If you’re looking for a historical city surrounded by incredible nature in Andalucia that’s highly underrated, Baza in Granada province might just be the place for you.
I’ve been there several times and love the local vibe and the historical old town. You can also visit the remains of an ancient Ibero-Roman city just a few minutes’ drive from the old town.
But that’s not all.
Baza is located within the UNESCO-protected Granada Geopark, which is one of the most impressive natural areas in the region.
Ok, if you’ve hung around here for a while, you know that I say that about a lot of the nature in Andalucia – but that’s because there’s so much awesomeness here!
There are plenty of things to do in Baza Spain, so to get the most out of the city, I suggest spending at least two days. So here, I’ll share my Baza 2-day itinerary.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase through one of those links, I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
I’m Linn Haglund, the face behind Amused by Andalucia! I’ve been based in Andalucia, Spain for the last 10+ years, mainly in Seville and Costa del Sol while exploring the region extensively. Since 2022, I’ve slow-traveled in my van with my fiancee and dog, spending significant time in each place to truly get to know all the hidden corners of this exciting and diverse region. I’m here to help you uncover Andalucia too!
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Table of Contents
Baza Day 1
Start your day with a nice Spanish breakfast at one of the bars to fuel up before you start exploring.
My favorite so far is Cafeteria Bar Bali, they serve a nice coffee with oat milk for my vegan friends, and have both tostada (Spanish breakfast toast) and can make vegan sandwiches on demand. Besides, they have a vast variety of sweet treats if that’s how you like to start the day.
There are several other bars that serve breakfast nearby, and while you’re in the neighborhood, make sure you check out the street art depicting the historical Cascamorras Festival.
Visit the Archaeological Museum
Start the first day of your Baza itinerary by visiting the Archaeological Museum. It’s one of the most important places to visit in Baza if you want to understand the depth of the history this corner of Andalucia holds.
They have 8 different rooms, each focusing on a part of history, from prehistory and the formation of the UNESCO-protected Geo-park and the impressive Falla de Baza to recent history and the Cascamorras Festival, which is held in Guadix and Baza.
I really love this archaeological museum as it gives a great insight into the area. You can also see the original Dama de Baza.
Stroll through Plaza Mayor de Baza
The Plaza Mayor de Baza is one of the main squares and a must-visit. It’s located right next to the Archaeological Museum, and the cathedral is located on the square, so it’s a natural stop on your itinerary.
I love the surrounding buildings and the central fountain. Don’t miss out on the mosaic-tiled house right below the square!
Visit the Co-Cathedral of Baza (Iglesia Mayor)
Located on the Plaza Mayor, the Iglesia Mayor, or Co-Cathedral of Baza, is the main church in the city. After visiting Baza several times, I still haven’t managed to come across it open. But I hope that I will one day.
The church was built in the 1500s in the same place where Baza’s main mosque was located. I especially like the facade of the entrance looking towards the square.
See the old Slaughter House
A short walk from the cathedral, you’ll reach the old slaughterhouse. It dates back to the 16th century and is one of the few from that time left in the country.
If you ask me, this sounds quite horrible, but it’s a really old and historical site in a typical Baza Old Town style.
A wooden beam ceiling is held by old pillars leading into a small square where you can see an ancient house in the same style on the side.
The slaughterhouses were typically set outside the city walls to avoid the bad odours and this was no different.
Alcazaba de Baza
I’ll warn you right now. Don’t be excited when you see the word Alcazaba. If you’ve been to any other Alcazaba in Andalucia, like the one in Malaga or Antequera, I’ll tell you right away. This is nothing like it.
It’s basically just a few arches left that would have looked beautiful if they hadn’t been the victim of vandalism with graffiti all over. The entire area was full of broken glass last time we were there, to the degree that we had to be careful where Atlas put his paws.
I still think it’s worth going for the views of the city. Especially towards the mountains.
Pass by the Golden Pipes Fountain
I really love this fountain. We came across it on our last visit to Baza, and I absolutely think it’s worth seeing.
The fountain dates back to the early 1600s and was built on the Lorca Royal Road at the entrance to the Moorish Medina.
Travelers used it when they arrived in the old city, and they used to let the horses drink from the large basin. To this day, it still spits out water from both human heads and lion heads, serving as a great reminder of the rich history Baza holds.
The fountain is located right below the Plaza de Las Eras, where the Cascamorras Monument crowns the middle of the square.
