Living in Antequera (and all the reasons it’s different than Nerja)
We’ve had a lot of people writing us about Antequera. We though it was time that we did a post dedicated to living here. Since we lived on the coast in Nerja before moving to Antequera, we’re comparing our experience here to there. I think it’s helpful to anyone living on the coast who’s thinking of possibly moving inland.
Note: We will have left Antequera by the time you see/read this post. There are a few reasons for that, most of which have nothing to do with Antequera itself. Since we’re leaving, we thought it would be a good time for this video/post.
For this post, we have a video and, further below, a written post. I recommend you look at the video because it incorporate a lot of scenes from around Antequera to give you a taste of the city. But a lot of people (including me) prefer a written post to a video which is why I’m also including text.
A written version of the video below. If it reads differently than most of my posts, it’s because it was written as a script for the video. But I always go off-script when doing video – you’ll notice many deviations from the above…
I get a lot of emails asking us what it’s like living in Antequera. I also get a lot of questions along the line of “why did you leave Nerja to live in Antequera?”
I think a lot of people are curious about living in the interior of Spain but are maybe a bit nervous: they wonder if they’ll be out of their element, what resources are available to them…they’re scared that their Spanish language skills might not be strong enough.
They’re all valid issues and, honestly, I think we underestimated how different life would be in Antequera versus what it was in Nerja. In many ways our experience in Antequera has been the complete opposite of what it was like in Nerja.
That’s what we’ll talk about here.
*Note: I talk/write about quality of life issues in this post. If you’re interested in differences in cost of living, please see my post on the Cost of Living in Antequera.
Reasons on leaving Nerja for Antequera
First of all, the question we got asked all the time: “why are you leaving Nerja?” And why Antequera?”
That’s actually 2 questions.
Why did we leave Nerja? We arrived in Nerja in 2020 during the middle of Covid. At the time we really liked Nerja: it was quiet, it’s a really pretty town and it’s surrounded by nature.
After Covid everything changed. There were suddenly just too many tourists and too many expats in Nerja. We also felt that we didn’t really fit in with all the expats. We were younger then about 95% of them. And really, Nerja just wasn’t our vision of Spain. We didn’t come to Spain to go to the beach everyday or to live in a place full of other foreigners. It’s not why we came to Spain. We also wanted to travel more and Nerja wasn’t convenient as a base. The bottom line is that we got bored and realized that Nerja wasn’t the place for us.
So why Antequera? We came here for a weekend in early 2023 and were really impressed. This is a BEAUTIFUL city and I’m shocked more people don’t write about it. The geography is spectacular. Behind the city is the Sierra del Torcal, a mountain range that includes El Torcal National park. The city itself is dominated by a Moorish fortress which sits on a hill above the city. You can see it from almost everywhere in Antequera. There are over 30 churches and lots of convents, palaces and a bunch of museums. It’s very rich culturally and many people come here for the different festivals. But really, it’s just a beautiful city and even a year later we’re still amazed by Antequera.
Speaking Spanish in Antequera
Can you get by with limited Spanish in Antequera? It’s something I’ve been asked by a few people.
On the coast you can get away with speaking little or no Spanish. We saw it all the time in Nerja. If you go to a store or restaurant locals will usually know a few words of English and if you know a few words of Spanish you can both work together to get whatever you need. If you go to city hall or the foreigner’s office in these towns you’ll always get service in English if you need it. In Nerja for example, the foreigner’s office sends out their newsletters in both English and Spanish. There are a lot of foreigners on the coasts and everyone seems intent on making communication work.
That doesn’t happen in Antequera. If you go to city hall for a document or to Moviestar to get cable installed in your apartment or to a restaurant or bar…people aren’t going to understand you if you’re speaking in English. You might even find them to be dismissive of you. Sometimes I wonder if they just get nervous having to deal with a foreigner. Just know that the friendly and accommodative customer service you get on the coast is most likely not something you get in Antequera.
Lissette and I both speak Spanish. Lissette was born in New York and her first language was Spanish. She hasn’t spoken much Spanish over the last 20 years or so but I’d still say she has about 95% proficiency in Spanish. The only things she might not understand are local expressions or really heavy local dialects. I’m at about 75% – my Spanish is good enough to get things done and to have simple conversations. If a local recognizes that I’m a foreigner and speaks to me in simple Spanish I’m fine, if they start rambling at 100 miles a minute I can’t keep up.
Actually, one of the things that Antequera is known for is speaking very quickly. We were warned about that when we first came here. Even Lissette had a hard time adjusting. So that’s something you should know.
