# A getaway to Antequera, 50 minutes from Málaga: dolmens, the Alcazaba and a guided route through El Torcal

Saturday of dolmens, the Alcazaba and a dinner of Antequera recipes; Sunday at El Torcal with the guided Ammonites Route and lunch at the Torcal Alto.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/antequera/itineraries/antequera-dolmens-and-el-torcal-weekend · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Antequera

In a day Antequera is seen in a rush; with a night you give El Torcal the morning it deserves. Saturday is for the city: the dolmens, which on Saturday are open until 18:00 in autumn and winter, the Alcazaba and a dinner of old recipes. On Sunday you go up early to the Torcal, before the road is cut off, for the guided Ammonites Route.

## Where to sleep?

AccommodationFor whomWhat it has

Parador de AntequeraFamilies, those arriving by busGarden, seasonal pool, playground, free parking

Hostería Arte de CozinaCouples who come to eat wellA 17th-century house in the centre, from €59 a double

Hotel Finca EslavaThose travelling by carAn 18th-century farmhouse with a garden and pool, next to El Romeral

## If you go with children or a dog

With children aged 4 to 8, swap the Ammonites Route for El Torcal en Familia, an hour and a half, at €8.50. The Parador has a pool and a playground. With a dog, remember that animals are not allowed into the dolmens; the Alcazaba and the free trails of the Torcal, yes, on a lead.

## El plan

### Saturday · 11:00 · Menga and Viera dolmens
Free with an EU ID. Start at the Site Museum.

### Saturday · 12:30 · El Romeral tholos
3 km away, with the same ticket.

### Saturday · 14:00 · Lunch in the centre
Leave the car at the hotel or on Plaza de Castilla.

### Saturday · 16:30 · Alcazaba and Collegiate Church
Combined ticket, €8. The last entry is at 17:15: go up in good time for sunset over the vega.

### Saturday · 21:00 · Dinner at Arte de Cozina
Charo Carmona's Antequera recipe book, at the table or the tapas bar.

### Sunday · 9:00 · Up to El Torcal
Before the top car park fills, 15 km on the A-7075.

### Sunday · 10:30 · Ammonites Route
Three hours and 4.5 km with a guide through the Torcal Alto, €13.50. From age 6.

### Sunday · 14:00 · Lunch at the Torcal Alto and the drive back
Porra antequerana and bienmesabe on the terrace. Then 50 minutes to Málaga.

## Un consejo más

Go up to El Torcal before 9:00 on Sunday: you drive all the way to the top and don't depend on the shuttle.

## Cuándo no ir

July and August: the Ammonites Route doesn't run and midday in the old town is very hot.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Málaga to Antequera?
About 50 minutes on the A-45, 49 km.

### Where to sleep in Antequera?
At the Parador, next to the bus station; at Arte de Cozina, in the centre; or at Finca Eslava, on the outskirts.

### Do I need to book the Ammonites Route?
Yes, on the visitor centre website. It runs at weekends and public holidays from September to May.

