When you think about Spain, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Barcelona or Madrid? Is it tapas and beautiful beaches? While I love the big cities, I equally enjoy visiting the smaller towns of Spain. I love to get a different perspective on Spanish life … a perspective that you do not get from a travel book. Ever since I moved to the Andalucia region of Spain, people have been telling me that I need to see Ubeda and Baeza. On Sunday I finally decided to go.
These towns are both located in the Jaen province, which sits just above Granada. The trip from Granada is just about an hour each way, making them the perfect day trip!
How to get there
Getting around Andalucia is quite easy thanks to Alsa and Blablacar. The Alsa bus is 3-5 euros and only takes maybe 20 minutes to get from one town to the other. Blablacar just depends on day. I would advise using Blablacar to get to whatever city you go to first and then take the bus to the next town.
Baeza
Baeza was the first stop. I immediately noticed how picturesque the town was. Everything was made of this yellow-tan stone and the streets were cobble-stoned. The main plaza was full of cafes where you could eat a classic Spanish mid-day meal. Fun fact about the Spanish (and I don’t think this applies to Latinos as much): when they say “vamos a comer” (we’re going to eat), they mean mid-day. They do not mean dinner. That was definitely something I learned out of a confusing situation. These are the most fun and hilarious parts about living in a culture where you have to speak your second language.
It was sort of an overcast Sunday, so not everything was open. I did however get to walk around a pretty awesome school. This is a public school! My public schools that I attended in the United States were not as beautiful as this place for sure. It’s called IES Santisma Trinidad and you can walk around some of it.
Exploring the town
The entire town could be walked in under a half an hour. If I lived in Baeza, I’d go for walks all the time! It’s such a cute and magical place.
We also wandered into La Iglesia de Santa Cruz. That’s what I love about living in Spain. You just wander into a random church and it’s beautiful. I just love thinking about all the history that exists in these old churches, buildings and monuments.
We also wandered into Baeza University for a a bit.
Other things to see in Baeza
These are places we didn’t go to but were listed as attractions and things to see:
- Baeza Cathedral
- Ayuntamiento
- St. Paul’s Church
- Palacio de Jabalquinto
- Chapel of St. Francis
Úbeda
Úbeda was stop number two. It’s amazing that two such adorable and picturesque towns are so close together.
The view is quite amazing. I feel so very lucky to be in Spain having this experience.
The main site to see is the Vázquez de Molina Square, which is pictured above. The town has some 48 monuments to see as well.
Have you been longing to take a day trip? I made a lovely little day trip checklist that you receive if you join our e-mail list. Check it out here!
