Day 3, Wednesday
Day trip to Álora and Caminito del Rey
Ever since I read about Caminito del Rey (CdR) in the guidebook, it has been on my no.1 to-do list. I put this at the start of our trip in case of weather cancellations, esp in light of the storms in Jan/early Feb. If we had to cancel, at least I hope I can rebook for later on in our stay.
I first looked into visitng CdR on our own via public transit. It is potentially doable but logistically complicated with little room for error. Then I looked into organized tour including transport to/from Malaga (via get your guide). I dislike booking via 3rd party sites so after some research, I found aloratur (they advertise on get your guide). At first I was going to take their CdR tour, but looking around on their website I found they also offer a combined Álora + tapas lunch + CdR tour, for just a few euros more. To me, it seems like a no-brainer to take the latter tour, since either tour takes up the whole day anyway, and we get to visit an extra town plus lunch included. Álora is a hilly white village with an Arab castle on the hilltop.
The price for the tour is normally €62pp, but I noticed they were offering discounts as the date gets closer, so I kept checking and waited until 3 weeks prior when the price was slashed to €57pp. As I said, i booked directly on Aloratur website. later on at the end of our tour, our guide told us that when people book via 3rd party sites, they only get 75% of the payment; the 3rd party site takes 25%. Only my son and I went - my SIL has a fear of heights so she stayed in Malaga.
The tour bus departs next to the Malaga train station at 9:15am. We decided to walk there from our AirBnB, which is a 25-min walk. So yes, that's an early start for my son. We arrived at 9am (they asked us to arrive 15 mins early) and whoa, more than half of the bus was full already. Most of the people are European - we did not hear any American English spoken. The trip to Álora took about 45 minutes, during which our guide, JJ, gave us some narrative. He's a v good guide with special interests in flora and fauna. The bus passes through the Guadalhorce river valley so both sides of the highway were citrus farms (oranges, lemons, mandarins). Later he pointed out almond trees (white flower ones are good for plain eating, pink flower variety is bitter and used for cooking), and various olive trees. He speaks excellent British English (he taught french and spanish in London for many years). After the bus parks at the designated parking lot in Álora (~ 10am), we followed him with a fast-paced, steep hike to the Arab Castle. There, a colleage of his met us and we were split into 2 groups (~ 25ppl each) so it's easier to tour. The castle is smaller than the one in Malaga but perched on the hilltop with a sweeping view of the town and the valley.
View of Guadalhorce river valley from Álora Arab Castle
View of the village of Álora from the Arab Castle
After the castle we walked to the town "center" where the main church is, and a small museum next door. We were free to visit both, and honestly had a bit too much time but I think the tour had time to kill before our lunch reservation. We then followed the guides through the narrow streets lined with houses with whitewashed walls, decoarted with iron grills and flower pots, and got to the restaurant, La Taberna del Caminito around 12pm. There, we were separated into smaller tables... we paired ourselves with a young couple from Franconia Germany and had some lively conversations with them. I did not think the food was that great, but I also think our table got skipped over a few dishes? We did have >50ppl and it's possible that they messed up the orders.
Typical narrow and steep streets of Álora
typical iron grille with decorative holders for flower pots
After lunch we walked back through town to get back on the bus, and made our way to Caminito del Rey, but not before a bathroom stop - I'm unclear exactly where this bathroom stop was but it was the last "nice" bathroom before the hike. Finally we got to CdR parking lot (the "kiosk"). When we got off the bus, another Aloratur staff handed each of us a goodie bag - it's a nice sturdy sling bag with a bottled water, a granola bar, and a packet of kleenex tissues - quite a nice touch. From there, it's a good walk to get to the *start* of the CdR walk, where we waited for our turns to get helmets. By then it was 3pm when we began our walk.
The walk is amazing! The first canyon was already spectacular, with its steep hills and deep gorge. A few downsides with being on a group - you have to keep up with the pace and can't really slow down. And when JJ is talking at the front, it's impossible to hear him. The water is loud (probably more so with all that rain), and the path is narrow so we are walking single file. He does have several quieter spots where he stopped and gave us longer narrative, but if he saw something while walking and pointed it out, those of us in the back have no idea what it's about.
[If you go there on your own and take the official CdR guided tours, their guides have microphones and wireless earpieces for the tours]
First gorge along Caminito del Rey
The second part of the walk is in an open valley a bit away from the river, where we saw some goats, vultures, and other interesting vegetation, before we return to the cliffside for the final canyon,the Gaitanes gorge, the most impressive part! JJ also told us about the geology of the gorges, plus some other interesting plants and animals that live in the valley. The most photographed part of CdR is the "hanging bridge." It was a windy day so crossing it is a bit scary! After the bridge is the end of the walk, but from there to get to the actual EXIT is another 15-min uphill walk. We were walking CdR for 2 full hours, and when we reached the exit, we were told we have 30 minutes to relax, grab a bite and do some souvernir shopping.
Final gorge - you can see the dangerous old walkway (below) and the new & very safe new walkway (above)
The famous hanging bridge at the end of the walk
Okay a funny thing - when I plan my trips, I put up itinerary and links in Notes - which my son has access to on his ipad. I always encourage him to read about our trips in advance, do research, look at the maps/links etc, but he never seems to take up my suggestions. So he has ZERO idea of what Caminito del Rey is about. Sometimes not knowing might be even more fun? For me, I know exactly what the place looks like (website, instagram etc) though I was still awed. For him, it was just AMAZING. Amazing enough that he wanted to buy a CdR t-shirt from the souvenir shop. Knowing him, he doesn't do this unless he was thoroughly impressed. So he got a T-shirt (€14) a postcard (€1) and we each got an ice cream (€3,50 each).
Finally we got back on the bus close to 6pm, and didn't get back to Malaga until 7pm. If you look at the tour description, the duration was 8 hours, but in fact we were gone for close to 10 hours. No complaints from me but it is really a full day.
It was difficult to decide what to do for dinner; in the end we stopped at the big grocery store Mercadona inside the train station complex to pick up some quick-to-cook meals to make at home, and also some more breakfast provisions (€24 total). Between Álora and CdR, we clocked in at >20000 steps that day so we decided to take the bus (€1,40pp) back to our AirBnb instead of walking another mile back.
Day trip to Álora and Caminito del Rey
Ever since I read about Caminito del Rey (CdR) in the guidebook, it has been on my no.1 to-do list. I put this at the start of our trip in case of weather cancellations, esp in light of the storms in Jan/early Feb. If we had to cancel, at least I hope I can rebook for later on in our stay.
I first looked into visitng CdR on our own via public transit. It is potentially doable but logistically complicated with little room for error. Then I looked into organized tour including transport to/from Malaga (via get your guide). I dislike booking via 3rd party sites so after some research, I found aloratur (they advertise on get your guide). At first I was going to take their CdR tour, but looking around on their website I found they also offer a combined Álora + tapas lunch + CdR tour, for just a few euros more. To me, it seems like a no-brainer to take the latter tour, since either tour takes up the whole day anyway, and we get to visit an extra town plus lunch included. Álora is a hilly white village with an Arab castle on the hilltop.