### How much does the getaway cost?
Between €110 and €190 per person with the night, tickets, the guided route and meals.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Parador de Antequera**: The Parador de Antequera is a modern building, with large glass walls and sober decoration, set in a landscaped area of Paseo García del Olmo, 2, next to the bullring and the bus station. There is no castle or convent behind it: it is one of those Paradores chosen for comfort, light and gardens. From the rooms and the terrace you see the Antequera vega, and at sunset the sun falls over it.
Between the bullring and the bus station
That corner of the city has practical advantages. If you arrive by bus from Málaga or from the airport, you get off next door. If you arrive by car, the outdoor car park is free and has an electric-car charging point, so you leave it there for the whole trip and walk down to the centre in a few minutes. Going up to the Alcazaba and the Collegiate Church of Santa María is a walk with a slope; the Menga and Viera dolmens, at the other end, are better done by car. El Torcal is about 12 km away according to the Parador, and golf 8.
The Parador itself gives road distances: 49 km to Málaga, 99 to Granada, 122 to Córdoba and 150 to Seville. That is why it works as a base for exploring Andalusia from the centre.
Four room types
There are standard doubles, superior doubles, junior suites and accessible doubles. All have air conditioning, a flat-screen television with Chromecast, a minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop, a hairdryer and free wifi. There is room service, breakfast in the room and laundry. Prices change with the date and are checked in the calendar on its website, with room-only, bed-and-breakfast or half-board rates; members of the Amigos de Paradores programme get 5% off online bookings.
Garden, pool and restaurant
The garden has a seasonal pool and a playground, so it suits families with small children. The Parador restaurant serves Antequera and Málaga-coast cooking in a glass-walled dining room, and there is a terrace for a drink. The Parador is set up for cycle tourists and has four function rooms; the largest, Infante Don Fernando, holds up to 200 people for a cocktail reception, so some weekends you will coincide with a wedding.
What the listing does not make clear
The Paradores website does not give details here of the pool dates or the conditions for dogs: reception can answer, on 952 840 261 or at antequera@parador.es. Rooms with a view of the vega depend on availability; ask for one when you book.
- **Arte de Cozina Guesthouse**, desde 59 € / night: The Arte de Cozina guesthouse is the rooms of Charo Carmona's house, on the first and second floors of a 17th-century Antequera building at Calle Calzada, 27-29, which was once part of the palace of the Baron of Sabasona. On the ground floor is its Antequera-cuisine restaurant, which is the reason many people choose to sleep here. Antequera Tourism lists it as a two-star guesthouse: a small house, without a big-hotel reception or a pool, designed for sleeping in the centre and setting out on foot.
Calle Calzada: on foot to the Alcazaba
Calle Calzada runs down from the historic quarter towards Plaza de San Sebastián, which is about five minutes' walk away. From the door you walk up to the Alcazaba and the Collegiate Church of Santa María, and down to the museums in the centre without moving the car. The Menga and Viera dolmens are on the outskirts, on the road out towards Granada: you can get there on a long walk or a short trip by car or urban bus.
Four room types and their prices
The website publishes four types with a "from" price: single from €51 a night, standard double from €59, superior double from €67 and triple, with three beds, from €86. All have a private bathroom, air conditioning, heating and linen, and guests can borrow books from the house library. The website does not give sizes or views for each room: if a double bed or a street-facing window matters to you, ask for it when booking.
When you book on its website, the house advertises the best price, no booking fees, a 5% discount if you pay at the hotel and 14% if you stay two nights or more. Early check-in and late check-out depend on availability that day. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times or whether breakfast is included: ask on 952 840 014 or at info@artedecozina.com.
Car, train or bus
The house has no parking of its own. The nearest is the Plaza de Castilla car park, open 24 hours, and there are free areas at La Moraleda and Paseo de los Colegiales, all listed in the car parks in the centre entry. Parking in the narrow streets of the old town is difficult, so leave the car and walk up with your suitcase.
Without a car, the bus station, on Paseo García del Olmo, is about a fifteen-minute walk away; the high-speed train station, Antequera AV, is about two kilometres away and reached by taxi or the urban bus shuttle.
Who it suits
It suits you if you are travelling to eat well and see the centre on foot, as a couple, alone or with a child in the triple. If you are after a pool, a garden or parking at the door, the Parador or the cortijo of Finca Eslava, on the outskirts, suit better. The website does not say whether dogs are admitted: check before arriving with one.
- **Hotel Restaurante Finca Eslava**: Finca Eslava is a four-star hotel set in an 18th-century Andalusian cortijo, at kilometre 120 of the Córdoba road, on the northern edge of Antequera. Around the farmhouse there are gardens, patios, a pool and marquees, and in the cortijo's old outbuildings (the grain lofts, the press, the caretakers' quarters) banquets and meetings are held. It has its own restaurant and a sports club, Aquaslava, with a gym, a spinning room and massages.
Outside the old town, with the car at the door
The location decides whether it suits you. The hotel is on the outskirts, in a countryside setting, and the historic centre is not comfortably reached on foot: to go up to the Alcazaba or dine on Calle Calzada you need a car or a taxi. In return, the motorway is next door: you arrive by the A-45 from Málaga or Córdoba and by the A-92 from Granada or Seville, without crossing the centre. The Menga and Viera dolmens and the El Romeral tholos are a few minutes by car, and El Torcal about half an hour.
Cortijo rooms
The website offers doubles with a double bed, twins with two beds, doubles with an extra bed for a third guest and junior suites. The rooms keep the feel of the cortijo, with timber beams and whitewashed walls, and have air conditioning and free wifi. The website does not publish fixed prices: the price comes up in the search tool according to the date. Booking there, it advertises a 15% discount and a further 10% on a non-refundable rate.
