PHOTOS AND POSTCARDS FROM RONDA, SPAIN
Ronda had been on my bucketlist for many years. I’d spotted a picture on Insta of the iconic Puente Nuevo and I knew instantly it was a place I wanted to experience for myself.
Ronda’s location is dramatic! It’s part of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park and perches high above the El Tajo gorge, which splits the town into two. The two sides of the town are connected by the iconic bridge.
I decided to do a one week whistle stop tour around some of the towns in southern Spain for my birthday in June and Ronda was the first place I added.
Ronda is an extremely popular destination in southern Spain: the third most visited city in Andalusia and is one of the most popular day trips to do from Malaga or Seville.
Find out more about Ronda in my Perfect One Day Itinerary
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We flew in to Malaga on a scorching hot day, collected our car rental (that we got for £26 for 8 nights btw, what a BARGAIN!) and began the drive to Ronda.
On our way to Ronda we passed by Sentinel de Bodegas which is a must visit if you’re in the Andalusia area of Spain. It’s the beautiful cave village of Spain and is such a unique place.
Once we arrived in Ronda we had a bit of a nightmare tbh! We were staying in Old Town and the streets are narrow and there’s no parking (or non that I could find anyway) so we parked 800 metres away in New Town in an underground carpark. It was pretty reasonably priced at €16 per 24 hours.
The walk from our car to the hotel was a nightmare! It was 39℃. For some reason we decided to drag along all our belongings, even though we were only staying for 2 nights so could have just grabbed a few items from the car and had an easier walk. We sweated a lot!
Once we finally found the hotel there was no one there. Just a huge, locked wooden door. After alot of banging and a few phone calls via Booking.com who I booked the hotel with I managed to get through to someone. I’m not quite sure who it was or where they were but with my broken Spanish and her broken English I managed to relay the info that we were outside the door of the hotel and it was locked.
As it turns out they have a sister hotel nearby that the staff are at and ours was an unmanned hotel, which I actually quite liked as we were the only ones there and it felt like our own big town house.
Anyway, they sent someone from the sister hotel to let us in. All good :)
We unpacked a little and headed straight out to explore.
Wandering through Old Town was wonderful. It had the quinessential feel of a ‘pueblos blancos’ like other towns in Andalusia. The cobbled streets, the whitewashed building, the terracotta pots with plants just trying to survive the extreme heat.
After wandering through Old Town we arrived at Puente Nuevo - the reason for my Ronda trip. It was magnificent! The views from the bridge were also something special too. You can see the countryside and mountains for miles.
After admiring the views around the bridge I continued on to New Town which is on the other side of the bridge from Old Town. Just as I arrived in New Town I stumbled across Plaza de Toros - the bullfighting ring in Ronda.
The ring here is the oldest stone bullring in all of Spain. I personally am not an advocate for bullfighting, but it is still a significant part of Spanish culture and really quite interesting. This eighteenth century bullring still hosts bullfights and is open for tours - €9 to enter.
I decided not to go in the bullring but wandered around a beautiful shaded park area nearby, taking in some more views. There really are just stunning views everywhere you look in Ronda.
VIDEO FROM MY TIME IN RONDA
Coming 21st June
Best Time to Visit
The summers are HOT! I cannot reiterate that enough! I was in Ronda at the end of June and it was 37 - 39C in the afternooons which isn’t really condusive to the walking up and down the hills you do in Ronda if you’re visiting the lower viewpoints that is. It can also be very busy with day trippers from the surrounding areas.
Instead of the height of summer, it may be best to visit during the late spring or early autumn - April and May or October. This is when temperatures are cooler, and it’s easier to explore.
👍🏼 Top Tip: I recommend spending the night in Ronda so you can get up early or go out late in the evening to experience the town with fewer visitors.
How to Visit Ronda
Malaga is the nearest airport to Ronda.
Ronda is about an hour and a halves drive from Malaga or Seville and it’s easy to get a day trip tour from any location along the south coast of Spain.
I personally drove to Ronda and it’s how I’d recommend getting to Ronda as it allows you to explore other places around such as Sentenil de Bodegas.
I recommend renting a car through RentalCars.com as they search the biggest brands in car rental, have flexible rentals and no hidden fees. Book your rental car here.
Getting Around
The town is pretty small so the best way to explore is on foot so pack a good pair of walking shoes or walking sandals. If you’re driving, there are lots of parking areas in Ronda that are all close to the center that are decently priced.
Where to stay in Ronda
If you decide to do more than a day trip and stay overnight in Ronda there are many hotels to choose from.
As the main draw of Ronda is Puente Nuevo and the views of to the surrounding countryside you’ll find that many of the hotels are located on the edges of town in order to make the most of the views.
There are apartments and villas that are more centrally located though.
I stayed at Apartamentos de Ciudad in Old Town which was a reasonably priced hotel with large rooms, a fridge and a small pool area to cool off from the Ronda heat. It was just a little issue actually getting in to the place :D
Best Eateries in Ronda
Ronda has some delicious food so you certainly won’t be disappointed when it comes to meal times! There are many restaurants and tapas bars all around town that serve the very best of authentic Andalusian cuisine. Most of the bars and restaurants are situated in New Town and you can grab a bite to eat until late in to the night.
Some of my favorites are:
Pizza Utopia (Take away pizza)
Heladeria E’Gelato (Gelato)
Churrería Alba (Best churros in town)
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