The price for the tour is normally €62pp, but I noticed they were offering discounts as the date gets closer, so I kept checking and waited until 3 weeks prior when the price was slashed to €57pp. As I said, i booked directly on Aloratur website. later on at the end of our tour, our guide told us that when people book via 3rd party sites, they only get 75% of the payment; the 3rd party site takes 25%. Only my son and I went - my SIL has a fear of heights so she stayed in Malaga.
The tour bus departs next to the Malaga train station at 9:15am. We decided to walk there from our AirBnB, which is a 25-min walk. So yes, that's an early start for my son. We arrived at 9am (they asked us to arrive 15 mins early) and whoa, more than half of the bus was full already. Most of the people are European - we did not hear any American English spoken. The trip to Álora took about 45 minutes, during which our guide, JJ, gave us some narrative. He's a v good guide with special interests in flora and fauna. The bus passes through the Guadalhorce river valley so both sides of the highway were citrus farms (oranges, lemons, mandarins). Later he pointed out almond trees (white flower ones are good for plain eating, pink flower variety is bitter and used for cooking), and various olive trees. He speaks excellent British English (he taught french and spanish in London for many years). After the bus parks at the designated parking lot in Álora (~ 10am), we followed him with a fast-paced, steep hike to the Arab Castle. There, a colleage of his met us and we were split into 2 groups (~ 25ppl each) so it's easier to tour. The castle is smaller than the one in Malaga but perched on the hilltop with a sweeping view of the town and the valley.
View of Guadalhorce river valley from Álora Arab Castle
View of the village of Álora from the Arab Castle
After the castle we walked to the town "center" where the main church is, and a small museum next door. We were free to visit both, and honestly had a bit too much time but I think the tour had time to kill before our lunch reservation. We then followed the guides through the narrow streets lined with houses with whitewashed walls, decoarted with iron grills and flower pots, and got to the restaurant, La Taberna del Caminito around 12pm. There, we were separated into smaller tables... we paired ourselves with a young couple from Franconia Germany and had some lively conversations with them. I did not think the food was that great, but I also think our table got skipped over a few dishes? We did have >50ppl and it's possible that they messed up the orders.
Typical narrow and steep streets of Álora
typical iron grille with decorative holders for flower pots
After lunch we walked back through town to get back on the bus, and made our way to Caminito del Rey, but not before a bathroom stop - I'm unclear exactly where this bathroom stop was but it was the last "nice" bathroom before the hike. Finally we got to CdR parking lot (the "kiosk"). When we got off the bus, another Aloratur staff handed each of us a goodie bag - it's a nice sturdy sling bag with a bottled water, a granola bar, and a packet of kleenex tissues - quite a nice touch. From there, it's a good walk to get to the *start* of the CdR walk, where we waited for our turns to get helmets. By then it was 3pm when we began our walk.
The walk is amazing! The first canyon was already spectacular, with its steep hills and deep gorge. A few downsides with being on a group - you have to keep up with the pace and can't really slow down. And when JJ is talking at the front, it's impossible to hear him. The water is loud (probably more so with all that rain), and the path is narrow so we are walking single file. He does have several quieter spots where he stopped and gave us longer narrative, but if he saw something while walking and pointed it out, those of us in the back have no idea what it's about.
[If you go there on your own and take the official CdR guided tours, their guides have microphones and wireless earpieces for the tours]
First gorge along Caminito del Rey
The second part of the walk is in an open valley a bit away from the river, where we saw some goats, vultures, and other interesting vegetation, before we return to the cliffside for the final canyon,the Gaitanes gorge, the most impressive part! JJ also told us about the geology of the gorges, plus some other interesting plants and animals that live in the valley. The most photographed part of CdR is the "hanging bridge." It was a windy day so crossing it is a bit scary! After the bridge is the end of the walk, but from there to get to the actual EXIT is another 15-min uphill walk. We were walking CdR for 2 full hours, and when we reached the exit, we were told we have 30 minutes to relax, grab a bite and do some souvernir shopping.
Final gorge - you can see the dangerous old walkway (below) and the new & very safe new walkway (above)
The famous hanging bridge at the end of the walk
Okay a funny thing - when I plan my trips, I put up itinerary and links in Notes - which my son has access to on his ipad. I always encourage him to read about our trips in advance, do research, look at the maps/links etc, but he never seems to take up my suggestions. So he has ZERO idea of what Caminito del Rey is about. Sometimes not knowing might be even more fun? For me, I know exactly what the place looks like (website, instagram etc) though I was still awed. For him, it was just AMAZING. Amazing enough that he wanted to buy a CdR t-shirt from the souvenir shop. Knowing him, he doesn't do this unless he was thoroughly impressed. So he got a T-shirt (€14) a postcard (€1) and we each got an ice cream (€3,50 each).
Finally we got back on the bus close to 6pm, and didn't get back to Malaga until 7pm. If you look at the tour description, the duration was 8 hours, but in fact we were gone for close to 10 hours. No complaints from me but it is really a full day.
It was difficult to decide what to do for dinner; in the end we stopped at the big grocery store Mercadona inside the train station complex to pick up some quick-to-cook meals to make at home, and also some more breakfast provisions (€24 total). Between Álora and CdR, we clocked in at >20000 steps that day so we decided to take the bus (€1,40pp) back to our AirBnb instead of walking another mile back.
Very nice report, as per usual for YK.
YK, re: your interest in Valencia and Bilbao, my husband and I did that trip 11 months ago. We did not go to San Sebastián, but it is close to Bilbao.
YMMV. We flew to Madrid and transferred to a flight to Valencia. I think we spent four night there. The park created out of a former riverbed is great. The market is great. Calatrava, a native son, has a complex of many buildings, in lieu of a bridge. He does seem to have bridges everywhere. Valencia is very charming.
Then we flew to Bilbao. I must say, my first glimpse of the Guggenheim was thrilling…as were my subsequent times gazing at it, photographing it, etc. Touring it was wonderful, too.
In Valencia, we stayed at a hotel very close to the market. Details if you want them.
In Bilbao, we stayed in a hotel very close to the museum. It was easy to walk back and forth to the older part of town along the river. Yes, Calatrava has a bridge there. The market in Bilbao is skippable. I think we stayed three nights. Then we flew back to the US, again, changing in Madrid.
i do hope you get to go with your translator!
YK, re: your interest in Valencia and Bilbao, my husband and I did that trip 11 months ago. We did not go to San Sebastián, but it is close to Bilbao.
YMMV. We flew to Madrid and transferred to a flight to Valencia. I think we spent four night there. The park created out of a former riverbed is great. The market is great. Calatrava, a native son, has a complex of many buildings, in lieu of a bridge. He does seem to have bridges everywhere. Valencia is very charming.
Then we flew to Bilbao. I must say, my first glimpse of the Guggenheim was thrilling…as were my subsequent times gazing at it, photographing it, etc. Touring it was wonderful, too.
In Valencia, we stayed at a hotel very close to the market. Details if you want them.
In Bilbao, we stayed in a hotel very close to the museum. It was easy to walk back and forth to the older part of town along the river. Yes, Calatrava has a bridge there. The market in Bilbao is skippable. I think we stayed three nights. Then we flew back to the US, again, changing in Madrid.
i do hope you get to go with your translator!
sassy27 & Adelaidean thanks for your comments and for following along!
