Travel

What You Need to Know about Ronda

Ronda ( MÁLAGA)

From where can I plan this day trip? From Antequera, Málaga, Granada, Sevilla, and the like.

 

What is it? A relatively small city in the middle of Andalucía, Ronda has some serious history. It played a part in Roman, Moorish, and Catholic stories and is considered as one of the oldest cities in Spain. It is also one of the most visually impacting as the old and new parts of the city are connected by the Puente Nuevo (the New Bridge) over the El Tajo gorge. In addition, it is said to be the home of modern bullfighting* and the city is known for its bullring and toreros or bullfighters.

 

Outside the bullring. How should I prepare ahead of time? The city of Ronda is quite small and accessible to see in a day. However, I would recommend planning what you want to see ahead of time so you can organize yourself in an efficient way. If you want to see the bullring, make sure you know what the opening hours; if you want to take a walk into the gorge—which I highly recommend as it is beautiful—make sure you do it when the sun is out as it might be a bit dangerous at night. Also, make sure you see both the ‘old’ and ‘new’ cities as they both have a very different energy and it is interesting to see how the physical separation of city can still be felt in Ronda to this day.

PRO-TIP: Even though you can “do it in a day” and I was not in Ronda even 24 hours, I would recommend you spend the night. Going out for some fun tapas and waking up early to see the sunrise over the bridge!

 

How do I get there? Train, Bus, or Car

By bus you can go from Málaga, Antequera, Sevilla, and several other nearby towns. By train you can go from anywhere that passes through Antequera—Granada, Madrid, Málaga, etc.— and Gibraltar. By car, you are always a bit more free and can get there from just about anywhere.

PRO-TIP: IF you like trains I would highly recommend going from where you are to Ronda by train. The countryside around Ronda is pretty beautiful and I really enjoyed taking it slow with the train.

 

Recommended time of year to visit: Keep in mind that summers in Andalucía get HOT. In order to enjoy this city without burning to a crisp, I would recommend visiting in spring or fall. I went in November and the days were beautiful although the evenings were a little chilly.

 

*Whether or not you are pro/anti-bullfighting we recognize that this activity forms a part of Spanish history and think it is always interesting to learn about how things came to be. Do you think we should talk more about bullfighting?

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