Antequera, Spain Summary

ANTEQUERA, on the main rail line to Granada, is an ordinary, modern town, but it does have peripheral attractions in a Baroque church, El Carmen (Mon 11.30am-2pm, Tues-Sun 10am-2pm, Sat also 4-7pm; €1.20), which houses one of the finest retablos in Andalucía, and a group of three prehistoric dolmen caves. The most impressive and famous of these is the Cueva de Menga (Sun & Tues 9am-3.30pm, Wed-Sat 9am-6pm; free), its roof formed by an immense 180-tonne monolith. To reach this, and the nearby Cueva de Viera (same hours), take the Granada road out of town – the turning, rather insignificantly signposted, is after about 1km on the left. A third cave, El Romeral (same hours), is rather different (and later) in its structure, with a domed ceiling of flat stones; it also lies to the left of the Granada road, 2km further on, behind a sugar factory with a chimney.