Quote:
YK, re: your interest in Valencia and Bilbao, my husband and I did that trip 11 months ago. We did not go to San Sebastián, but it is close to Bilbao.
YMMV. We flew to Madrid and transferred to a flight to Valencia. I think we spent four night there. The park created out of a former riverbed is great. The market is great. Calatrava, a native son, has a complex of many buildings, in lieu of a bridge. He does seem to have bridges everywhere. Valencia is very charming.
Then we flew to Bilbao. I must say, my first glimpse of the Guggenheim was thrilling…as were my subsequent times gazing at it, photographing it, etc. Touring it was wonderful, too.
In Valencia, we stayed at a hotel very close to the market. Details if you want them.
In Bilbao, we stayed in a hotel very close to the museum. It was easy to walk back and forth to the older part of town along the river. Yes, Calatrava has a bridge there. The market in Bilbao is skippable. I think we stayed three nights. Then we flew back to the US, again, changing in Madrid.
i do hope you get to go with your translator!
NYCMOM50 Thanks for all the tips! As I said early on, I don't love Spain as much as I do some other european countries (eg Switzerland, Germany etc), but this trip made me reconsider. My problem is, so many places to go, so little time. But seeing how my son was able to converse and communicate easily, maybe we will try another trip to Spain in a year or two. I take that you went in April? hopefully not Easter, or did you go during Easter on purpose? Incidentally a local friend of mine was in Bilbao the same week we were in Malaga and she said she really enjoyed it (and San Sebastian). They were supposed to fly home one day before us (on Monday), but because of the blizzard, their flight home was cancelled and was put on the next available flight on ... saturday! So they ended up staying in Bilboa for an additional 5 days (she had to work remotely that week).Originally Posted by NYCMOM50
Very nice report, as per usual for YK.YK, re: your interest in Valencia and Bilbao, my husband and I did that trip 11 months ago. We did not go to San Sebastián, but it is close to Bilbao.
YMMV. We flew to Madrid and transferred to a flight to Valencia. I think we spent four night there. The park created out of a former riverbed is great. The market is great. Calatrava, a native son, has a complex of many buildings, in lieu of a bridge. He does seem to have bridges everywhere. Valencia is very charming.
Then we flew to Bilbao. I must say, my first glimpse of the Guggenheim was thrilling…as were my subsequent times gazing at it, photographing it, etc. Touring it was wonderful, too.
In Valencia, we stayed at a hotel very close to the market. Details if you want them.
In Bilbao, we stayed in a hotel very close to the museum. It was easy to walk back and forth to the older part of town along the river. Yes, Calatrava has a bridge there. The market in Bilbao is skippable. I think we stayed three nights. Then we flew back to the US, again, changing in Madrid.
i do hope you get to go with your translator!
We left Spain before Easter but enjoyed seeing some Palm Sunday and Holy Week activities. Nothing was closed while there. And it was still off season for tourists. I know school spring breaks in the US occur at a range of times but we did not see many families or college students on breaks.
I like off-season travel and can do it. We were not seeking beach weather…nor did we have it.
I like off-season travel and can do it. We were not seeking beach weather…nor did we have it.
Oh wow! Now there is talk about Bilbao here. I am actually booked to visit there this coming August. I booked some tours already as I think its going to be a busy time to visit. My Spanish isn't as good as your son's yk. It's actually pretty bad but I try.
Day 4, Thursday, Malaga
Tapas food tour; Picasso Museum; sunset
After the long day trip yesteray, my son was delighted to know he could sleep in, as our first event of the day doesn't start until 11am. I took the advantage of a free morning to do laundry. We are carry-on people so we can only bring a max of 4-5 days' worth of clothing, and finding an AirBnB with a washer was one of my requirements. I never can understand how European washing machines take 3 hrs to do a cycle though. We barely managed to hang up all our clothes on the rack before rushing off to join the 3.5-hr Original Malaga Market and Tapas Tour, offered by Spain Food Sherpas.
Luckily the tour also meet at the entrance to C. Larios, which is < 5-min walk from our apartment. We arrived right at 11am even though we were supposed to get there 10 minutes early, and we were the last to arrive. The max # of ppl on the tour is 12, but on that day there were only 9. Our guide Felipe, first took us to Atarazanas Market. Atarazanas mean shipyard as it used to be the shipyard. The market is divided into 3 sections: fish/seafood in the middle; meat on the left; fruits/veggies on the right. We started right in the middle section near the entrance at a seafood bar called Cafe Bar Mercado Ataranzanas. Felipe introduced us to boquerones, a popular local dish of fried anchovies. My son, who is not a big fan of fish, decided to give it a try, and really enjoyed it! Felipe also got a couple of plates of fried eggplant sticks that's drizzled with molasses, and Padrón peppers, which tastes a lot like Shishito peppers we have here at home. The tour also includes alcholic drinks but I don't drink.
Then we followed him around the market where he showed us all sorts of seafoods, then over to the meat section showing the different cuts of meats, and then of course the different types of Jamón Ibérico. We also tried samples of cheeses, including the local cheese called Payoyo. Over on the fruits & veggies section, we stopped at an olive store and tried a number of different olives. The Spanish olives taste quite different than what we usually get at home (I suspect Greek)? One type I like a lot is called Rondeña, which we later went back to buy more. At the same olive stall, they also sell dried fruits, almonds, and also dried fig stuffed with an almond. We were in the Market for over an hour and it got pretty busy by the time we left.
Our next place is El Almacen del Indiano on C Cisneros, where we tried more Payoyo cheese and meats, including blood sausage. We also had samples of local Malaga wine. After that, our 3rd stop is Taberna Cofrade Las Merchanas on C. Mosquera. It's an interesting place as it is covered with religious icons, symbols, paintings from floor to ceiling. Here we had 2 pretty traditional dishes - tortilla española and pork cooked in wine. Finally, our last stop is a modern Spanish restaurant, Balcón de las Flores, on C.Martinez, very different in style and atmosphere from the religious place. Here they prepared 2 dishes for us, one is seared tuna, the other is a beef skewer that is flavored with moorish-style spices.
The tour is definitely not cheap - €73 for adults and €63 for my son. Some will say that it costs way less if we go and order these foods ourselves. Yes, that is true, but what we also got was a much better understanding of the gastronomy in Andalusia. We got to try many things that we haven't had before, and wouldn't even know how to / what to order. What is more is my son, again not the most adventurous eater, tried almost every food on the tour. I can say for sure that if it were me telling him to try them, he would not do so. But being on the tour, learning and understanding about the foods, plus a bit of peer pressure from our tour group and our guide, he tried them and he liked almost everything he ate. Felipe also conversed with my son in Spanish when we were walking from one place to another. Anyway, to me, it was worth every euro cent. My SIL also enjoyed the tour a lot, and we treated her as her birthday present (her birthday is in early March).
Boquerones (fried anchovies)
fried eggplant sticks drizzled with molasses
heart-shaped dried fig stuffed with almond
Rondeña olives
tasting of cheese and ham, blood sausage
tortilla espanola
braised pork in wine sauce
seared tuna with carmelized onions
beef skewer with moorish spices
To be continued...
