How to see the beautiful city of Ronda in Andalusia in one day (including transportation!)
The whole reason I went to Spain was to go to Ronda. It ended being a huge detour in my itinerary which those who didn't know Ronda strongly questioned but I do not regret one bit. The town and views are stunning and unlike anything I'd seen before - definitely a must-see!! Check out my travel diary to see how I made the most out of my 1 day here.
Ronda
Ronda is a small town in Andalusia, Southern Spain with a population of about 37,000 people and at about 750 m (2,460 ft) above mean sea level. Despite its size, Ronda attracts a lot of tourists due to being a city on two sides of the almost 200 meter deep gorge "el Tajo" connected by a large bridge. Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway both frequently visited and spent a lot of time in Ronda. The gorge, bridge, and views are the main attraction but the town itself also has a lot of history; including the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain, prehistoric remains, Arab baths, and various significant buildings. With both Moorish/Islamic history and later traditional Spanish history, there's a lot to see here.
The Day
Arrive at the Bus/Train station in New Town
Both stations are to the north of the city in the "New Town." Enjoy the trip here (transportation options outlined below) and take in the beautiful Andalusian countryside. Upon arrival, walk about 10 minutes south through the newer streets with many different restaurants, cafés, hotels, etc.
Alameda del Tajo ("Cliff Promenade")
This is a beautiful park with a long walkway, gorgeous plant life, plenty of shady spots to sit, and a beautiful view of the view below. Walk around and stretch your legs after your trip into Ronda - depending on the time of arrival, this is also a great place to eat breakfast/lunch. Tu Rincon Dulce is a great pastry shop nearby. There are also a bunch of small shops around here like Carrefour Express where you can grab a snack, drink etc.
Plaza de Toros de la Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda ("Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda")
This is the biggest square in Ronda and is the location of the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain. The bullring, constructed in 1779-1785, has a diameter of 66 meters (217 ft) and 2 levels. It is currently a museum which opens at 10am and costs €6.50 per person (€8.00 pp with audio-guide). You can also walk just around the bullring for free.
Next to the Plaza de Toros is the Oficina Municipal de Turismo de Ronda (Tourist center). Here, you can pick up a map of the area, informational pamphlets, and the Bono Turístico or tourist ticket. It costs €8 (€6.5 for students under 26/seniors/groups and free for under 14-year-olds).
Usual prices
Arab baths - €3
Mondragon palace - €3
Puente Nuevo interpretation museum - €2
Joaquin Peinado (painter) Museum - €4
Each is half off for reduced price and free for under 14 yr olds.
Puente Nuevo
Here’s the main attraction - the Puente Nuevo or “New Bridge.” This is the largest of the three bridges that connect el Mercadillo on the left and la Ciudad on the right at 98m/321.5 ft tall. It took a very long time to be built - after 34 years and 1 previously collapsed bridge, it was finally finished in 1793. Walk along it for a view of the countryside on one side and the rocky gorge that the city is built around on the other.
The "interpretation museum"is a small museum in what used to be a prison below the bridge walkway. The museum is pretty small and lacks a lot of information besides a few slide shows - the highlight of this attraction is the views as you get to be inside the bridge and get a view of the gorge/surroundings from many angles.
Hike down for the best view
Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you can go down a path just to the left of the bridge down towards the west. This walk down has plenty of places to stop and look back up at the bridge as you go down. The walk is very doable but still pretty steep so take your time, especially in summer. The ground is pretty even but flip flops are not recommended.
La Ciudad - the “Old town” of Ronda
Come back up from your hike and walk around the town through the small streets with white/stone buildings. There are lots of cafés, shops, restaurants and buildings of note like the Palacio de Salvatierra (closed to visitors).
Museo de Ronda Palacio de Mondragon
(€3, €2.75, free)
This is Ronda's town museum, housed in the Mondragon Palace that was built somewhere in the 14th century and is thought to be the home of Moorish King Abomelic I/Abbel Malik who was the son of the Sultan of Morocco. It has exhibits on the history of the area, focusing on its prehistoric beginnings and the nature formations. It has inner courtyards and an outer garden with another view off the cliff.
It's a nice place to see but I was a bit dissapointed as you go through it pretty quickly. The exhibits focus very heavily on the natural history and there isn't really much about the history of Ronda. The one unexpectedly exciting part was that the exhibit lights are motion triggered and when I entered one room, the lights suddenly came on revealing skeletons on the floor giving me a scare.
If you decide to purchase the tourist ticket then come check it out but if you're choosing between here and other sights (i.e. the Casa del Rey Moro), I would give this one a miss.
Plaza Duquesa de Parcent
Keep walking around la Ciudad - if you keep walking south you'll come to this big open air square. It has plenty of shady benches and restaurants with terraces in the shadow of the church tower. This is another great place to take a break and enjoy the shade and people watching.
Puerta de Almocábar
This archway marks the southern end of the old town with a fortress wall which was the Islamic main entry gate in the 13th century. Nearby is the Iglesia del Espíritu Santo, a 16th century church.
