Ронда

Spring and autumn are the best seasons, with mild days and clear light. Summer is hot in the day. Winter is cool and can be wet.

The biggest event is the Feria de Pedro Romero in early September. It includes a traditional bullfight in 18th-century costume.

• New Bridge is the stone bridge that crosses the El Tajo gorge. It was finished in 1793 and is nearly 100 m high. The best views are from the paths below the town.
• Plaza de Toros de Ronda is one of the oldest bullrings in Spain, built in 1785. You can visit the arena and a small museum.
• Baños Árabes are medieval Moorish baths in the lower part of town, near the river.
• Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor is a church built on the site of an old mosque. It has a Moorish arch and a Gothic and Baroque interior.
• Ciudad romana de Acinipo is a Roman town about 20 km from Ronda, with a well-preserved theatre.
• The Casa del Rey Moro and its garden stand above the gorge and have steps down to the water.

• Walk along the cliff-edge viewpoints of the new town at sunset. The gorge turns gold in the evening light.

• Setenil de las Bodegas (about 20 km, 25 minutes by car): a village with houses built under huge rock overhangs.
• Grazalema (about 40 km, 45 minutes by car): a white village in a natural park with hiking trails.
• Marbella (about 60 km, 1 hour 15 minutes by car): a coastal resort. The road is winding.

Other places in Andalusia:

• On the coast: Marbella and Algeciras.
• Inland: Antequera and Carmona are old towns with many historic buildings.

• By air: The nearest airport is Málaga (AGP), about 100 km away. Seville (SVQ) is also an option.
• By bus: Direct buses link Ronda with Málaga, Seville and coastal towns.
• By train: Slower regional trains arrive from Algeciras and Granada. Book on Renfe.
• A car makes day trips from Ronda easier.

• On foot: The old town and the new town are both small. The streets between them cross the bridge.
• Cycling: Hills and cobbles make cycling hard for most visitors.

• Is a car worth it?: A car is useful for villages and mountain roads, but not needed in town.
• Parking: Park in the new town and walk to the old town.
• Restrictions: The streets of the old town are narrow, and some are closed to visitors' cars.

Ronda is known for rabo de toro, a slow-cooked oxtail stew, and for game and lamb dishes from the mountains. Small vineyards around Ronda make local wines.

The best places to eat are in the streets near the Plaza del Socorro and the bullring.

Ronda is very safe. Walk carefully near the edge of the gorge, where fences are low in places. Summer sun is strong, so carry water.

Ronda was a Roman and then a Moorish town. The baths and the old town walls date from the Moorish period. Christian forces took the town in 1485.

The old bridge and the new bridge show two periods. The new bridge, New Bridge, was built in the 18th century, and the bullring, Plaza de Toros de Ronda, is from the same period. Ronda is known as the home of modern bullfighting.

Quick practical facts for Spain at a glance: