Centro Cultural Palacio de Villardompardo

Centro Cultural Palacio de Villardompardo is a Renaissance palace in the historic center of Jaén, built above what are considered some of the largest surviving Arab baths in Spain. The building went up in the 16th century as the residence of Fernando de Torres y Portugal, first Count of Villardompardo and Viceroy of Peru. Today it ranks among the city's must-see cultural stops, pairing a slice of Islamic-era Andalusia with a very different, 20th-century collection of folk and naïve art upstairs.

How do you get there?

The palace sits right in Jaén's old town, so walking in from the historic center or the cathedral area takes only a few minutes. Drivers typically park in one of the central car parks and continue on foot, since the surrounding streets are narrow and not built for through traffic. City buses running through the center stop within easy reach, and the combined train and bus station is roughly a 20–25 minute walk away, or a short taxi ride if you'd rather skip the climb through the old quarter.

What will you see?

A visit usually starts in the basement level, home to the Arab baths built in the 11th century. Covering around 450 square meters, they're often cited as the largest bathhouse of their kind open to the public in Spain. Their existence was only rediscovered in 1913, when Enrique Romero de Torres came across them during inspection work on the palace — before that, the chambers had simply been buried under later construction and forgotten. Star-shaped skylights piercing the vaulted ceilings, together with a sequence of rooms that once held water at different temperatures, make it easy to picture how the baths were actually used.

Upstairs, the palace houses two separate museums. The Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares displays everyday objects, crafts, and interior furnishings typical of Jaén province before the region industrialized. The second collection, the Museo Internacional de Arte Naïf, is unique in Spain — a gathering of naïve painting from different countries and eras, marked by bold color and a direct, untrained visual style that stands in sharp contrast to the austere stonework below.

The building itself is worth a look independent of its exhibits. After stints as a bank and later as a women's hospice run by the city's charitable board, it underwent a major restoration that earned it a Europa Nostra award for heritage conservation.

When should you visit?

Since the highlights are all indoors, the palace works well any time of year — a welcome break from Jaén's hot summers and a comfortable option in winter too. Weekday mornings or early afternoons tend to be quietest, letting the light from the baths' star-shaped skylights stand out without a crowd in the way. Weekends and the summer holiday season bring noticeably more visitors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the Arab baths and the museums require separate tickets? No, a single entry covers the Arab baths level along with both museums housed in the building, so there's no need to buy tickets for each section separately.

How long does a full visit take? Seeing the baths and both museum collections at a comfortable pace usually takes between one and one and a half hours, depending on how much time you spend in each room.

Is this worth visiting if I'm not particularly interested in Islamic history? Yes — beyond the Arab baths, the palace offers a completely different experience through its folk art and naïve art museums, so the visit isn't limited to a single historical theme.

Is the site accessible for visitors with mobility issues? Because the underground baths are a protected historic space, some routes may have architectural limitations; it's worth checking current accessibility information from the site's management before your visit.