Tapas food tour; Picasso Museum; sunset
After the long day trip yesteray, my son was delighted to know he could sleep in, as our first event of the day doesn't start until 11am. I took the advantage of a free morning to do laundry. We are carry-on people so we can only bring a max of 4-5 days' worth of clothing, and finding an AirBnB with a washer was one of my requirements. I never can understand how European washing machines take 3 hrs to do a cycle though. We barely managed to hang up all our clothes on the rack before rushing off to join the 3.5-hr Original Malaga Market and Tapas Tour, offered by Spain Food Sherpas.
Luckily the tour also meet at the entrance to C. Larios, which is < 5-min walk from our apartment. We arrived right at 11am even though we were supposed to get there 10 minutes early, and we were the last to arrive. The max # of ppl on the tour is 12, but on that day there were only 9. Our guide Felipe, first took us to Atarazanas Market. Atarazanas mean shipyard as it used to be the shipyard. The market is divided into 3 sections: fish/seafood in the middle; meat on the left; fruits/veggies on the right. We started right in the middle section near the entrance at a seafood bar called Cafe Bar Mercado Ataranzanas. Felipe introduced us to boquerones, a popular local dish of fried anchovies. My son, who is not a big fan of fish, decided to give it a try, and really enjoyed it! Felipe also got a couple of plates of fried eggplant sticks that's drizzled with molasses, and Padrón peppers, which tastes a lot like Shishito peppers we have here at home. The tour also includes alcholic drinks but I don't drink.
Then we followed him around the market where he showed us all sorts of seafoods, then over to the meat section showing the different cuts of meats, and then of course the different types of Jamón Ibérico. We also tried samples of cheeses, including the local cheese called Payoyo. Over on the fruits & veggies section, we stopped at an olive store and tried a number of different olives. The Spanish olives taste quite different than what we usually get at home (I suspect Greek)? One type I like a lot is called Rondeña, which we later went back to buy more. At the same olive stall, they also sell dried fruits, almonds, and also dried fig stuffed with an almond. We were in the Market for over an hour and it got pretty busy by the time we left.
Our next place is El Almacen del Indiano on C Cisneros, where we tried more Payoyo cheese and meats, including blood sausage. We also had samples of local Malaga wine. After that, our 3rd stop is Taberna Cofrade Las Merchanas on C. Mosquera. It's an interesting place as it is covered with religious icons, symbols, paintings from floor to ceiling. Here we had 2 pretty traditional dishes - tortilla española and pork cooked in wine. Finally, our last stop is a modern Spanish restaurant, Balcón de las Flores, on C.Martinez, very different in style and atmosphere from the religious place. Here they prepared 2 dishes for us, one is seared tuna, the other is a beef skewer that is flavored with moorish-style spices.
The tour is definitely not cheap - €73 for adults and €63 for my son. Some will say that it costs way less if we go and order these foods ourselves. Yes, that is true, but what we also got was a much better understanding of the gastronomy in Andalusia. We got to try many things that we haven't had before, and wouldn't even know how to / what to order. What is more is my son, again not the most adventurous eater, tried almost every food on the tour. I can say for sure that if it were me telling him to try them, he would not do so. But being on the tour, learning and understanding about the foods, plus a bit of peer pressure from our tour group and our guide, he tried them and he liked almost everything he ate. Felipe also conversed with my son in Spanish when we were walking from one place to another. Anyway, to me, it was worth every euro cent. My SIL also enjoyed the tour a lot, and we treated her as her birthday present (her birthday is in early March).
Boquerones (fried anchovies)
fried eggplant sticks drizzled with molasses
heart-shaped dried fig stuffed with almond
Rondeña olives
tasting of cheese and ham, blood sausage
tortilla espanola
braised pork in wine sauce
seared tuna with carmelized onions
beef skewer with moorish spices
To be continued...
Day 4, Thursday, Malaga
Tapas food tour; Picasso Museum; sunset
continuing where I left off... Our Tapas tour was 3.5 hours from 11am-2:30pm. After the tour concluded (it was close to 2:45pm when we left the last restaurant), we rushed back to Mercado Ataranzanas to buy my now-favorite olives, the Rondeña. They sell various olives in bulk and also in pre-packed vacuum packs for plane. I bought a small container plus a vaccum pack (€11 total), then over to a bread/sandwich stall to buy the last of their empanadas €3,50 each. The Market closes at 3pm so many stalls were already closing up, esp the fish stalls where they were hosing the stall down.
Then we walked back to our apartment to drop off the foods, shed a couple of layers as it was getting quite warm, before we headed to the Museo Picasso Malaga for our 3p-4:15pm entry. I bought our tickets 2 days prior (€13/adult, kids<17 free), and TBH I couldn't really tell if that was necessary during low season. There was a line to enter when we arrived at 3:45pm and there did not seem to be a separate line for ticket-holders vs ticket-buyers. I think some people in line bought tickets at the cashier. The museum does not feel too crowded, and it was fairly interesting even though it does not have his most famous paintings. My son isn't a fan of art museum, but I think he found it tolerable, and also the museum gives him a good idea of Picasso's oevure. I don't think we spent more than 1.5 hrs there but if you are a fan i'm sure you can spend far longer, esp if you listen to the audioguide (we didn't).
Then it's back to the apartment for a quick rest, and then on my insistance, we hiked up to the Gibralfaro viewpoint for sunset, which we didn't do 2 days earlier when we were right there. The viewpoint isn't that big and it fills up early. We got there before 6:30pm (sunset at 7pm) but most of the coveted spots were taken. Behind the viewpoint is a steep hillside and the later arrivals climbed up the hillside for more spots. My son, a faster walker, grabbed a spot but not to my liking, as while we could see the direction of the sunset, a tree blocks the view of the sea/port itself. He didn't want to move, but I later on moved to a higher spot for a better panoramic view.
Mirador de Gibralfaro for sunset. We are slightly above the viewing platform - you can see how many people are there.
Just after sunset
I moved to another spot in order to get the view of the water
Afterwards, we were going to head back to the apartment for our empanada/olives dinner, but since we passed by Casa Aranda earlier on our tapas tour, we decided we will have dessert first before dinner. So we walked down the hill and went to the newer (?) Casa Aranda location on C. Santos, near Museo Carmen Thyssen. Casa Aranda is probably the most famous churros eatery in Malaga. We had no problem getting a table, even though the waitstaff was stretched thin. We eached order one churro and one hot chocolate. The waitress was surprised we only wanted 1 churro each, as she said most people get more than 1. When the churros arrived, I understand why. The churros they serve are different than what I am familiar with - the kind they serve is very light fried dough (Tejeringos version). In fact, they look and taste almost exactly the same as the Cantonese Yao Tiao, except that the chinese eats it savory, dipping in congee for breakfast. The type of churros I'm familiar with back here in the US, is heavier, denser, and a lot sweeter. Anyway, I think I do like the Malaga version of churros better given how light and airy they are. The churro + hot chocolate combo was €3,10 pp. Satistifed, we walked back to our apartment and had empanadas and olives we bought earlier for dinner.
