Are you thinking about visiting and wondering what to see in Antequera? If you're coming for a getaway, you can count on us to accompany you, but if not, we've prepared a guide to Antequera so you don't miss a thing.
We organize guided tours of Antequera, guided tours of the dolmens, guided routes in El Torcal, and excursions to El Caminito del Rey. And we know that sometimes you prefer to go at your own pace, so here is a list of the essentials in Antequera. These are the monuments, alleys, and places you can't miss.
We have lots of interesting information for you. What to see in Antequera will no longer be a mystery if you keep reading and browsing to soak up our city.
Be careful! Antequera is your new favorite place and you don't even know it yet.
The essentials of Antequera
So that you don't miss a single detail of our exciting city, we have prepared this guide to help you decide what to see in Antequera. Click on the links for more information.
Visiting Antequera is like traveling back in time to different eras, going back to prehistory and traversing time and its most important stages until we reach the present day.
Antequera, a crossroads, the heart of Andalusia, largely unknown but the perfect setting for immersing yourself in a history rich in monuments, illustrious figures, traditions, and anecdotes.
Antequera: The monumental jewel of Andalusia
Known as the "city of art" and the "city of churches," Antequera is home to one of Andalusia's richest historical and architectural heritages. As you stroll through its cobbled streets, you'll encounter monuments that tell centuries of history.
🔹 The Alcazaba, an 11th-century Arab fortress overlooking the entire city.
🔹 The Royal Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, an impressive Renaissance temple with spectacular views.
🔹 The 16th-century Arco de los Gigantes, which connects to the historic center.
🔹 Plaza de San Sebastián, with its majestic church and the Casa de los Pardo.
🔹 Convento de Belén, where you can try handmade sweets made by cloistered nuns.
But Antequera is not just about history, it's also about flavor. The local cuisine is another of its great attractions, with dishes such as porra antequerana (a kind of thicker gazpacho), bienmesabe (a delicious almond dessert), and mollete antequerano, a traditional bread ideal for breakfast with olive oil and ham.
If you are coming in a group and want to enjoy a complete guided experience, we have the best option for you.
Check out our tours here.
The Dolmens of Antequera: An enigma of prehistory
The Menga, Viera, and El Romeral Dolmens, declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, are one of the most impressive examples of megalithic architecture in Europe. These burial structures, dating back more than 6,000 years, defy logic with their perfection and alignment with the Peña de los Enamorados and El Torcal, making them a true archaeological mystery.
What makes the Dolmens so special is:
🔹 The Menga Dolmen, with a colossal 180-tonne capstone.
🔹 The Viera Dolmen, aligned with the sunrise on the equinoxes.
🔹 The Tholos of El Romeral, with its circular structure and vaulted passageway.
If you want to understand their history and the secrets they hide, we recommend our guided tour with transportation, which also includes the impressive natural landscape of El Torcal.
Find out more here.
El Torcal de Antequera: A landscape unique in the world
El Torcal Natural Park is one of the most impressive karst formations in Europe. Its rock formations, shaped over millions of years by wind and water erosion, create a landscape that looks like something from another planet.
What can you do in El Torcal?
Green Route (1.5 km, low difficulty): Ideal for families and those looking for a short walk. Yellow Route (3 km, medium difficulty): A more in-depth tour of the most striking rock formations. Ammonite Route (4.5 km, medium difficulty): For the more curious, this route crosses less-traveled areas of the park. It can only be done with a guide.
In addition to its impressive geology, El Torcal is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora:
Golden eagles, griffon vultures, and peregrine falcons fly overhead.
Foxes, mountain goats, and badgers hide among the rocks.
Wild orchids and holm oaks dominate the landscape in spring.
Follow the Ammonite Trail and explore this incredible environment with a specialized guide who will help you discover its most fascinating corners.
Caminito del Rey: Spain's most spectacular trail
Located in the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes gorge, the Caminito del Rey is a suspended walkway more than 100 meters above a landscape of impressive cliffs. Formerly known as "the most dangerous trail in the world," it has now been restored and is completely safe, although it remains a thrilling experience.
