Ronda

Why visit Ronda

Ronda sits on a plateau in the mountains of Málaga province, cut in half by El Tajo, a gorge more than 100 metres deep. The eighteenth-century Puente Nuevo bridge spans it, linking the Moorish old town, La Ciudad, with the newer Mercadillo quarter, and the views from its edges are among the most famous in Spain. Writers and artists from Hemingway to Orson Welles fell for the town, and it has a long bullfighting tradition. Ronda suits almost every traveller, but stay overnight if you can, as the town is calmer and more atmospheric once the day-trip coaches leave.

What to see and do in Ronda

Cross the Puente Nuevo and look down into El Tajo from the bridge and the viewpoints along the cliff, including the Alameda del Tajo gardens. The Ronda bullring, one of the oldest in Spain, has a museum of bullfighting and horsemanship. In La Ciudad, the Arab Baths are among the best preserved in Spain, and the Casa del Rey Moro leads down a staircase cut through the rock to the river. The Joaquín Peinado Museum shows the Ronda-born painter's work, and the walk down to the bottom of the gorge gives the classic view of the bridge. Outside town, the Roman ruins of Acinipo, the painted Cueva de la Pileta near Benaoján and the Torrecilla peak in the Sierra de las Nieves make good excursions. Day trips from Málaga and Seville often combine Ronda with Setenil or the white villages.

A day in Ronda

Arrive early to cross the Puente Nuevo before the crowds, then visit the bullring and walk the Alameda del Tajo viewpoints. After lunch in La Ciudad, see the Arab Baths and descend the steps of the Casa del Rey Moro. In the late afternoon, walk down into the gorge for the classic view of the bridge, and finish with a wine tasting.

Food and local life

Ronda has a growing wine scene: visit Bodega Descalzos Viejos, set in a former monastery by the gorge, or Cortijo Los Aguilares, and taste wines from the Serranía de Ronda. Almazara El Toro makes olive oil nearby. Try oxtail, game stews, sopa de tomate and yemas, a sweet egg-yolk pastry.

Around Ronda

Ronda is the main town of the Serranía de Ronda comarca, with 23 villages spread across the mountains. The Genal valley's villages, Benaoján's Cueva de la Pileta and the Roman ruins of Acinipo are close, Setenil and Grazalema are 20 to 30 minutes away, and the Sierra de las Nieves National Park lies to the east.

See every town and village on the Serranía de Ronda page.

Getting there and around

Ronda is in the Serranía de Ronda comarca, about 1 hour 30 minutes from Málaga airport and 2 hours from Seville by car. Trains run to Algeciras, Granada and Antequera with connections to Málaga and Madrid, and buses to Málaga, Seville and the coast. The old town is walkable. The Feria Goyesca in early September is the main festival; spring and autumn are ideal.