Bottom line: It’s really good to speak a decent level of Spanish if you’re thinking of moving to Antequera. If you don’t, well I guess it’s a great place to learn it because it’ll be a totally immersive experience.
Making friends…VS Isolation
One of the great things about Nerja are the many things available to foreigners. There’s tons of activities organized, whether it be language exchange, board games, art classes, or yoga classes. When I lived in Nerja I did some hiking tours on the weekends with other foreigners and they’d always be 20 to 30 people in the group.
If you want to make friends and have a great social life it’s very easy in Nerja.
Antequera is completely different. Just to give you an example. There’s a local Facebook group here called “Expats in Antequera”. It has about 50 members. The one time the administrator of the group tried to organize a hike, nobody was interested.
We knew that we would have to integrate coming to Antequera and to do activities with locals. One of the first things I did was try to find a local hiking club. I couldn’t find anything. We haven’t met or done anything socially with locals during our time in Antequera.
In a way it’s easy to understand. If you’re in a coastal community, most people are retired and have time on their hands. So people organize things to keep busy and to get together. In places like Antequera people are busy living their everyday lives, going to work and spending time with family.
We’re not very social people but even we, at a certain point, started to feel that we were socially isolated in Antequera.
So I think that’s something very important to consider if thinking about moving to Antequera or any other inland town or city where there aren’t many other foreigners.
Bars and Restaurants
Like I said, we probably don’t go out of our way to do social activities. The one exception for me is hiking which is something I always love doing.
But a regular thing for us in Nerja was to go to a tapas bar on a Friday night and have a few drinks and tapas. There are lots of really good tapas bars in Nerja and they’re usually pretty busy with a mix of locals and foreigners. We enjoyed the atmosphere and we’d often end up talking to people during the night. For us it was our weekly social outing.
Antequera doesn’t compare in any way. There are a tapas bars but tables are spaced out and they just don’t have that same happening bar vibe. There are a couple of more fancy tapas bars which we’ve liked going to but they’re expensive and again, just don’t have the same inclusive vibe that was going on in Nerja. It’s just not the same and we stopped our Friday night tapas outings within a few weeks of being here. Honestly, Antequera is pretty boring if nightlife is your thing.
Another thing is restaurants. If you like eating out, Nerja is a good place to be. There are tons of restaurants including about 15 Indian restaurants alone. We used to love ordering Indian food every couple of weeks.
In Antequera we have zero Indian restaurants. There’s a place called the Taj Mahal but they serve pizza and kebabs and it’s always empty. There’s a decent Chinese restaurant called Olimpica. That’s as exotic as it gets in Antequera.
Lissette’s from New York city, I’m from Montreal. We’re lucky to have been spoiled when it comes to food options. In Nerja we had enough options to keep us happy, in Antequera we don’t. It might seem like a minor but if entertainment and eating out are important to you it might end up being an issue.
Climate
We heard this a lot from other foreigners: “but it’s so hot in the interior! It’s too hot”. That’s in the summer. In the winter they’ll say “but it’s so cold in the interior!”
One of the things that got old really quickly in Nerja was the constant sun and heat. We found summer unbearable with the humidity. We were always sweating. I honestly hated it and always looked forward to the cooler temperatures and lower humidity in winter.
Temperatures are hotter in the interior. At least that’s what the thermometer says. But we personally don’t feel it’s as hot as on the coast. That’s because it’s much drier. Think of it this way: the coast is like one of those saunas where they put water on hot rocks to create steam and humidity. The interior is like the traditional Scandinavian saunas where it just gets really, really hot and dry. They’re both uncomfortable in different ways. But I prefer the dry over the humid.
What we’ve appreciated though are the seasons you get inland which are much more pronounced than on the coast. It does get colder in winter. But that usually means walking around in a light coat. It’s comfortable. There’s more variability in the weather as well, we’ve had more rainy days in Antequera than Nerja. But we personally like the variability more.
Bugs and rodents
A side effect of the climate are bugs and rodents.
The humidity on the coast means you get more cockroaches, mosquitos and rats. We had problems with all of these at our complex in Nerja. We even had rats chew through our internet cables.
In almost a year in Antequera I’ve never seen a cockroach. I saw my first rat a few weeks ago when we were walking at night and I saw a huge rat sneak under the door of a church.
One strange thing in Antequera: their mosquitos are different than the ones on the coast. In Nerja we would see the common mosquito or the Tiger mosquito. They’re normal sized mosquitos. In Antequera we have these really big mosquitos. I’ve never seen them before and don’t know what they are. Maybe they just grow bigger inland. The good thing is they’re slower and easier to kill.
People
When I described Nerja’s Pros and Cons a couple of years ago, I talked about the locals of Nerja. The words I used: friendly, welcoming, easy to talk to, you don’t have to worry about integrating into the local population, very nice people, tolerant…
Antequera is a traditional city with a small-town mentality. They’re more reserved and maybe even a little suspicious of foreigners. And if you’re “different” looking, like Lissette and I are, you get funny looks and even stares. It’s definitely been a different experience.
So if you’re a funny looking couple like us you’ve been forewarned.
Other aspects of living in Antequera
There are a few things to know if you’re considering living in Antequera.
A great thing is that it has 2 high-speed train lines. The first one is called Santa Ana and it’s about 20 minutes outside the city. It links the city with Madrid, Cordoba, and Malaga. The 2nd train station called Antequera AV is just outside the center. It was completed in early 2023 and it connects Antequera to Malaga and Granada. You can actually be in the center of Malaga within 25 minutes. Granada is about 45 minutes away. So Antequera is really well connected. The problem is that schedules can be sporadic. There are only 4 trains a day for example going to Malaga.
A lot of people have mentioned to us that the city is undergoing an economic boom. I don’t know if that’s true. If you look at the map of Andalusia, Antequera is almost right in the middle. It’s always been at the crossroads between every major city in the region and is often called “the heart of Andalusia”. So you have a lot of companies with distribution centers just outside the city. Mercadona for example has a HUGE warehouse.
The thing though is that what you actually see in the city is that of a place in decline. There are tons of empty stores that have been boarded up. There are entire streets where every store is closed. We’ve been told that a lot of that had to do with Covid. Again, I don’t know if that’s true. You’ll also notice a ton of beautiful old buildings that have been boarded up. It’s very sad to see.
If there is some kind of economic boom going on it’s not reflected in the city.
The population here is old. A lot of people in their 70s and 80s. Almost all our neighbours on our street are in that age group. Funny story, when the cable company wanted to install internet cables through our neighbours property, they were refused. The cable guy said the neighbours didn’t know what internet was and they didn’t want it on their property. Our first 3 months here we had to have a radio internet connection because they couldn’t connect our building with fibreoptic cables.
Sometimes Antequera feels like a place stuck 50 years in the past…
Antequera VS Nerja
Like I said at this beginning of this video, our experience in Antequera has been the complete opposite of what it was like in Nerja.
Nerja had good bars, great restaurants and many opportunities for a great social life. But we felt that we were living in a seaside resort catering to foreigners. We were culturally bored.
In Antequera we’ve lived in a city rich in sights, culture and history…but it’s boring in a completely different way. We’ve felt socially bored in Antequera.
So two completely opposite experiences.
But, in the end, moving to Antequera was the right decision for us. There’s been things we’ve missed but overall the major things we were looking for we found in Antequera. We wanted to live in “the real Spain” and Antequera is that. It’s a city rich in culture and history and we feel lucky to have experienced living here.
We’re leaving Antequera
Something I haven’t mentioned: we’re actually leaving Antequera. By the time you see this video we’ll have left.
I mentioned the negatives: the lack of international restaurants, the lack of expat activities, the feeling of being a bit isolated…Those are a few of the reasons. But there are also some personal reasons that have nothing to do with Antequera. Some have to do with just wanting to see more of Spain. We’ve always had itchy feet and if we can travel and continue exploring we’ll do that as long as we can.
Still I can see Antequera being the right fit for a lot of people. If you’re older and want to live in the “real Spain”, it might be for you. It’s peaceful, there’s lots of nature even within the city where you can walk, there are lots of medical facilities and a large hospital. And you can be in Malaga within half an hour. If you’re a family and have young children, it might also be good for you. It’s a very safe city, there are a lot of schools and there are lots of places you can go in the vicinity for outdoor activities.
Summing it up…Antequera is a great city, a stunning city. whether it’s a good base for you really depends on you and what you are looking for.
Related: The Cost of Living in Antequera (and comparing it to Nerja)
Related: Is Nerja Overrated?
Interesting reading, thanks. I hear a lot of stories from different “desired” areas (close to the coast) of Spain being difficult to find rentals in the summer months. In order to find the location that checks most of one’s boxes one might have to do what you’re doing…that is live in different cities/towns (If I read you correctly?). But if finding rentals for a few months at a time is difficult, how do you do it? Particularly in the summer & in places close to the beach…
For holiday rentals close to the beach google “holiday rentals” for whatever town you are interested in. There’s lots. Just be careful of reading reviews because there are scams where people never see their deposits back. Otherwise, look at Airbnb. But yes, summer always harder and more expensive.