Casa Aranda - the churros look exactly like the cantonese yao tiao
delicioso
Tapas food tour; Picasso Museum; sunset
continuing where I left off... Our Tapas tour was 3.5 hours from 11am-2:30pm. After the tour concluded (it was close to 2:45pm when we left the last restaurant), we rushed back to Mercado Ataranzanas to buy my now-favorite olives, the Rondeña. They sell various olives in bulk and also in pre-packed vacuum packs for plane. I bought a small container plus a vaccum pack (€11 total), then over to a bread/sandwich stall to buy the last of their empanadas €3,50 each. The Market closes at 3pm so many stalls were already closing up, esp the fish stalls where they were hosing the stall down.
Then we walked back to our apartment to drop off the foods, shed a couple of layers as it was getting quite warm, before we headed to the Museo Picasso Malaga for our 3p-4:15pm entry. I bought our tickets 2 days prior (€13/adult, kids<17 free), and TBH I couldn't really tell if that was necessary during low season. There was a line to enter when we arrived at 3:45pm and there did not seem to be a separate line for ticket-holders vs ticket-buyers. I think some people in line bought tickets at the cashier. The museum does not feel too crowded, and it was fairly interesting even though it does not have his most famous paintings. My son isn't a fan of art museum, but I think he found it tolerable, and also the museum gives him a good idea of Picasso's oevure. I don't think we spent more than 1.5 hrs there but if you are a fan i'm sure you can spend far longer, esp if you listen to the audioguide (we didn't).
Then it's back to the apartment for a quick rest, and then on my insistance, we hiked up to the Gibralfaro viewpoint for sunset, which we didn't do 2 days earlier when we were right there. The viewpoint isn't that big and it fills up early. We got there before 6:30pm (sunset at 7pm) but most of the coveted spots were taken. Behind the viewpoint is a steep hillside and the later arrivals climbed up the hillside for more spots. My son, a faster walker, grabbed a spot but not to my liking, as while we could see the direction of the sunset, a tree blocks the view of the sea/port itself. He didn't want to move, but I later on moved to a higher spot for a better panoramic view.
Mirador de Gibralfaro for sunset. We are slightly above the viewing platform - you can see how many people are there.
Just after sunset
I moved to another spot in order to get the view of the water
Afterwards, we were going to head back to the apartment for our empanada/olives dinner, but since we passed by Casa Aranda earlier on our tapas tour, we decided we will have dessert first before dinner. So we walked down the hill and went to the newer (?) Casa Aranda location on C. Santos, near Museo Carmen Thyssen. Casa Aranda is probably the most famous churros eatery in Malaga. We had no problem getting a table, even though the waitstaff was stretched thin. We eached order one churro and one hot chocolate. The waitress was surprised we only wanted 1 churro each, as she said most people get more than 1. When the churros arrived, I understand why. The churros they serve are different than what I am familiar with - the kind they serve is very light fried dough (Tejeringos version). In fact, they look and taste almost exactly the same as the Cantonese Yao Tiao, except that the chinese eats it savory, dipping in congee for breakfast. The type of churros I'm familiar with back here in the US, is heavier, denser, and a lot sweeter. Anyway, I think I do like the Malaga version of churros better given how light and airy they are. The churro + hot chocolate combo was €3,10 pp. Satistifed, we walked back to our apartment and had empanadas and olives we bought earlier for dinner.
Casa Aranda - the churros look exactly like the cantonese yao tiao
delicioso
Quote:
I like off-season travel and can do it. We were not seeking beach weather…nor did we have it.
NYCMOM50, good to know! My son also gets a week off in mid-April. I think that will be a better time to visit Valencia and norther Spain weather-wise (than Feb). But i'm thinking of Cinque Terre for April 2027 (tempted by KarenWoo's TR from last year)...Originally Posted by NYCMOM50
We left Spain before Easter but enjoyed seeing some Palm Sunday and Holy Week activities. Nothing was closed while there. And it was still off season for tourists. I know school spring breaks in the US occur at a range of times but we did not see many families or college students on breaks.I like off-season travel and can do it. We were not seeking beach weather…nor did we have it.
Quote:
sassy27, have a great time and hope you'll report back!Originally Posted by sassy27
Oh wow! Now there is talk about Bilbao here. I am actually booked to visit there this coming August. I booked some tours already as I think its going to be a busy time to visit. My Spanish isn't as good as your son's yk. It's actually pretty bad but I try.
Quote:
The hanging bridge probably doesn't sway much in calm conditions. On the day we went, it was v windy. I wouldn't say it was swaying back and forth, but it was certainly not steady. I started off with one hand on the railing and one hand recording a video on my phone. But halfway through I had to put my phone away so I can have both hands holding on.Originally Posted by KarenWoo
The Caminito del Rey walk looks spectacular! The old walkway is scary. I can't believe people used to walk on that without any barriers. Does the hanging bridge sway?
Before they built the new walkway, the old path was titled "the most dangerous walkway" in the world. The old walkway was built way back for the workers who needed to access the water channels (after they built the dam). The old walkway was built with railroad tracks (the metal part) and poured concrete. There was no barrier. After they no longer needed workers, it was no longer repaired and portions of it started crumbling. That did not stop daredevils from going there and also do rock climbing (as you can see how steep and straight those cliffs were). It was finally closed off after several climbers died in 2000 when they tried to zipline from one spot to another. They finally decided to build the new walkways and banned all sorts of rock climbing, and the new path opened in 2015. It went from the most dangerous walkway then to now the safest walkway.
I will digress to talk a little more about visiting Caminito del Rey.
They sell 2 types of tickets: General tickets (visit on your own) for 10€ or official guided tickets for 18€. The former, sell out MONTH in advance, so you really need to plan way ahead of time. The latter, sell out weeks in advance, esp if you are looking for morning entries.
So, if you want to visit on our own at a leisurely pace, you need a car to get there on your own and buy your tickets months in advance. Even with a car, you need to leave yourself with plenty of time because the visitor center is not right by the start of the route. You need to take a shuttle bus to the kiosk, then walk to the start of the walk (where you pick up your helmet). At the end of the route you need to take a shuttle again back to the parking lot.
If you don't have a car, trying to get there from Malaga via public transit is challening , as there is only 1 train in the morning arriving El Chorro around 10am. Returning train runs either at 1pm or 4:30pm. The 1pm won't work as that's not enough time to visit. So, between trying to score a timed entry ticket weeks or months in advance hoping it will work within the 6-hr window of the train schedule, and that when you are done you will have extra time milling around waiting for the return train, and praying that the train runs on schedule, and weather cooperates... The total cost will be either 10€ (general ticket) + 10€ (train fare) or 18€(guided ticket) + 10€ (train fare). This is vs €55 for a guided tour with aloratur. To me, the extra cost for a guided tour is well worth it given how stress-free it is, in addition to the extra commentary from our guide.
@yk, what is the reason for wearing helmets on the Caminito del Rey walk? Danger of falling rocks?
We visited the Mercado Atarazanas and had lunch there. We also visited the Picasso Museum, which I enjoyed very much. But I remember we didn't stay very long, perhaps an hour or so, because we were traveling with friends who don't like to spend a lot of time in art museums. Your report and photos are bringing back lots of wonderful memories. I love Spain, especially Andalucia!
