Guadix occupies part of an elevated plateau among the northern foothills of the Sierra Nevada. It is surrounded by ancient walls, and was formerly dominated by a Moorish castle, now in ruins. It is an episcopal see of great antiquity, but its cathedral, built in the 18th century on the site of a mosque, has little architectural merit.

The most famous feature of the town is the cave dwellings in the Barrio Troglodyte where upwards of half the population live. These caves are in no way primitive dwellings and are a solution to the fierce heat of the Andalucian summer.