Things to do
13-
Alcazaba de Antequera
A Moorish fortress on the hill above the old town, entered through the Arco de los Gigantes. Paths run between gardens and the outer walls to the keep, whose stairs climb to a bell turret with views over the plain and the Peña de los Enamorados. One ticket covers the fortress and the Real Colegiata next door, and the visit takes about an hour and a half.
-
Arco de los Gigantes
A triumphal arch of the late sixteenth century at the top of the climb from the old town, set with Roman inscriptions and carved stones found around Antequera. It stands on the way up to the Alcazaba and the Colegiata. The path to the fortress passes under it, and the plaza beyond gives the first wide view over the plain to the Peña de los Enamorados.
-
Archaeological Site
Dolmen de Menga
A Neolithic burial chamber about 5,800 years old, built of huge stone slabs under an earth mound, with the Dolmen de Viera a short walk away inside the same fenced site. The entrance of Menga faces the Peña de los Enamorados. Entry is free, a visitor centre explains both tombs, and the site closes on Mondays. It lies about 1.5 km from the centre. In summer it also opens on weekday evenings, Tuesday to Saturday.
-
El Torcal
A high limestone plateau of stacked limestone rocks worn into shapes by rain about half an hour's drive south of town, with a free visitor centre at Torcal Alto. The green route takes under an hour and the yellow one about two; both are rocky and slippery after rain. On weekends and holidays the upper road closes when its car park fills, and a shuttle bus runs from a lower car park instead.
-
Church
Iglesia de San Sebastián
The main church of the lower town, on the plaza where the shopping streets meet, with a brick bell tower topped by an angel weathervane. Inside are gilded baroque chapels. The plaza around it is the place for a coffee and a mollete, the soft local breakfast roll, before the climb up to the Alcazaba and the viewpoints.
-
Iglesia del Carmen
A former Carmelite church on the eastern edge of the old town, plain outside and filled inside by a huge altarpiece carved in unpainted red pine. The walls and side chapels are covered in painted decoration. Entry is ticketed and the church closes on Mondays. A viewpoint beside it looks back at the Alcazaba, and there is free parking behind the building.
-
Lake
Laguna de Fuente de Piedra
A shallow salt lake on the plain north-west of Antequera, home to the largest flamingo colony on the Iberian Peninsula. The birds breed from late winter into summer, and chicks appear from about May; in dry summers the water shrinks far back from the shore. Paths and hides start at the visitor centre on the village side, and the birds are busiest in the early morning and the evening.
-
Museum
Museo Conventual de las Descalzas
A museum of religious art inside a working convent of Discalced Carmelite nuns, on the small Plaza de las Descalzas in the lower town. Paintings, carved figures and church silver from the convents of Antequera fill the old cloister rooms. Visits are ticketed, and the nuns of the convent also make the almond sweets the town is known for.
-
Museo de la Ciudad
The town museum, in the Palacio de Nájera on Plaza del Coso Viejo, with archaeology, religious art and silverwork arranged around a courtyard. Its prize is the Efebo, a Roman bronze of a young man about 1.5 metres tall, found on a farm near the town. Entry is free, and the museum closes on Mondays and for a long break in the middle of the day.
-
Landmark
Peña de los Enamorados
A limestone rock rising straight out of the plain north-east of the town, shaped like a face lying on its back and seen from almost every viewpoint in the old town. The name comes from a legend of two lovers who jumped from the top. Tracks reach the lower slopes, while the summit route is a steep scramble on loose rock for walkers with a head for heights.
-
Landmark
Plaza de Toros
A brick bullring from the middle of the nineteenth century at the edge of the old town, still used for bullfights during the August fair. Under the stands, a small museum covers the ring, its fighters and the breeding of the bulls. Visits are ticketed and run outside fight days, and the empty arena and its arcades can be seen on the way round.
-
Real Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor
A broad Renaissance church on the plaza just below the fortress, its nave now cleared of altars and used for exhibitions and concerts. The plain stone interior is light and calm, and the terrace in front looks out over the rooftops. The two fit easily into one morning or one late afternoon.
-
Archaeological Site
Tholos de El Romeral
A later tomb than Menga, roofed with a beehive dome of small flat stones and reached down a long, narrow corridor, with a second small chamber at the far end. It stands a few kilometres beyond the main dolmen site, beside an industrial estate, so a car or taxi is the easy way there. Entry is free and it keeps the same Monday closure.