Have lunch
For lunch, there are plenty of places to choose from! But remember the late lunch hours in Spain. Baza is such a traditional and local city that the bars and restaurants aren’t really open for food outside Spanish eating hours, so you can expect them to open around 13:00-14:00.
The good thing is that you’ll have the opportunity to taste some delicious tapas and drinks!
Stroll around the old town
Spend the next couple of hours walking around the old town. You’ve already seen a lot, but there are still some corners to explore.
Grab a drink at a bar or explore some of the churches around the city. I especially enjoyed Temple de Nuestra Señora de la Piedad Patrona de Baza.
The entrance of the Church of Dolores is also really old and pretty – if you have a thing for old worn spiraled columns like me, at least, Mohammed didn’t really get my obsession with stopping by there, touching them every time we passed.
Visit the Arab Baths
When the clock ticks 18:00, make your way to the Arab Baths. They’re quite small but mighty well preserved!
The baths date back to the Almohad period in the 13th century. I love the natural star-shaped holes in the ceilings that are so typical of that era.
There are cold and hot baths, and you can learn about the bathing traditions of the Moors when walking around by reading information signs and listening to monitors.
Baza Itinerary Day 2
Visit the Ibero-Roman city of Basti and Iberian Necropolis
Right outside the city of Baza, you find the ruined Ibero-Roman city of Basti and Iberian Necropolis. It’s part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Granada Geopark.
The city was used during Iberian and Roman times, and in the necropolis, the infamous Dama de Baza was discovered in 1971. She is now sitting safely in a glass display in the Baza Archaeological Museum.
The site includes a museum, which didn’t really impress me. It was very dark and hard to read the information (some of it written on the glass floor), so I didn’t really understand what I was looking at, which was a bit disappointing.
The archaeological sites are a short walk from the museum. We got the key to the city ruins and walked there ourselves. The site had no information signs.
When we were there last, the necropolis was closed as they were working on the graves.
Hike Falla de Baza
After some culture and history, it’s time to strap on your hiking shoes to experience the unique nature of Baza – the Falla de Baza, or Baza Fault.
The Falla de Baza is unique in this area. It’s basically rocks moving down and away from each other over millions of years as a result of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates moving.
What makes the Falla de Baza so unique is that it’s still actively moving and is a source of frequent, but minor, earthquakes.
It’s an incredible and colorful geological area of badlands that, in my opinion, is one of the most epic attractions in Baza!
We hiked a 10-km round hike that went to the ruined Castle of Benzalema. We started by walking in and out of the falla, through an impressive canyon. Besides the views of the falla itself, this was the best part of the hike.
You can see our route on Wikiloc. If you don’t want to do the entire 10 km, I suggest you do the first part into the canyon and then hike (reverse) up to the falla viewpoints and back down the same way.
You can also drive between the two mentioned parts of this route.
If you’re there at the right time…
If you happen to visit Baza at the beginning of September, you’re possibly going to witness one of the most unique historical fiestas in Andalucia: The Cascamorras.
It’s celebrated in both Baza and Guadix, where the two cities fight over who’s bringing home the statue of the Virgen de la Piedad.
The fiesta dates back to the Middle Ages when the statue eventually remained in the city of Baza.
I still haven’t managed to go to Baza or Guadix for the Cascamorras festival, but last year I visited Baza just a week after the celebration, and now I’m set on going to experience this firsthand!
Where to stay in Baza
There are plenty of places to stay in Baza, but in my humble opinion, one of the most unique experiences you can have, is to stay in a cave house.
If you have a car, I highly recommend Cueva El Guindas.
If you’re looking for something more central, I recommend Hostal Venta Del Sol. They also have free parking outside.
Where to park in Baza
Baza old town is not the place you want to find yourself driving. Narrow streets and nowhere to park. But around it, there is plenty of street parking, and we’ve never had issues finding a free spot.
If you travel by campervan in Spain, Baza is a fantastic destination as they have a free parking spot with grey water emptying and water. You can stay there a maximum of 72 hours, as of Spanish law.
It’s perfectly places in a residential area within a 10-15 minute walk from the old town.
Summing up things to do in Baza in 2 days
Summing up, Baza is perfect for spending a couple of days, learning about the history and geology of the region, and taking in the local vibe of Andalucia’s inland.
Baza has been a natural stopover for us when traveling from and to the northern parts of Spain, and throughout the years, we’ve been back several times.
I hope you’ll love Baza as much as we do.
Happy travels!