Alcazaba of Antequera

The fortress that crowns Antequera, high on the hill above the old town. You enter through the Arch of the Giants, from Plaza de los Escribanos, and walk the walls, the Torre Blanca and the Torre del Homenaje, which locals call Papabellotas, with rooms inside and a terrace from which you see the vega, the Peña de los Enamorados and El Torcal.

What you will see

The Torre del Homenaje, from the 14th and 15th centuries, is one of the largest Christian towers in Andalusia and the symbol of the Alcazaba. The Torre Blanca, somewhat smaller and of Nasrid origin, is older and is joined to it by a stretch of wall. The history told by the walls is that of 1410, when the infante Don Fernando took Antequera: a conquest that was key to the taking of Granada eighty years later, and the moment when the city began to grow outside its walls, towards the plain.

From the top you understand the landscape that made Antequera important: the vega, the Peña de los Enamorados, El Torcal and the roads that linked Granada with Málaga.

Opening hours and admission

It is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00, except Tuesdays that are not public holidays or eves of holidays, when it opens from 14:00 to 18:00. Last entry is at 17:15. It costs €5, €4 for ages 8 to 12 and over 65s, and is free up to age 7. The combined ticket with the Royal Collegiate Church of Santa María, next door, costs €8. Dogs are admitted, always on a lead and supervised.

Getting there

Walk up from the centre to Plaza de Santa María: it is a ten-minute uphill climb through the old town. The streets at the top are narrow; leave the car below, in one of the car parks in the centre. Afterwards, go down to the City Museum, which is free, or to the Descalzas Convent Museum.