Hi Frank – enjoying your post as always, congrats for a well written article. Based on your comments on people, culture and language it looks like the optimal choice for newcomers in Spain would be a combination of the two cities, Nerja and Antequera. Do you think places that are still on the coast but on the “shoulder”, meaning less touristy and more Spanish the Nerja – I’m thinking Almunecar area, is the best choice? Thanks, Adrian
Thank you for the kind words Adrian. Almunecar is definitely something in between in almost every respect. You could probably say the same about Maro (although very small. But depends what you are looking for). But there are so many factors and really it all depends on what’s important to you.
By the way, we’re 5 days into our stay in Granada and there’s definitely a different, more happening vibe in the air. People friendly, more cosmopolitan, more variety. So unless the beach is important to you, don’t exclude places inland.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying Granada, it looks like it checks all the boxes for you, I hope you found your place and tribe! Indeed I’m more of a beach/water guy so I’ll plan to stick with the coast but I also like skiing so for what’s (still) worth it I’ll definitely spend time in the Sierra Nevada and Granada area
Very interesting article. We’re looking at relocating from 12 years in the Canaries (Lanzarote) to Murcia /Valencia border. We actually did our first recce last August and had Nerja as our final of 7 days in that region then Antequera on the return trip to the airport. We’ve selected Las Alcazares/San Javier/ Pilar de la Horadada at the moment.
Thanks for your stories. I really enjoy reading them (I’m a reader). I took note of your comment about the summer dry heat and that’s what we say about where I used to live. When the summer temps get up to 115 or more, but it’s a dry heat! Yes, but it’s is still like walking into an oven. Currently in Cordoba and enjoying it a lot, unfortunately only for a week. I spent the last month on Gran Canaria. Glad to be back on the mainland. Thanks again.
We spent two months in Spain this winter. The first month we rented an apartment in Nerja, not because of the beaches, but for the walkability of the town( we live in rural Texas, so every excursion results in a car trip). Also, the proximity to coastal and mountain walks were a big draw. The environment is stunning. One of our goals was to look at property for sale, in order to hedge our bets, pending the outcome of the fall election in the US. Among other places, we looked at Rute. There are some really cheap properties, and we found it why. All the negatives that you expressed about Antiquera were evident in Rute, only more so. Nobody wants to live there, hence the depressed property values. The second month of our trip was mostly spent roadtripping through southern Portugal and southwestern Andalucia, doing day hikes between towns. Hope to return next winter for another couple of months, maybe Valencia/Alicante area.
Oh, too bad! If thought one day we might meet up and get together! We live near Villanueva de la Concepcion in the campo and regularly drive into Antequera. Good luck on your next adventure and keep us posted on where you a moving to next.
Interesting how different the two places are. It doesn’t sound like an outsider would be able to live in Antequera long term if the locals keep to themselves and there’s no social life. Btw, a recent survey showed that Malaga comes out tops for the place that expats feel happiest in. This is in the world!
You must be all settled in Granada by now and exploring the region. Have a happy next 2 months there 🙂
I think for a foreigner to integrate they have to be fully 100% committed, learn to speak perfect Spanish and just want to make roots there. They really have to invest themselves and it might take years. That’s why families might do well there. It really is a beautiful place with lots going for it. But it’s not where we are at this point – who knows, maybe in 20 years when we’ll explored every corner of Spain, maybe we’ll circle back to Antequera. But life is too short and unless you fall in love with a place, why not explore some more? That’s how we feel.
About Malaga: no doubt they mean Malaga province (we have no love for that city). And it of course depends on the type of expat that do those surveys…
Yes, I read one of your posts about not loving Malaga city.
I think even for many non-travelers, it’s hard to know that you want to be in a specific place for the rest of your life. Circumstances, retirement, family and friends… everything changes at some point and then what you want can change completely too!
Totally agree Claudine. When we moved to Nerja after Covid, we thought we were ready to put down roots. Had a big apartement, bought tons of plants…took a bit over a year to realize that’s not us at this point in our lives. Felt trapped. We left Antequera with 2 rolling suitcases, 2 small backpacks, and a couple of bags of linens and pots and pans (for residency reasons we may have to put down roots at least temporarily. But that’s another story…)
Hi, an interesting read on your thoughts and experiences living in different parts of Spain. Where are you off to next? X
Thank you! Still figuring it out but we have a 2 month apartment in Granada. So we’ll be exploring that in depth over the next little while 🙂
headed to Granada at the end of May for a few days!
Let us know details when you come, maybe we’ll cross paths! 🙂
Absolutely! we don’t have any real plans, yet. Have been to the Alhambra about 4 years ago, and while its stunning, no need to return just yet. Will let you know what we are planning!