📌 Is it scary to walk along it?
For those who suffer from vertigo, it can be shocking, but it is completely safe. The walkway is stable and has railings, so it does not pose a real risk.
📌 When is the best time to visit?
🍂 Fall and spring: Mild temperatures and fewer tourists.
🌞 Summer: It can be hot, but the views are still spectacular.
❄ Winter: It may be closed due to rain, but if it is open, the scenery is spectacular.
With our organized excursion from Antequera, forget about the logistics and enjoy this incredible tour with complete peace of mind. More information here.
A brief guide to Antequera
Return to the Neolithic period… visit the Menga and Viera dolmens and the El Romeral tholos, observe and discover their surroundings. This is undoubtedly the best way to understand what made the first settlers of the Vega de Antequera decide to settle here. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2016, the three megalithic constructions and their unique orientations are places where you can feel the weight of rituals and beliefs, as well as the energy and magic they exude.
The Roman era, the era of Anticaria, other nearby settlements, and the beautiful villas in the surrounding area… When we talk about Antequera Monumental today, we cannot forget that around 2,000 years ago, the Romans considered it and named it Anticaria, meaning "the ancient one," thus making it very clear that, according to them, it was already a place with history. Entering the City Museum or visiting the Roman Baths located in the upper part of Antequera allows us to imagine life in a villa, the funeral rites, and, of course, enjoy the Ephebe… It also helps us to understand why all the cultures that passed through this land saw it as an ideal place to settle and then leave us such a heritage, a trace of their presence.
If we wander towards the upper part of town, the Muslim era comes to the fore… The narrow streets of what was once the Medina Antaquira lead us to the Alcazaba, a fortress whose highly defensive nature made the Reconquista a very complicated and important episode, beyond local history, in which Prince Ferdinand I played a special role. The time has come to hear the famous phrase… "Let the sun rise over Antequera and let God's will be done"… And from a viewpoint, observe once again the unique face of the Peña de los Enamorados (Lovers' Rock) and why not… talk about the protagonists of the love story that gives it its name.
We move forward in time, but before heading down to what is now the city center and wandering among endless religious monuments and palaces built mainly between the 16th and 18th centuries, we have one more mandatory stop in the upper part of the city. The old Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, a beautiful design by Diego de Siloe, is a Renaissance building where we can also talk about the Golden Age and its poets.
Visitors are always pleasantly surprised to find themselves surrounded by remarkable monuments in every square and street of Antequera, such as the numerous churches, convents, Baroque chapels, and manor houses with beautiful courtyards.
Without wanting to leave any out, given the charm and richness of each one, we must highlight the churches of El Carmen, Los Remedios, Belén and San Juan de Dios, Baroque jewels where you can enjoy altarpieces, plasterwork and high-quality imagery.
Trying the local cuisine on a terrace, surrounded by dreamlike scenery, is another experience. Getting a feel for the city also means having a Mollete Antequerano for breakfast, ordering a Porra Antequerana, a Bienmesabe, polvorones and mantecados, local dishes, legacies of the past, and tasting them in an open-air museum such as Antequera.
Antequera is modern yet deeply rooted in its traditions, such as Holy Week, various processions and pilgrimages throughout the year, and its fairs… A balance that visitors tend to find very comfortable.
After a tour of the city's intense history, El Torcal de Antequera, a Natural Park declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, offers us the best of a karst landscape. First of all, impressive and mysterious limestone formations, the result of erosion of the seabed of the Tethys Sea, of Jurassic origin.
As we walk through its narrow streets, we also discover a flora of great interest as well as some of the animals that inhabit or inhabited El Torcal, and it is always moving to see the adaptability of both groups in a place with such characteristics.
With this brief guide to Antequera, we hope to have answered the question of what to see in Antequera.
Whether you choose our guided tours of Antequera or visit on your own, we hope it will be an enriching experience and an unforgettable memory.