I think the reason that Malaga might not be visited by lots of Americans is because of Rick Steves. His guidebook treats Malaga like it's nothing more than a transportation hub. I am also on the Rick Steves forum, and I've seen some people there advise travelers not to go to Malaga because there is nothing there to see. Which is so untrue! I always encourage people to visit Malaga if they have the time. When I was planning our trip, several people were surprised that we included Malaga on our itinerary. I think some years ago, perhaps about 20 years ago, Malaga was a big college spring break destination. At least, that's what I've been told.
We visited the Mercado Atarazanas and had lunch there. We also visited the Picasso Museum, which I enjoyed very much. But I remember we didn't stay very long, perhaps an hour or so, because we were traveling with friends who don't like to spend a lot of time in art museums. Your report and photos are bringing back lots of wonderful memories. I love Spain, especially Andalucia!
I think the reason that Malaga might not be visited by lots of Americans is because of Rick Steves. His guidebook treats Malaga like it's nothing more than a transportation hub. I am also on the Rick Steves forum, and I've seen some people there advise travelers not to go to Malaga because there is nothing there to see. Which is so untrue! I always encourage people to visit Malaga if they have the time. When I was planning our trip, several people were surprised that we included Malaga on our itinerary. I think some years ago, perhaps about 20 years ago, Malaga was a big college spring break destination. At least, that's what I've been told.
Yk thanks for the pics of the Caminito...I have wanted to do that hike for years but have not conquered my fear of heights yet.
I agree entirely with your comments on the Tapas Tour, especially if you are not familiar with what to order. The tapas you tasted all look very tasty, and your tour guide probably knows which tapa bar specializes in which tapas, making for a better experience. Plus you had a win-win with your son wanting to taste everything. We did 2 tapa tours in Seville, one with Shawn Hennessey, also tasting sherry, and one in Triana. We had unique experiences because of our guides' knowing where to take us and what to order.
I agree entirely with your comments on the Tapas Tour, especially if you are not familiar with what to order. The tapas you tasted all look very tasty, and your tour guide probably knows which tapa bar specializes in which tapas, making for a better experience. Plus you had a win-win with your son wanting to taste everything. We did 2 tapa tours in Seville, one with Shawn Hennessey, also tasting sherry, and one in Triana. We had unique experiences because of our guides' knowing where to take us and what to order.
"Just WOW" is a comment I've often used when commenting on dcd's incredible bird photos, but yk your stunning shots get one also. And as always, your planning is impeccable and although I'm sorry to have missed that area of Spain, you are providing a more than satisfactory substitute...not to mention experiences of a lifetime for your son. Brava!
Quote:
We visited the Mercado Atarazanas and had lunch there. We also visited the Picasso Museum, which I enjoyed very much. But I remember we didn't stay very long, perhaps an hour or so, because we were traveling with friends who don't like to spend a lot of time in art museums. Your report and photos are bringing back lots of wonderful memories. I love Spain, especially Andalucia!
I think the reason that Malaga might not be visited by lots of Americans is because of Rick Steves. His guidebook treats Malaga like it's nothing more than a transportation hub. I am also on the Rick Steves forum, and I've seen some people there advise travelers not to go to Malaga because there is nothing there to see. Which is so untrue! I always encourage people to visit Malaga if they have the time. When I was planning our trip, several people were surprised that we included Malaga on our itinerary. I think some years ago, perhaps about 20 years ago, Malaga was a big college spring break destination. At least, that's what I've been told.
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
@yk, what is the reason for wearing helmets on the Caminito del Rey walk? Danger of falling rocks?We visited the Mercado Atarazanas and had lunch there. We also visited the Picasso Museum, which I enjoyed very much. But I remember we didn't stay very long, perhaps an hour or so, because we were traveling with friends who don't like to spend a lot of time in art museums. Your report and photos are bringing back lots of wonderful memories. I love Spain, especially Andalucia!
I think the reason that Malaga might not be visited by lots of Americans is because of Rick Steves. His guidebook treats Malaga like it's nothing more than a transportation hub. I am also on the Rick Steves forum, and I've seen some people there advise travelers not to go to Malaga because there is nothing there to see. Which is so untrue! I always encourage people to visit Malaga if they have the time. When I was planning our trip, several people were surprised that we included Malaga on our itinerary. I think some years ago, perhaps about 20 years ago, Malaga was a big college spring break destination. At least, that's what I've been told.
Quote:
I agree entirely with your comments on the Tapas Tour, especially if you are not familiar with what to order. The tapas you tasted all look very tasty, and your tour guide probably knows which tapa bar specializes in which tapas, making for a better experience. Plus you had a win-win with your son wanting to taste everything. We did 2 tapa tours in Seville, one with Shawn Hennessey, also tasting sherry, and one in Triana. We had unique experiences because of our guides' knowing where to take us and what to order.
Originally Posted by natylou
Yk thanks for the pics of the Caminito...I have wanted to do that hike for years but have not conquered my fear of heights yet.I agree entirely with your comments on the Tapas Tour, especially if you are not familiar with what to order. The tapas you tasted all look very tasty, and your tour guide probably knows which tapa bar specializes in which tapas, making for a better experience. Plus you had a win-win with your son wanting to taste everything. We did 2 tapa tours in Seville, one with Shawn Hennessey, also tasting sherry, and one in Triana. We had unique experiences because of our guides' knowing where to take us and what to order.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TDudette
"Just WOW" is a comment I've often used when commenting on dcd's incredible bird photos, but yk your stunning shots get one also. And as always, your planning is impeccable and although I'm sorry to have missed that area of Spain, you are providing a more than satisfactory substitute...not to mention experiences of a lifetime for your son. Brava!
Quote:
But, hell no to that scary walkway!!! I would have stayed home with your SIL!
Yes, the helmets are to protect against any falling debris, though our guide said in his years of guiding, he never had anyone who experienced any falling rocks. But he did emphasnzie that if you did get injured without a helmet, you are responsible for all the medical fees, so his recommendation was to keep our helmets on the entire time.Originally Posted by joannyc
Enjoying your TR! Thanks!But, hell no to that scary walkway!!! I would have stayed home with your SIL!
I did not find the walkway scary, but I also don't really have a major fear of heights. I can see that being an issue for others, such as my SIL. It's a long walk so you don't want to be stuck in the middle of the walk if paralized by fear.
Any time any tours that gets my son to try new food, it's a win for me. Same thing with the Sardine factory tour we took in Porto last summer, Previously my son refused to try tinned sardines. Now he thinks its the best food ever.
I will say that selfishly I'm glad RS discouraged more Americans from visiting Malaga. It already gets plenty of tourists from UK/Ireland and the rest of Europe. I'm just glad that I listened to Fodorites' suggestions to come here. Before our trip, so many people questioned my choice of Malaga - many have never heard of it, and those who have, was confused why we would want to go there. After the trip and after seeing the photos I posted on my social media, everyone is telling me that they now want to go there!
Day 5, Friday - day trip to Antequera
Today is another early start day, with a 8:15am departure (!). When I read about Antequera in my guidebook, it sounded v intriguing (the dolmens). I looked into going there on our own (there are a few blog posts on the web that discussed this), but given how far away the dolmens are from the town center, you will need to take taxis there, and it's not guaranteed you can find a taxi back. El Torcal is located even further, and you can't get there unless you have a car. One of the guidebooks recommended Visita Antequera for guided tours. One of their tours include transport from Malaga, and after the tour, they provide you with a return bus ticket so you can take any bus back at your leisure. That's the one we took (€50 pp).
