15 Best Things to Do in Antequera, Spain (2026 Guide)

We went to Antequera expecting to see the Dolmens and maybe grab lunch. What surprised us was that we ran out of time.

Antequera is beautiful in a way that sneaks up on you.

The stunning Moorish fortress, the winding streets full of history, the views across endless olive groves, and the remarkably affordable food kept us there all day. We found ourselves racing to El Torcal Natural Park just to make sunset.

This is Andalusia without the tourist crush.

While visitors flock to Ronda and Granada, Antequera remains genuinely Spanish: locals chatting on benches, old men playing cards in the plaza, life moving at a slower pace. It sits at the geographic heart of the region, surrounded by UNESCO sites, yet somehow stays off most itineraries.

That's about to change for you. Here's everything worth doing in one of Andalusia's most underrated towns.

Is Antequera Worth Visiting?

Yes, absolutely.

The dolmens alone justify the trip.

These 5,000-year-old megalithic tombs predate Stonehenge and are completely free to visit. Add the Alcazaba fortress with its sweeping views, El Torcal's otherworldly limestone landscape, and some of the best-value food in Andalusia, and you have a destination that rivals the famous names without the crowds.

Antequera also works brilliantly as a base.

Granada is an hour away. Córdoba is 1.25 hours. Málaga is 45 minutes. The Caminito del Rey walkway is 40 minutes. You can explore the region's biggest attractions while returning each evening to authentic prices and empty restaurants.

The Best Things to Do in Antequera

1. Antequera Dolmens Site (UNESCO World Heritage)

Start your day here. The Menga, Viera, and El Romeral dolmens are a trio of colossal Neolithic burial chambers built over 5,000 years ago, older than Stonehenge and older than the Egyptian pyramids.

These megalithic monuments were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, and entry is completely free. The largest stone at Menga weighs 180 tonnes, and how Neolithic people moved it remains a genuine mystery.

We arrived soon after opening and were already in line. Tour groups can monopolise the narrow entrances, so don't come too late.

Practical details:

• Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9am-6pm (summer until 9pm)
• Cost: Free
• Time needed: 1-1.5 hours
• Getting there: 2km from centre, walkable or short drive

2. El Torcal Natural Park

If you only have time for one activity beyond the town, make it El Torcal. This UNESCO-protected landscape looks like another planet, with bizarre limestone formations sculpted by 150 million years of erosion into towers, arches, and shapes that defy description.

The drive up is steep but the reward is extraordinary.

Walking between formations that dwarf you, spotting fossils embedded in the rock, watching the light change. It's unlike anywhere else in Spain.

Two marked trails:

• Green Trail (1.5km, 45 minutes): Easy loop through the most impressive formations
• Yellow Trail (2.7km, 2 hours): Moderate difficulty, deeper into the park with more unusual shapes and fossil opportunities

The best times to visit are sunrise and the two hours before sunset, when angled light brings out the texture in the rock. Midday light is flat, and summer midday can be dangerously hot with no shade.

Practical details:

• Distance from Antequera: 15km (20 minutes)
• Cost: Free (parking €2)
• Time needed: 1.5-3 hours
• Facilities: Visitor centre with café, toilets

3. The Alcazaba

No visit to Antequera is complete without climbing to the Alcazaba, the Moorish fortress that crowns the town. You can spot it from everywhere in the city, and the views from the top justify the climb.

The fortress was built in the 14th century during the Islamic period, designed to defend against Christian armies pushing south. It's not as grand as Granada's Alhambra, but it has its own charm, and you won't share it with thousands of tourists.

From the ramparts, you get breathtaking views across Antequera's terracotta rooftops, the surrounding hills of olive groves, and the distinctive profile of Peña de los Enamorados in the distance.

Inside, there aren't many exhibits, so I'd recommend joining a guided tour or using the audio guide to understand the history you're walking through.

Practical details:

• Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
• Cost: €6 (combined ticket with Collegiate Church €8)
• Time needed: 45 minutes - 1 hour

4. Royal Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor

Just steps from the Alcazaba stands one of Antequera's most beautiful buildings. Most people call it the "cathedral" (I did too at first), but it's technically a collegiate church that was never fully consecrated.