Offers with dinner
The hotel restaurant is part of its packages. The "Escapada con cena" (Dinner getaway) includes one night in a double, breakfast, a three-course dinner, a welcome cava and free parking. The "Especial parejas" (Couples special) adds an à la carte dinner for two, with drinks up to €20, breakfast and access to the sports club. If you do not book a package, ask whether breakfast is included in the rate.
The spa, closed for works
In November 2026 the website warns that the spa remains closed until further notice because of maintenance and refurbishment works at the sports centre. If the spa is the reason for your trip, confirm before booking that it has reopened. The gym and the garden pool are facilities separate from the spa.
Who it is for
It is a good base if you travel by car and want to park without a struggle, with children who need a garden, or if you are going to a celebration at the cortijo itself. If you prefer to walk out to dinner in the old town, the Parador, next to the bus station, or the rooms at Arte de Cozina on Calle Calzada put you closer. The website does not say whether dogs are admitted or what the check-in and check-out times are: ask on 952 844 934.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Parador de Antequera**: The Parador de Antequera is a modern building, with large glass walls and sober decoration, set in a landscaped area of Paseo García del Olmo, 2, next to the bullring and the bus station. There is no castle or convent behind it: it is one of those Paradores chosen for comfort, light and gardens. From the rooms and the terrace you see the Antequera vega, and at sunset the sun falls over it.
Between the bullring and the bus station
That corner of the city has practical advantages. If you arrive by bus from Málaga or from the airport, you get off next door. If you arrive by car, the outdoor car park is free and has an electric-car charging point, so you leave it there for the whole trip and walk down to the centre in a few minutes. Going up to the Alcazaba and the Collegiate Church of Santa María is a walk with a slope; the Menga and Viera dolmens, at the other end, are better done by car. El Torcal is about 12 km away according to the Parador, and golf 8.
The Parador itself gives road distances: 49 km to Málaga, 99 to Granada, 122 to Córdoba and 150 to Seville. That is why it works as a base for exploring Andalusia from the centre.
Four room types
There are standard doubles, superior doubles, junior suites and accessible doubles. All have air conditioning, a flat-screen television with Chromecast, a minibar, a safe big enough for a laptop, a hairdryer and free wifi. There is room service, breakfast in the room and laundry. Prices change with the date and are checked in the calendar on its website, with room-only, bed-and-breakfast or half-board rates; members of the Amigos de Paradores programme get 5% off online bookings.
Garden, pool and restaurant
The garden has a seasonal pool and a playground, so it suits families with small children. The Parador restaurant serves Antequera and Málaga-coast cooking in a glass-walled dining room, and there is a terrace for a drink. The Parador is set up for cycle tourists and has four function rooms; the largest, Infante Don Fernando, holds up to 200 people for a cocktail reception, so some weekends you will coincide with a wedding.
What the listing does not make clear
The Paradores website does not give details here of the pool dates or the conditions for dogs: reception can answer, on 952 840 261 or at antequera@parador.es. Rooms with a view of the vega depend on availability; ask for one when you book.
- **Arte de Cozina Guesthouse**, desde 59 € / night: The Arte de Cozina guesthouse is the rooms of Charo Carmona's house, on the first and second floors of a 17th-century Antequera building at Calle Calzada, 27-29, which was once part of the palace of the Baron of Sabasona. On the ground floor is its Antequera-cuisine restaurant, which is the reason many people choose to sleep here. Antequera Tourism lists it as a two-star guesthouse: a small house, without a big-hotel reception or a pool, designed for sleeping in the centre and setting out on foot.
Calle Calzada: on foot to the Alcazaba
Calle Calzada runs down from the historic quarter towards Plaza de San Sebastián, which is about five minutes' walk away. From the door you walk up to the Alcazaba and the Collegiate Church of Santa María, and down to the museums in the centre without moving the car. The Menga and Viera dolmens are on the outskirts, on the road out towards Granada: you can get there on a long walk or a short trip by car or urban bus.
Four room types and their prices
The website publishes four types with a "from" price: single from €51 a night, standard double from €59, superior double from €67 and triple, with three beds, from €86. All have a private bathroom, air conditioning, heating and linen, and guests can borrow books from the house library. The website does not give sizes or views for each room: if a double bed or a street-facing window matters to you, ask for it when booking.
When you book on its website, the house advertises the best price, no booking fees, a 5% discount if you pay at the hotel and 14% if you stay two nights or more. Early check-in and late check-out depend on availability that day. The website does not publish check-in and check-out times or whether breakfast is included: ask on 952 840 014 or at info@artedecozina.com.
Car, train or bus
The house has no parking of its own. The nearest is the Plaza de Castilla car park, open 24 hours, and there are free areas at La Moraleda and Paseo de los Colegiales, all listed in the car parks in the centre entry. Parking in the narrow streets of the old town is difficult, so leave the car and walk up with your suitcase.
Without a car, the bus station, on Paseo García del Olmo, is about a fifteen-minute walk away; the high-speed train station, Antequera AV, is about two kilometres away and reached by taxi or the urban bus shuttle.
Who it suits
It suits you if you are travelling to eat well and see the centre on foot, as a couple, alone or with a child in the triple. If you are after a pool, a garden or parking at the door, the Parador or the cortijo of Finca Eslava, on the outskirts, suit better. The website does not say whether dogs are admitted: check before arriving with one.