Gate in Antequera
Also known as Arch of the Giants
FreeCosts nothing to visit.
The Arco de los Gigantes, the Arch of the Giants, is the free Renaissance gateway into the upper, oldest part of Antequera. Built in the 1580s, it was deliberately constructed with Roman inscriptions and carved stones pulled from the surrounding area, so the antiquity is literally set into the walls. Walking through it costs nothing.
It also earns its spot for budget travelers because of where it sits. The arch opens straight onto the precinct that holds the Alcazaba of Antequera and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor, and its town-facing opening frames the classic postcard view back over the rooftops toward the Pena de los Enamorados. String the three together with the free Alcazaba viewpoint and you have a tight, no-cost walk through the highest part of town.
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Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Moorish hilltop fortress crowning Antequera, with the Torre del Homenaje keep giving commanding views over the town, the vega plain, and the tilted profile of Pena de los Enamorados. It sits in the same precinct as the Arco de los Gigantes and the Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor, so the whole oldest part of town folds into one climb.
Former Carmelite church in the upper town of Antequera, known for an extraordinary gilded Churrigueresque main altarpiece that fills the entire east wall.
The sanctuary of the Virgen de los Remedios, patron saint of Antequera, sits right on Calle Infante Don Fernando, the town's main pedestrian street, so it costs nothing to step inside on a walk through the centre.
Mannerist parish church in the Antequera old town, free to step into and a regular stop on the town's Palaces and Churches walking route. One of the dense cluster of religious buildings that earned Antequera its nickname, the Florence of Andalusia, alongside neighbours like the Church of Los Remedios and the Convent of Madre de Dios.
Church on the central Plaza de San Sebastian in Antequera, best known for the brick bell tower topped by the Angelote, a winged-angel weathervane that has become an informal symbol of the town and is visible from across the centre.
Renaissance collegiate church on the Alcazaba hill in Antequera, notable for a columned interior that reads more like a classical basilica than a typical Andalusian church.
Working out what Antequera costs?
The whole of Antequera