As we always say to our customers at Yellowcar: “There are many Malaga in Malaga”. In addition to the Costa del Sol, the luxurious Marbella, the capital, the sun and the espetos, the good life, also stand out -and a lot- the areas of the Montes de Málaga, the Sierra de las Nieves National Park with its incredible copper autumn, or so many other pearls of the interior of the province. And among them, as one of the most visited monuments of Malaga, the Dolmens of Antequera stand out.

Do you want to know them? Do you know exactly what they are? Below, we tell you everything you need to know about one of the most incredible places to visit in Malaga.

History of the Dolmens of Antequera

Magic. That is what these three formations give off, along with the Torcal de Antequera, its history, its network of churches, the delicious porra antequerana and the ‘bienmesabe’, to the town of Málaga.

This archaeological site is more than 6,000 years old and is formed by three megalithic monuments: the Dolmen of Menga, the Dolmen of Viera and the Tholos del Romeral. What is most surprising about this jewel of history is perhaps the logistical part: How could they move such stones with little or no knowledge and such rudimentary tools? We assure you that this will be the question you will arrive with… and leave with, almost without an answer. This ‘triumvirate’ is one of the best examples of the megalithic in the Old Continent, with the spectacular Peña de los Enamorados in the background.

In your visit to Los Dolmens, you will learn more about the research, the mortuary galleries and what were the funeral rituals, the orientation so well achieved with respect to the sun and the solstices … The connection with this place, built during the Neolithic and Bronze Age, is immediate.

In any case, from Yellowcar we recommend you to take a guided tour of the Dolmens of Antequera to better understand its origin.

What is a dolmen?

It is a megalithic construction that is formed by several slabs (orthostats) driven into the ground vertically and to which another one is superimposed, as if it were a roof, horizontally. As far as we know, the dolmen was used as a collective sepulcher, but it could also serve to reinforce the identity of the Neolithic settlements or to claim a territory.

These dolmens are of Neolithic origin, and there are thousands of them in Asia, Africa and Europe. In Spain, the most famous are the dolmens of Antequera, which are actually three in particular: Dolmen de Menga, Dolmen de Viera and Tholos de El Romeral.

The Menga dolmen

It is undoubtedly the most popular and admired of the three. So much so that it is considered one of the summits of lintel architecture in European prehistory, due to its monumentality and the enormous amount of labor that must have been involved in its construction. When you see it live, observing in situ its size and the enormous weight of the slabs that compose it, we can promise you that you will be amazed.

Dolmen of Viera

It is approximately 4,500 years old and was discovered in 1903 by the Viera brothers. It is a corridor tomb formed by a long corridor divided into two sections. At the end of the corridor you will find a quadrangular chamber accessed through a perforated door. There, the corpses and their grave goods were deposited.

El Romeral Dolmen

The tholos of El Romeral, also known as dolmen of El Romeral or cave of El Romeral, is separated from the Dolmen of Menga and the Dolmen of Viera. Specifically, less than 2 km from these dolmens of Antequera. If his ‘brothers’ are an example of European megalithic and lintel technique to build interiors, the Romeral does not use the arch but the approximation of rows, an ancient architectural technique that is well worth appreciating here.

What is so special about the Dolmens of Antequera?

The Dólmenes de Antequera Visitor Center is the gateway to a place that is, nothing more and nothing less, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.

These constructions are considered one of the first integrations of architecture and monumental landscape belonging to prehistoric times. Not surprisingly, their structure, design and construction techniques are unique. A living proof that, in the Iberian Peninsula, during the Neolithic and the Copper Age, two different megalithic architectural styles coexisted in the same place.

In addition, both the Menga Dolmen and the Romeral are oriented towards the Peña de los Enamorados and the Torcal de Antequera, mountains that are believed to have been considered sacred by the prehistoric populations that built the dolmens.

How to get to the Dolmens of Antequera?

Renting a car in Malaga to tour the Costa del Sol and the interior of the province makes more sense than ever if what we want is to visit and reach the Dolmens of Antequera.

First, because it gives us the freedom to continue our route through Malaga stopping to hike in the Torcal or visit other very interesting towns in Malaga, such as Casabermeja, Archidona, the upper part of the Axarquia… And then, because the three dolmens are not in the same place. There are about 2-3 km between enclosure 1 and enclosure 2.

In this way, the fastest access to the Dolmens of Antequera by private transport is through the A-45 road, from where you take the A-7282, direction Antequera. To go to enclosure 1, follow this road in a straight line towards the town center, with the enclosure on the right side of the road.

To go to the 2nd site, take the A-7283 road, towards Cordoba, turning left at the first traffic circle.

Timetable of the Dolmens of Antequera

There are three different schedules depending on the time of year:

• From January 1 to March 31: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 18:00; Sundays and holidays from 09:00 to 15:00. Mondays closed (except holiday eves).
• From April 1 to June 15: Open Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 21:00; Sundays and holidays from 09:00 to 15:00. Mondays closed (except holiday eves).
• From June 16 to September 15: Open from Tuesday to Saturday from 09:00 to 15:00 and evening visits from 20:00 to 22:00.
• Closed on Mondays (except holiday eves).

For the official updated opening hours and which holidays are open and which are closed, you can check this link.

Tickets and price of the Dolmens of Antequera

Admission to the Dolmens of Antequera is free for all accredited citizens of the European Union and members of ICOM and ICOMOS. The rest will pay 1.5 euros per ticket.

For information, reservations and free guided tours, please contact us by e-mail atvisitasdolmenesdeantequera.ccul@juntadendalucia.es.