Arab Baths
Head back up north but this time along the right/east side of the city where you get a good view of the wall running along the outer edges of the city. If you walk for about 15 minutes, you get to Arab baths, a very well-preserved remnant of the Islamic population that lived here for so long. These baths date back to the 11th/12th century and while the complex is pretty small, it is very well preserved where you can walk through the complex above and underground. There is a pretty detailed video in both English and Spanish that explains how the baths were heated with steam from a Moorish water wheel and shows what the different rooms were for.
Though pretty small, I would recommend you visit the baths because they are very well preserved and provide an interesting look into a part of Spanish history and of the area which is less pronounced.
La Casa del Rey Moro
This sight has 3 parts; the house, the gardens, and a water mine. The name "House of the Moorish King" is a bit of a misnomer as the castle/house was built in the 18th century long after the Moors lost control of the city in 1485. The connection of different aristocratic houses was spearheaded by Trinidad voice Scholtz Hermensdorff (the duchess of Parcent who the earlier square is named after) when she bought it in 1911. This part of the castle is under construction and not open to visitors, though you can walk around it as it is the middle of the complex.
Right upon entry are the gardens which were designed by the landscape architect Jean-Claude Forestier in 1912. Forestier is famous for working on the Champs de Mars by the Eiffel Tower and the Maria Luisa park in Sevilla, though the Casa Del Rey Moro gardens were his first such project in Spain.
While the gardens are beautiful, the most interesting part of the Casa is the Water Mine. It was built by the Moors at the beginning of the 14th century and was the main water access point for the city. It has almost 300 steps and is a dark circular path to get down. In this deep cave there is the "Room of Secrets" where if something is said in a corner, someone standing in the center cannot hear what has been said. Once you get to the bottom, you can look up into the gorge from the water and see all the many grooves and wildlife living in the gorge.
The Casa del Rey Moro, though not terribly expensive, at €7 entry (€3.5 for under 12 year olds) is the most expensive of the sights listed here. If you're looking to spend a whole day in Ronda and want to see everything then it is a beautiful space with a great intersection of Moorish/later Spanish history. If you have an Android, make sure to download the Casa del Rey Moro app for an audio guide.
If you do not have a lot of time, then you could skip the Casa. Visitors can't see the castle and the water mine is manageable but at 300 steps in a dark and pretty slippery place isn't for everyone.
Bridges
Between the Casa del Rey Moro and the Arab Baths are the two other bridges that connect the city; Puente Viejo (2nd biggest) and the Puente Romano. Though much smaller than the Puente Nueve, they also get you back to new town and provide a different view of the city.
Jardines de Cuenca
Cross the Puente de Viejo and then take a left to walk up the Jardines de cuenca. These are 23 rose-covered terraces that go up the side of the gorge and have many different types of colorful roses. Climbing up here will bring you back the new town "El Mercadillo" side of Ronda right by the Puente Nueve where you can get in some more of the views or head back up that side.
Transportation
Malaga
Car: The drive is 1 hour and 30-45 minutes. There is parking at the station which is open from 7am-10pm for a small fee and free parking on the street outside the station.
Bus: Take the Damas Interbus at the malagabici 14 estacion de autobus (close to Maria Zambrano station). The bus is around €20 round trip and should leave from platform 3. While tickets can be bought at the station, buy them on the Damas website ahead pof time to insure a spot at the time you want to leave. The bus stops at a few other places along the way and after about 1h45 minutes ends up a the Estacion de Autobuses de Ronda.
Train: Renfe (Spain’s state-run train line)
There is one direct train from Malaga to Ronda which leaves Maria Zambrano station at 9:40am and arrives in Ronda 2 hours later at 11:40am.
As a home base: The best place to stay if you are coming to Southern Spain to see Ronda as it is the closest and is the most accessible by plane. Malaga has quite a few things to do if you decide to stay in the city and is a beach town. It is relatively small and attracts a lot of beach-going tourists so it might not be the best place if you want to spend some time in Southern Spain and soak up the culture. I decided to stay in Malaga as I was coming to Spain to see Ronda and then move on.
Sevilla
Car: The drive is about 2 hours.
Bus: Take a 2.5h Los Amarillos bus from Prado de San Sebastian Bus Station to the Ronda bus station.
Train: There is no direct train to Ronda from Sevilla. On the weekends, a Renfe train runs from Sevilla Santa Justa to Antequera Santa Ana (1.5h) where you can take a different train to Ronda (1h). The total journey can take anywhere between 3-5 hours.
Tickets can be bought on the Renfe website http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html, on omnio.com (more expensive), or at the station. Would recommend booking in advance so that you are assured of a spot.
Home base: Sevilla is the opposite to Malaga in a lot of the ways previously described. It’s bigger, not on the coast, and has many beautiful sights and historical attractions. It’s the place to go if you are interested in Spanish history, culture and want to go to the 4th biggest city in Spain.
Jerez de la Frontera
Car: The drive to Ronda is about 1.5 hours, the same distance as from Malaga.
Public Transportation: There is a bus that runs from Jerez to Ronda but it takes 2.5 hours.
Home base: A convenient base if a) you’re driving b) you are spending more time in Spain and want to explore Jerez specifically. Otherwise, if you are not driving and want to make the most of limited time in Spain, staying in the larger Malaga/Sevilla gives you more things to see and more transportation options.
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