Linares, the second largest town in the province of Jaen, offers the advantages of a small town where most places are within walking distance, but also features other attractions found in larger cities: a wide variety of shops, jazz and blues festival, multi-screen cinema, bowling alley, as well as more bars and restaurants than you’ll ever be able to visit.
The town is also very well-located: world heritage sites Ubeda and Baeza are a short drive or bus journey away, making them ideal day trips, while Granada, Cordoba and the national park of Cazorla are excellent options for weekends away.
One advantage of Linares being a relatively small town (60,000 inhabitants) is that students tend to be very friendly and willing to learn, while parents are normally very positive and supportive of our work. Linares is also an excellent place to study Spanish as being so far from beaches and tourist resorts means most local people do not speak English.
Although prices have gone up in the last few years, Linares is still much cheaper than most other places in Spain. Fully-furnished flats can be found for as little as 300€ a month, and eating out can be very economical, as all bars still offer a free tapa with each glass of beer or wine.