The departure spot is a 15-min walk from the apartment, and the max # of ppl on the tour is 8 as they use a small van. Our guide / driver was Justine, whom i believe is the owner of the company. The drive to Antequera takes about 50 minutes, and our first stop was the new Dolmen Site Museum, opened in 2022. The 3 dolmens, along with 2 natural monuments (La Peña and El Torcal), were awarded UNESCO Heritage Stie status in 2016, and the museum was built in response to that. The museum is beautifully constructed, and we were the first people to arrive that day. Justine had us watch the introductory film, which explains how these prehistoric monuments were built >4000 years ago with no machineary.
After the movie, she hurried us out to visit the 2 dolmens - there is exhibition inside the museum but we had to skip it, for good reason. 2 of the 3 dolmens, Viera and Menga are close together and that's where the museum / visitors center is located. A wide gentle path leads you up the hill from the museum to the 2 dolmens. We visited Viera first (5000 years old) but because of all the rainstorms from previous weeks, the interior of Viera is still flooded so we can only view it from the entrance but not allowed to go inside. Next is Menga and we were able to go in and marvel at the engineerring inguintiy from pre-historic ppl from 6000 years ago. The idea of them hauling and erecting these huge stone slabs (largest is estimated to be 180 tonnes) is simply 🤯
All the while, Justine explained the significance of the orientation of the 2 dolmens. Viera is aligned directly to the Eastern sun when during the summer solstice the sun shines directly into the deepest area of the dolmen. Whereas Menga is aligned with La Peña, a mountain of obvious significance to the prehistoric people. She also explained the purpose of these. I am sure what she told us is basically what the museum exhibition talks about, so she saves us time in the museum. The best part about visiting these dolmens right at opening time is the 8 of us (plus Justine) were the only people there. These places are so special, spiritual I'd say, that being able to visit in a small group allows you to reflect on past and present, life and death. No matter what your faith is, it is impossible not to be awed by these structures. As we were leaving, I could see 2 large tour buses in the parking lot with big groups of tourists heading our way. I don't think one can have the same experience as we did when the dolmens are full of people - it just becomes another tourist spot. So while my son grumbled about the early start, it was absolutely worth it for the experience.
Our next stop is the thrid Dolmen, El Romeral, which is located further outside of town. Again, we were the only people there. It was estimated to be built 4000 years ago, the youngest of he 3, and you can see the construction is very different. And the alignment is with the highest peak of El Torcal, another natural monument significant to the prehistoric people.
Entrance to Menga dolmen
Looking out from the interior of Menga dolmen, La Peña is in perfect alignment
Inside Dolmen el Romeral, which has a completely different construction than the other 2 older dolmens
Next is a 30-min ride to El Torcal via curvy mountain roads. El Torcal is a Natural Park, and at 1500m elevation. We were warned beforehand to bring layers, as the weather up there is unpredictable, frequently very windy, foggy, and possible bad weather. We totally lucked out as the weather was sunny, warm and calm! After a stop at the visitors center for bathroom break and snack break, Justine led us on a short hike (maybe 10-15 mins?) to a panoramic view point. The hike was slightly challenging for those who have mobility issues as the path is uneven and up a rocky cliff. One elderly lady in our group had to turn back. TBH I don't think this was clearly spelled out in the tour description. Son and I only packed fashion sneakers on this trip (remember, carryon only?) and we managed, though I would have appreciated having my hiking boots for this, as well as hiking boots for the Caminito del Rey day.
El Torcal is known for its unique geologic rock formation - it's known as a "karst" landscape. The formation isn't unlike Bryce Canyon, but the make up of the layers is different. The entire mountain of El Torcal was under the sea many million years ago, with layers of sedimentary rock formed, and eventually got raised up as a mountain. Then with water/wind erosion, you are left with these unique rock formations, many look like stacks of pancakes. Whats most fascinating is there are plenty of ammonite fossils buried in the rocks, evidence that this used to be the sea floor.
"karst" landscape of El Torcal
view from El Torcal
When we returned to the van at the visitors center, we had one final stop just down the road, to see El tornillo - the screw - the most distinct symbol of El Torcal. We were at El Torcal for about 1.5 hrs total? Then back in the van for the 30-min drive back to Antequera. We were given the option to be dropped off at the bus station, or at the highest point in town (near its Alcazaba). What I failed to realize during my research is that Antequera, like many inland towns in Andalusia, is hilly. All 8 of us opted to get off at the highest point. Our tour ended around 1:30pm.
El tornillo - the screw
Well, turns out most eateries in Antequera are further down in town, and there's only one restaurant, Bar La Socorrilla, where we got off, so that's where we ate lunch in order to avoid hiking down the hill and back up again. For lunch I had fried calamari (with side salad) and my son had pork cutlet. €26
Next we visited the Alcazaba (€5 adults, €3 kids). I was able to play the audioguide on my phone, and it's fairly interesting. Within the compound you can also see ruins from the roman and Visigoth eras). And just like all other fortresses, it's perched up on the highest point in town offering a sweeping view of the surroundings, including La Peña.
Gate of the Giants - entrance to Alcazaba de Antequera
View from Alcazaba
fortifications at Alcazaba de Antequera
I picked Friday for this day trip is becauase the bus runs more frequently on weekdays than on weekends. Having said that, it was clear we wouldn't catch the 3:30pm bus, and the next isn't until 5:15pm. So we had some extra time to kill, and Justine had told us the Museum of Antequera is worth seeing and it's free, so we walked down the hill to the museum.
This museum is another very nice museum, with artifacts from pre-historic times as well as Roman mosaics. Definitely worth a stop if you have the time. Finally we made our way to the bus station - my son was hoping to buy a postcard but Antequera is most certainly not a tourist town! I think most tours only stop at the dolmens, which is outside of town. We could not find any souvenir stores so he came home empty-handed.
The bus station at Antequera isn't too big, they have bays for may 8-10 buses but there is no attendant and no signs. There are plenty of people waiting but no one knows which bay is for which bus so it is quite confusing. We asked several people and no one knows, except that the bus hasn't arrived yet. Turns out at the 5 o'clock hour there are 2 buses, one to Seville and one to Malaga. The bus to Seville arrived first, and some folks without a ticket purchased in advance were not able to get on as it was full. I was worried because our "bus tickets" are just a card with stored credit (we were given an envelope w/stamp to mail back to the company afterwards), but luckily our bus had enough room for everyone. The bus was late and it was a 1-hr trip so we didn't get back until after 6:30pm. We decided to head back to Mercadona again to grab some foods ( € 14) to cook back at home. We took the subway back as our legs were tired and we were carrying the groceries.
In sum, it was a fabulous day with Visita Antequera. Seeing the dolmens without huge crowds was awe-inspiring, as well as the landscape of El Torcal. We were lucky with the weather, and the afternoon activities were also worth it.