What makes it special is the architecture.

This was the first Renaissance-style building in Andalusia, dating to the early 1500s. The mix of Gothic and Renaissance elements, the soaring columns, and the ceiling that makes you stop and look up the moment you walk in. It's genuinely impressive.

Inside, we discovered the "Tarasca," a figure that is half serpent and half woman that formed part of the Granada Corpus procession in 1760. Strange and wonderful.

Practical details:

• Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
• Cost: €3 (combined ticket with Alcazaba €8)
• Time needed: 30-45 minutes

5. Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers' Rock)

This distinctive mountain dominates the landscape around Antequera, and its profile (which locals say resembles a sleeping face) comes with one of Andalusia's most tragic legends.

According to the story, during the Moorish period, a Christian girl and a Moorish boy fell in love.

When their families tried to separate them, they climbed the mountain and leapt to their deaths rather than be apart. The "Lovers' Rock" has carried the legend ever since.

The best views are from the dolmens site or from the road approaching Antequera from Málaga. The Menga dolmen is perfectly aligned with the mountain's profile, a connection ancient people made 5,000 years ago.

6. Municipal Museum of Antequera

The Museo de Antequera occupies the stunning Palacio de Nájera on Plaza Coso Viejo, one of the town's most charming squares.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but this museum surprised me. It's one of the most complete in Malaga province.

Across three floors, you'll find archaeological artefacts, Roman sculptures, religious art, and 18th-century paintings.

The highlight is the Efebo de Antequera, a small bronze statue from the Roman period considered one of the most important pieces of classical art in Spain. It was found by farmers in 1955.

Practical details:

• Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-6pm
• Cost: Free
• Time needed: 1 hour

7. Buy Sweets from the Nuns

We were in such a rush to make sunset at El Torcal that we skipped this. On a return trip, I made a special stop just for it, and it was worth it.

Several convents in Antequera still make traditional sweets and sell them through a torno, a revolving wooden door that allows the cloistered nuns to sell without being seen.

You ring the bell, a voice asks what you want, you place your order, put money in the tray, and the sweets appear. It's a uniquely Spanish experience.

The Convento de Carmelitas Descalzas is the most famous, but ask at the tourist office which convents are currently selling. Look for bienmesabe (almond and egg dessert), angelorum, and traditional Spanish biscuits.

8. Wander the Historic Old Town

One of my favourite things about Antequera is that it feels lived-in, not overrun by tourism. Locals go about their day, old men chat on benches, and life moves at a slower pace.

There's no need for a detailed itinerary here. Just wander. But keep an eye out for these spots:

• Plaza de San Sebastián: The main square, surrounded by cafés
• Plaza Coso Viejo: Charming cobbled square by the museum
• Iglesia del Carmen: Beautiful baroque church
• Puerta de Estepa: Historic gate marking the old town entrance
• Mirador de las Almenillas: Viewpoint over the town

The zone around Plaza del Coso Viejo is especially lovely for lunch: cobbled streets, outdoor terraces, people-watching.

9. Plaza de Toros (The Bullring)

Antequera's Plaza de Toros dates from 1848 and remains one of Spain's older bullrings. Even if bullfighting isn't your thing, the architecture and atmosphere are worth a look.

Better yet, the Restaurante Plaza de Toros inside offers dinner with genuine atmosphere: steak, seafood, rice dishes, and excellent local wines surrounded by the ring's whitewashed walls.

10. Breakfast at Bar La Socorrilla

This no-frills local bar near the cathedral perfectly captures everyday Antequera. Order a traditional mollete with tomato (the soft local bread rolls topped with crushed tomato and olive oil) and wash it down with a caña (small draft beer), all for around €2.

It sits across from a beautiful old church, which makes for great photos while you sip your coffee. This is the proper start to a day exploring.

11. Try Porra Antequerana

You cannot visit Antequera without trying its signature dish. Porra antequerana is a cold soup similar to salmorejo but thicker and richer, made from tomatoes, bread, garlic, and excellent local olive oil, topped with hard-boiled egg and jamon.

