Archidona
Archidona is a white Baroque town at the foot of the Sierra de Gracia, 20 km east of Antequera, where Abd al-Rahman I was proclaimed emir in 756, with an octagonal square of 1786.
About Archidona
Archidona climbs the foot of the Sierra de Gracia at about 680 metres, on the eastern edge of the Antequera plain, below castle walls on the crag. As Medina Arxiduna it was capital of the Moorish cora of Rayya, and in its fortress Abd al-Rahman I was proclaimed emir in 756. Castile took it in 1462. A Conjunto Histórico since 1980, the municipality has about 8,100 people.
The Plaza Ochavada, built in 1786, is an eight-sided square of red brick and whitewash with Mudéjar-inspired arcades. La Cilla, a late 16th-century granary, holds the municipal museum, and the Mínimas convent sells its nuns' sweets. On the hill, the Santuario de la Virgen de Gracia of 1462 keeps the naves and Roman and Visigothic columns of a 9th–10th-century mosque.
Archidona is about 50 km north of Málaga via the A-45 and A-92M, and 20 km east of Antequera; ALSA buses run daily to Málaga, Antequera and Granada. Park in the lower town; old streets are steep and stepped, and coaches cannot reach the sanctuary. Allow half a day. The Plaza Ochavada is step-free; most of the centre is not. Guided tours run on Saturdays.
Spring and autumn are best; summers are very hot and winters cold. Holy Week and the spring Feria del Perro, a large dog show, are of national tourist interest, and the August feria runs from 14 to 18 August. Try mollete bread with olive oil, porra archidonesa and the Mínimas pastries. Visit the sanctuary when it opens, morning or evening.
Archidona in pictures
What you’ll find
- Bus connectionPublic transportBuy
- Car parkParkingFree
- CastleCastle visitFree
- ChurchChurch visitFree
- FestivalAnnual festivalFree
- Guided tourGuided tour (€5–€7)Book
- Historic centreOld town walkFree
- Local foodLocal cuisineBuy
- Moorish quarterMoorish heritage walkFree
- MuseumFree museumFree
- Tourist officeVisitor informationFree
- ViewpointSightseeingFree
Nearby places to visit
The Peña de los Enamorados (16 km), the rock shaped like a sleeping face, rises above the A-92 on the way to Antequera, where the Dolmens of Antequera (16 km), a World Heritage megalithic site, can be visited. In Antequera itself the Alcazaba and Colegiata of Antequera (17 km) crown the old town. The karst landscape of El Torcal de Antequera (21 km) has marked trails among wind-carved limestone. East along the A-92 in Granada province, the Alcazaba of Loja (23 km) guards a town that was long a Nasrid frontier stronghold.
Archidona at a glance
Category
Culture White villages
Town
Archidona
Address
Plaza Ochavada, 29300 Archidona, Málaga, Spain
Opening hours
Open access; the streets and Plaza Ochavada can be visited at any time. Santuario de la Virgen de Gracia: April–September daily 08:00–13:00 and 18:30–21:30; shorter hours in winter. Tourist office: Plaza Ochavada 2, Tuesday to Sunday with seasonal hours.
Prices
Free to walk around; guided town tour on Saturdays €5–7 (€2 extra for four churches).
Website
oficinaturismoarchidona.es
Phone
+34 952 716 479
More places nearby
Other places within 25 km of Archidona, nearest first.
