish castle with stunning views, is the Parador Castillo de Santa Catalina (tel 953 230 000, fax 953 230 930; ¬90-120), one of the most spectacularly sited hotels in Spain; even if you're not staying, it's worth calling in for a drink at the bar. Calle Nueva, immediately east of Plaza de la Constitución, has a whole crowd of bars and places to eat . Alternatively Casa Vicente , c/Maestre 8, just north of the cathedral is one of the best restaurants in town with prices to match, while Cafetería Yucatan , up a flight of steps off the Plaza del Posito, is a good breakfast bar and serves platos combinados until late. For late-night drinking and music bars head for the streets in the Barrio de San Ildefonso to the east of the cathedral, focusing on c/Hurtado, where the friendly Bar Azulejo at no. 8 gives a complimentary tapa with every drink.



Google Map of Jaen