Beas de Segura: Discover Culture and Nature

Beas de Segura combines a historic old town and monastic history with cave, water and mountain landscapes. During your stay, you can focus on guided tours, museums and religious heritage, or explore individual natural areas. The tourist information office offers guided tours of the old town for groups, individuals and school classes. You should confirm the availability of this service before travelling. This allows you to plan the tour as a separate activity and decide which other topics you would like to explore in more depth.

Monastery, Castle and Museums

The San José del Salvador Monastery was founded in 1575 as Saint Teresa’s tenth foundation and was her first foundation in an Andalusian province. Beas de Segura is also part of the Huellas de Teresa de Jesús cultural and heritage network. The monastery’s specific founding history therefore sits alongside its membership in a wider cultural network.

The cultural offering includes an interpretation centre, two municipal museums with different themes, and the relic museum of San José del Salvador Monastery. The Centro de Interpretación de la Villa de Beas was built on the ruins of the castle; parts of its walls and structural features have been incorporated into the centre. The Museo-Relicario is housed in several monastery rooms that are open to the public. As a precaution, confirm access before your trip. A large part of the exhibition space at the Museo de Usos y Costumbres de Antaño “Cantero” is devoted to agriculture and olive oil. During your museum visit, you can choose between the history of the castle and monastery and a range of other cultural themes.

Cave, Water and Mountain Landscape

Cueva del Agua de Beas is 500 metres from the town centre. It consists of two caves connected by a small but deep lake. The site’s location and internal structure offer two distinct points of reference for this natural attraction: its proximity to the town centre and the waterway linking the cave chambers.

Monte Fuente Pinilla is located within a natural park. Its landscape features limestone peaks and a montane pine forest, as well as holm oaks, ground vegetation of rosemary and juniper, and damp areas. Its features range from rocky heights and woodland to wetter habitats.

Water and riverside vegetation shape the landscape of the Paraje Valparaíso natural area. The area lies alongside the Arroyo Valparaíso, which flows into the Río Beas. Its features include tree-lined gardens, springs, a small stream and picnic areas. The Picos de Natao offer a different emphasis: this limestone plateau lies at an altitude of 1,274 metres and offers panoramic views. In contrast to Valparaíso’s water-shaped areas, the focus here is on the elevated limestone landscape.

Festivals and Cultural Events

The Fiestas de San Marcos are celebrated in honour of the saint from 22 to 25 April and date back to the 15th century. The festivities include releasing a large number of tethered fighting bulls. Since 2000, the Fiestas have been recognised as a Fiesta de Interés Turístico de Andalucía. If you are planning to attend this recurring festival, check the dates, programme and safety regulations before travelling.

Another annual festival takes place at the Teatro-Cine Regio in Beas de Segura and is considered one of the finest expressions of the Sierra’s Christmas folk culture. Together with the Fiestas de San Marcos, it represents a different cultural focus from the monastery, museums and natural areas: these recurring festive traditions feature in the calendar, while the other places are described primarily through their history, collections or landscapes.

Discover more destinations: Cañada Catena, La Carrasca, Sabiote, Santiago De Calatrava, Villacarrillo, Orcera, Las Casillas, Lopera.

For the broader travel overview: Jaen.