Today is another early start day, with a 8:15am departure (!). When I read about Antequera in my guidebook, it sounded v intriguing (the dolmens). I looked into going there on our own (there are a few blog posts on the web that discussed this), but given how far away the dolmens are from the town center, you will need to take taxis there, and it's not guaranteed you can find a taxi back. El Torcal is located even further, and you can't get there unless you have a car. One of the guidebooks recommended Visita Antequera for guided tours. One of their tours include transport from Malaga, and after the tour, they provide you with a return bus ticket so you can take any bus back at your leisure. That's the one we took (€50 pp).
The departure spot is a 15-min walk from the apartment, and the max # of ppl on the tour is 8 as they use a small van. Our guide / driver was Justine, whom i believe is the owner of the company. The drive to Antequera takes about 50 minutes, and our first stop was the new Dolmen Site Museum, opened in 2022. The 3 dolmens, along with 2 natural monuments (La Peña and El Torcal), were awarded UNESCO Heritage Stie status in 2016, and the museum was built in response to that. The museum is beautifully constructed, and we were the first people to arrive that day. Justine had us watch the introductory film, which explains how these prehistoric monuments were built >4000 years ago with no machineary.
After the movie, she hurried us out to visit the 2 dolmens - there is exhibition inside the museum but we had to skip it, for good reason. 2 of the 3 dolmens, Viera and Menga are close together and that's where the museum / visitors center is located. A wide gentle path leads you up the hill from the museum to the 2 dolmens. We visited Viera first (5000 years old) but because of all the rainstorms from previous weeks, the interior of Viera is still flooded so we can only view it from the entrance but not allowed to go inside. Next is Menga and we were able to go in and marvel at the engineerring inguintiy from pre-historic ppl from 6000 years ago. The idea of them hauling and erecting these huge stone slabs (largest is estimated to be 180 tonnes) is simply 🤯
All the while, Justine explained the significance of the orientation of the 2 dolmens. Viera is aligned directly to the Eastern sun when during the summer solstice the sun shines directly into the deepest area of the dolmen. Whereas Menga is aligned with La Peña, a mountain of obvious significance to the prehistoric people. She also explained the purpose of these. I am sure what she told us is basically what the museum exhibition talks about, so she saves us time in the museum. The best part about visiting these dolmens right at opening time is the 8 of us (plus Justine) were the only people there. These places are so special, spiritual I'd say, that being able to visit in a small group allows you to reflect on past and present, life and death. No matter what your faith is, it is impossible not to be awed by these structures. As we were leaving, I could see 2 large tour buses in the parking lot with big groups of tourists heading our way. I don't think one can have the same experience as we did when the dolmens are full of people - it just becomes another tourist spot. So while my son grumbled about the early start, it was absolutely worth it for the experience.
Our next stop is the thrid Dolmen, El Romeral, which is located further outside of town. Again, we were the only people there. It was estimated to be built 4000 years ago, the youngest of he 3, and you can see the construction is very different. And the alignment is with the highest peak of El Torcal, another natural monument significant to the prehistoric people.
Entrance to Menga dolmen
Looking out from the interior of Menga dolmen, La Peña is in perfect alignment
Inside Dolmen el Romeral, which has a completely different construction than the other 2 older dolmens
Next is a 30-min ride to El Torcal via curvy mountain roads. El Torcal is a Natural Park, and at 1500m elevation. We were warned beforehand to bring layers, as the weather up there is unpredictable, frequently very windy, foggy, and possible bad weather. We totally lucked out as the weather was sunny, warm and calm! After a stop at the visitors center for bathroom break and snack break, Justine led us on a short hike (maybe 10-15 mins?) to a panoramic view point. The hike was slightly challenging for those who have mobility issues as the path is uneven and up a rocky cliff. One elderly lady in our group had to turn back. TBH I don't think this was clearly spelled out in the tour description. Son and I only packed fashion sneakers on this trip (remember, carryon only?) and we managed, though I would have appreciated having my hiking boots for this, as well as hiking boots for the Caminito del Rey day.
El Torcal is known for its unique geologic rock formation - it's known as a "karst" landscape. The formation isn't unlike Bryce Canyon, but the make up of the layers is different. The entire mountain of El Torcal was under the sea many million years ago, with layers of sedimentary rock formed, and eventually got raised up as a mountain. Then with water/wind erosion, you are left with these unique rock formations, many look like stacks of pancakes. Whats most fascinating is there are plenty of ammonite fossils buried in the rocks, evidence that this used to be the sea floor.
"karst" landscape of El Torcal
view from El Torcal
When we returned to the van at the visitors center, we had one final stop just down the road, to see El tornillo - the screw - the most distinct symbol of El Torcal. We were at El Torcal for about 1.5 hrs total? Then back in the van for the 30-min drive back to Antequera. We were given the option to be dropped off at the bus station, or at the highest point in town (near its Alcazaba). What I failed to realize during my research is that Antequera, like many inland towns in Andalusia, is hilly. All 8 of us opted to get off at the highest point. Our tour ended around 1:30pm.
El tornillo - the screw
Well, turns out most eateries in Antequera are further down in town, and there's only one restaurant, Bar La Socorrilla, where we got off, so that's where we ate lunch in order to avoid hiking down the hill and back up again. For lunch I had fried calamari (with side salad) and my son had pork cutlet. €26
Next we visited the Alcazaba (€5 adults, €3 kids). I was able to play the audioguide on my phone, and it's fairly interesting. Within the compound you can also see ruins from the roman and Visigoth eras). And just like all other fortresses, it's perched up on the highest point in town offering a sweeping view of the surroundings, including La Peña.
Gate of the Giants - entrance to Alcazaba de Antequera
View from Alcazaba
fortifications at Alcazaba de Antequera
I picked Friday for this day trip is becauase the bus runs more frequently on weekdays than on weekends. Having said that, it was clear we wouldn't catch the 3:30pm bus, and the next isn't until 5:15pm. So we had some extra time to kill, and Justine had told us the Museum of Antequera is worth seeing and it's free, so we walked down the hill to the museum.
This museum is another very nice museum, with artifacts from pre-historic times as well as Roman mosaics. Definitely worth a stop if you have the time. Finally we made our way to the bus station - my son was hoping to buy a postcard but Antequera is most certainly not a tourist town! I think most tours only stop at the dolmens, which is outside of town. We could not find any souvenir stores so he came home empty-handed.
The bus station at Antequera isn't too big, they have bays for may 8-10 buses but there is no attendant and no signs. There are plenty of people waiting but no one knows which bay is for which bus so it is quite confusing. We asked several people and no one knows, except that the bus hasn't arrived yet. Turns out at the 5 o'clock hour there are 2 buses, one to Seville and one to Malaga. The bus to Seville arrived first, and some folks without a ticket purchased in advance were not able to get on as it was full. I was worried because our "bus tickets" are just a card with stored credit (we were given an envelope w/stamp to mail back to the company afterwards), but luckily our bus had enough room for everyone. The bus was late and it was a 1-hr trip so we didn't get back until after 6:30pm. We decided to head back to Mercadona again to grab some foods ( € 14) to cook back at home. We took the subway back as our legs were tired and we were carrying the groceries.
In sum, it was a fabulous day with Visita Antequera. Seeing the dolmens without huge crowds was awe-inspiring, as well as the landscape of El Torcal. We were lucky with the weather, and the afternoon activities were also worth it.
