Spotlight: Located in Andalusia, Antequera isn't usually found on most tourist company's lists of must-see places in Spain. However, we found it the perfect place to set up our base camp as we explored southern Spain. Antequera is located in between the four major cities in Andalusia: Cordoba, Sevilla, Malaga and Granada. We found an inexpensive, yet very comfortable and roomy Airbnb there and stayed there for a week, taking day trips to the nearby cities. Yet, even though it doesn't occupy much space in travel brochures, Antequera, with its white homes with red roofs, has some treasures of its own - including a castle and a nature reserve.
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| City of Antequera |
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| A beautiful Antequeran church |
La Alcazaba de Antequera: The Alcazaba de Antequera is a 14th century, rectangular fortress with three towers. It was built by the Moors over the ruins of a Roman fortress in an effort to check the advance of Christian forces into Andalusia. Nevertheless, in 1410 AD, the Castillian forces conquered the city following a six month seige. The moorish residents were exiled to Granada, where they settled in a neighborhood they named Antequeruela. The Christian forces reinforced the city's defenses and built a bell tower/chapel in the largest tower in 1582. This tower is among the largest in all of Andalusia.
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| La Alcazaba de Antequera |
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| Castle interior |
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| Castle Wall |
- Location: Pl. de los Escribanos, s/n, 29200 Antequera
- Hours: 10 am to 6 pm daily (no entrance after 5:30)
- Cost: Adults: 6 euros, Groups: 5 euros each, Children 7-16: 3 euros
- Rating: 3 of 5 stars
El Torcal de Antequera: Located 16 km south of the city limits (about 5 mi. as the crow flies), is the beautiful Torcal de Antequera - a nature reserve. This park can be explored on your own or as part of a guided tour. Although certain areas of the reserve are only accessible through guided tours, there are many paths that are accessible to the general public. We decided to explore on our own, and it was spectacular. If you like unique rock formations, this park has plenty of fascinating formations - including the "Tornillo" (screw) and many similar formations. In fact, the Torcal is considered one of the most impressive karst landscapes in Europe. If you like animals, this park has plenty of them as well. As we were hiking, we heard what sounded like someone banging a hammer. We turned the corner and saw a herd of Spanish ibex. A couple of males were trying to establish their dominance by banging their heads. We also saw a fox searching for its breakfast. Other common animals in the park include: the Montpellier snake, the ocellated lizard, the Griffon vulture, badgers, weasels and other rodents. There are also many caves in the park, including the Cueva del Toro - which has several neolithic artifacts.
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| El Torcal de Antequera |
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| El Tornillo |
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| Hungry fox |
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| Ibex head-butters |
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| Spanish ibex herd |
- Location: Calle el Torcal de Antequera, 70, 75, 29200 Antequera
- Hours: Open 24 hours/day
- Cost: free; guided tours cost between 2 euros - 16 euros, depending on the tour
- Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Things you should know:
- If you desire to visit the Torcal de Antequera with a group or as part of a guided tour, please communicate your plans at: reservas@torcaldeantequera.com. If you plan to tour the park on your own, no advance reservations are needed.
- The best time to visit the Torcal is probably early morning when you are likely to have the park practically to yourselves and are more likely to discover wildlife on the prowl.
- The Torcal Visitors Center has several visitor services including: parking, a tourist information center, tour guide services, a gift shop, cafeteria, interpretive area, a multi-purpose room and an astronomical observatory.
Nearby: El Caminito del Rey - a fabulous hike (50 km west of Antequera); Malaga - a large city located on the Mediterranean Sea (52 km south of Antequera); Sevilla - Spain's most important city during its colonial days (158 km west of Antequera); Cordoba - the Islamic capital of Spain during the height of Al-Andalus (119 km north of Antequera); Granada - home to La Alhambra (101 km east of Antequera).
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