Locals will tell you it's better than Cordoba's salmorejo. Whether that's true is for you to decide, but eating porra where it was invented feels right.

12. Fuente de Piedra Flamingo Lagoon

About 20km from Antequera lies Laguna de Fuente de Piedra, the largest natural lake in Andalusia and one of Europe's most important flamingo breeding grounds.

Between March and August, thousands of pink flamingos gather here to breed.

The sight of thousands of birds turning the shallow waters pink is extraordinary. Outside breeding season, flamingo numbers vary, so check locally before visiting.

Practical details:

• Distance: 20km (20 minutes)
• Cost: Free
• Best time: March-August for flamingos
• Facilities: Visitor centre, bird hides

13. Day Trip to Caminito del Rey

The famous Caminito del Rey, the cliff-side walkway that clings to the walls of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes gorge, is just 40 minutes from Antequera.

Once called "the world's most dangerous path," it's now been restored as a spectacular (and safe) hiking experience. The 7.7km route passes through tunnels and crosses bridges up to 100m above the river.

Important: Book tickets online well in advance, as they sell out weeks ahead. The walk is one-way, so arrange transport between the two access points.

14. Lobo Park (Wolf Sanctuary)

About 15km from Antequera, Lobo Park offers a different kind of wildlife experience. This sanctuary houses wolves, foxes, and other animals in semi-natural enclosures.

Guided tours explain wolf behaviour and conservation.

It's particularly good for families or anyone interested in wildlife beyond birds. Evening "wolf howl" experiences let you hear the pack communicate at dusk.

15. Watch the Sunset at El Torcal

I'm listing this separately because it deserves emphasis. If you can only visit El Torcal once, make it late afternoon.

As the sun drops, the limestone formations glow gold, then orange, then pink.

Shadows lengthen through the rock maze. The temperature cools. The crowds thin. It's genuinely magical, one of the best sunsets I've experienced in Spain.

Stay after dark if the sky is clear. El Torcal's Starlight Reserve status means exceptional stargazing.

How to Get to Antequera

By car is easiest. The drive from Malaga takes about 45 minutes via the A-45 motorway, with no tolls and straightforward parking in town.

By train, you have two options:

• High-speed AVE trains from Málaga (25-30 minutes) arrive at Antequera-Santa Ana station, 15km from centre. You'll need a taxi (€20) or bus.
• Slower Media Distancia trains (55-75 minutes) drop you at Antequera-Ciudad station, much closer to the old town.

By bus, ALSA runs regular services from Málaga's bus station (just over an hour, €5-8).

Getting Around Antequera

The town divides into two sections: the lower walkable centre, and the upper hill with the Alcazaba and Collegiate Church. The dolmens are 2km outside the centre, walkable but easier by car.

If you're driving, use it strategically.

Start at the Alcazaba before it gets hot, then drive down to avoid the steep climb back up. Parking is plentiful and usually free.

Without a car, be ready to walk.

There aren't many taxis, and no buses run the hills. But every metre of the climb is beautiful.

Where to Eat in Antequera

• Arte de Cozina – Creative Andalusian cuisine in an 18th-century inn
• Bar La Socorrilla – Local breakfast spot, perfect molletes
• Taberna El Rincón de Lola – Excellent tapas, great secreto ibérico
• Mesón Restaurante Reina – Traditional porra antequerana
• Restaurante Plaza de Toros – Atmospheric dining in the bullring

Where to Stay in Antequera

• Parador de Antequera – Modern Parador with views over the dolmens
• Hotel Coso Viejo – Best value in the old town
• Convento La Magdalena – Converted convent with character

Best Time to Visit Antequera

Spring (March-May) and Autumn (September-November) are ideal, with comfortable temperatures for hiking El Torcal and climbing the Alcazaba, wildflowers in spring, and golden light in autumn.

Summer is hot (often 35-40°C). Visit early morning and evening only.

Winter is cool but pleasant for town exploration.