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                                                         Jaen City  

                                                                      Published in Where 2

With a day trip planned to this  small provincial city, you may be asking where do I go and what is there to see? Jaen is a vibrant and bustling city and our advice is start at the top!

Take the Jaen sur exit off the A 316, and keeping the hill on your right stay straight ahead until the Parador de Santa Catalina sign. This road climbs through the old Moorish part of the town with its sugar-cube white houses. Then turning right it begins to seriously climb through the pine covered and red squirrel-run escarpment.

Flags adorn the cobbled courtyard of the Parador  built in 1965 as a replica of the 13^th century Arabic fortress.  It’s impressive and you can take a walk along the cobbles to the castle entrance, which is worth a look around, then follow the walkway to the enormous white monumental cross. From this hilltop the whole city can be seen in a glance, silvery green olive trees marching into the distance, the enormous Renaissance cathedral by Vandelvira, Moorish rooftops and on a clear day the peaks of Granada’s  Sierra Nevada.

This is without doubt one of the most  impressively sited paradors in Spain. If you’re budget won’t stretch to an overnight stay you can enjoy pre-lunch drinks or just a beer or coffee in the imposing drawing room with its lofty vaulted ceiling that’s 20 metres high.

Then take the car back down the hill, turning left at the bottom then almost immediately right into  what has to be the car park with the best view in Spain. From here it’s a downhill walk through the charming old streets.

Head for the cathedral and you’re in the heart of the city.With the cathedral in front of you, the oficina de turismo is down an old beautifully tiled street. Arm yourself with a map and take a visit to the best preserved Arab baths in Europe, which are underneath a museum and art gallery.

An overnight stop is the best way to see the city as there’s always more to explore.  A reservation is necessary for the Parador -  it’s a very popular hotel  and  the best restaurant in town.