I've been struggling with my trip from Toledo to Cordoba, made more complex because I will have a bicicleta. I've narrowed it down to two possibilities:

1) bus to Madrid, bus to Cordoba. Benefits are that it's cheaper and faster than the alternative, but I don't really like busses and the thought of spending that much time on one in one day.

2) train to Aranjuez, train to Jaen, four hours there, bus to Cordoba. Gets me out of going all the way back to Madrid, which I didn't like the idea of, probably better scenery and the chance to spend a few hours exploring Jaen. The major downside is that I'll spend the whole day traveling, but it will be broken up into smaller segments than the bus only option.

Sooooo . . . my question here is whether Jaen is worth a few hours exploration? Rough Guide describes it as an "uneventful sort of place". On the other hand, I gather it's surrounded by olive groves, which I will see through train/bus windows.

I have always found it to be a fun place. There are a lot of good restaurants and bars, and the people are very friendly. If I remember correctly, there is a parador high on a hill over the city (within biking distance, but good luck with the hill.)

Last time I was there, there was a festival and the town was very lively.

I would definitely go there again, if not just for the tapas! Seems there was great free tapas everywhere we stopped. Unusual stuff, too. Percebes, snails, fried scallion and potato pancakes, jumbo shrimp (ha ha), and deep fried crab claws.

Hope this helps. Don't be afraid to venture away from the travel books. We had some great memories there, and it was not somewhere I planned on staying the first time, either. I have been back through twice since!

Spark

I would suggest spending a couple of nights in Jaen, there are not many tourists, a reason I loved staying there. We stayed at the parador on the hill overlooking Jaen. We visited the cathedral on Thursday morning to view the veil of St. Veronica. We visited Turkish Baths, and a rather quirky museum which portrayed painting from an art school in Jaen. From Jaen, you could take day trips to Cordoba and Granada. Our favorite restaurant was the Casa Vicente near the Cathedral. I would stay somewhere else if you looking for nightlife. We enjoyed sitting near the cathedral at sunset to watch and talk with some of the locals. My wife and I sat and talked with several younger boys and girls who wanted to practice their English with us and answer questions about the United States.

Thanks for the responses and info. As stated, I will only have four hours there so won't get a full taste for the city. Not sure if I'll bike up tot he parador or not, but I've seen photos of the view over the city. I may try to get outside it and ride in some of the surrounding olive groves.

In my opinion Jaen is not worth the visit. I'm glad that Sparkalina and Gsobotta liked it, but pretty much any other city in Spain will have better tapas, Jaen's cathedral doesn't have much name either and there is not much to see in the town. I would recommend to visit Ubeda and Baeza, two beautiful towns literally packed with renaissance monuments, and right in the center of the best olive oil region of Spain.

I agree, Jaen is not the best of its own province. Ubeda and Baeza are just some kilometers away and are 100 times nicer.
The only thing I enjoyed in Jaen was the climb to its castle, which have magnificent views of the sierras and the olive planted plains.

I would love to visit Ubeda and Baeza, but the last two posts are not really relevant to the original question. I have two basic options for traveling from Toledo to Corboda, one of which involves a several hour stopover in Jaen. I well realize that Jaen is not a primary tourist target (and the reasons why not), but I was trying to find out if it is worth a few hours.

Yes, of course it's worth a few hours. Even the most "uneventful" of Spanish towns is worth that. The cathedral in Jaen alone merits that. More relevant to your question however is whether you'll be able to take your bike n the train. A friend of mine who travels a lot around Spain says that RENFE is increasingly reluctant to let you do so as they turn all their services into earthbound airline-type affairs, complete with sassy hostesses.

Barry -

Thanks for the approval on Jean and the train shouldn't be a problem, as I'm planning to catch a regional which has a baggage car and is bike friendly. I've done a LOT of research on this and my sense is that if you know the rules and the schedules, it shouldn't be a problem. I was actually just a tad more concerned with the bus, as it doesn't start in Jaen (Cazorla), and I gather it's easier to get the bike on at the start of the trip. However, I'm guessing/hoping there won't be a ton of traffic on this route and i'll be OK.

For anyone interested on bikes on trains in Spain or anywhere else, there's an excellent Travel With Bicycles site, which also has info on airlines, airports, etc.: http://www.gfarnsworth.com/BikeAccess/Default.cfm?Index