Ronda is a magical small town located on the edge of a cliff in the province of Málaga.
You’ve probably never heard of the name, but chances are you’ve seen a pH๏τo of Puente Nuevo, an 18th-century structure that stretches through the 120-meter-deep El Tajo Gorge between the city and the town’s newer area. It is one of the most impressive attractions in Spain.
In the castle there are many fascinating fragments of Ronda’s 700-year occupation by the Moors that were discovered, and Ronda is also the leading wine town of the Costa del Sol, with more than 20 wineries open for tours in the local countryside.
Let’s discover the best things to do in Ronda:
1.Puente Nuevo
Among the most iconic images, not only in Ronda, but all of Spain is the structure of this 18th-century bridge as it sinks to the bottom of the El Tajo canyon at a depth of 120 meters below.
Construction began in 1759 to replace an earlier bridge that had collapsed the previous decade.
It was no small undertaking, either: The bridge took another 42 years to build and claimed the lives of about 50 workers.
There is a small exhibition of the bridge and its work in the room above the main arch.
This tiny space has been used as a prison for centuries.
2. La Ciudad
The most appropriate way to enter the oldest area of this city is through the fortified gate, the Puerta de Almocábar.
You may know this originated from the Moorish because of the horseshoe shape of the arch.
There is also the original Arabian citadel of Ronda, which has all sorts of interesting hints about the town’s past.
One of them is the Alminar de San Sebastián, a tower from the 1200s that was converted into the bell tower of a church after the reconquest, but now stands alone.
3. Bullfighting heritage
Source: FlickrA short walk from Puente Nuevo is Ronda’s neoclassical Plaza de Toros, built in the late 18th century and considered one of the birthplaces of modern bullfighting.
The sport is of course a sensitive subject but it remains an indelible part of Andalusian culture.
The arena was founded by the Royal Ronda Cavalry, which still exists today and has a museum about the insтιтution underneath one of the floors.
It is also accompanied by an exhibition on the history of bullfighting.
Outside the town is the Reservatauro Ronda, where the bulls are bred and raised in an idyllic setting with meadows and holm oaks.
4. Iglesia de Santa María La Mayor
This fascinating church has a long and complex history.
Like many people in Spain, it was originally a mosque and you can still recognize the mihrab, the directional part of Mecca.
Construction began shortly after Ronda’s return to Christianity in the late 15th century, but it was not completed until the 17th century, partly due to the devastating earthquake of 1580. So, there is a combination of gothic, renaissance, and baroque styles to see.
The wooden chairs in the choir are worth a visit, and they have images of saints carved from the Renaissance on their backs.
You can also find pasos (floats with wooden statues) that are part of Ronda’s Semana Santa procession.
5. Alameda del Tajo
When the town clings to a rock, you can bet that there isn’t much space left for the garden.
So, parks like Alameda del Tajo are open spaces for people to relax.
And the parks don’t have much more beautiful scenery: This park is located just above the western slope of Ronda and at Mirador de Ronda there is a large rocky ledge with a heart-pounding view of the town and out into the valley in the Sierra de Grazalema mountains.
Facing west, the sunset is as romantic as anything you can imagine.
In the garden there are vines woven with roses and an avenue with beautiful pepper and Himalayan cedars.
6. Winery
Ronda is part of the Sierras de Málaga DO and the alтιтude brings the climate that allows a variety of grapes to thrive, producing the award-winning Crianza, Tinto Joven and Blanco Joven wines.
Ronda was only officially recognized in 2000 but has not stopped growing.
Ronda’s official wine route currently has 21 wineries, so if you love wine and viticulture, Ronda can be a stepping stone to a memorable vacation.
Some, like Chinchilla, schedule half-day courses so you can gain an in-depth knowledge of the process and subtle flavors.
In addition to pairing delicious wines with tapas, you will appreciate the majestic scenery here, where most of the vineyards are grown at an alтιтude of more than 750 meters.
7. Arab Baths
This site located just east of Ronda is an interesting part of the town’s Moorish heritage and is in excellent condition for its age, with all but one roof intact.
That’s partly because, as usual, the bathrooms have been adapted, this time to a tannery that takes advantage of the boiler room.
The cold, warm and H๏τ rooms are still here, under the vaulted ceiling with star-shaped doorways.
You can see how they are heated and the complex system draws water from the Las Culebreas stream to the complex.
These baths are located in the poorer part of the town and have a religious role because they are located next to a mosque so that worshippers can perform the cleansing ritual here.
8. Palacio de Mondragón
In addition to the dazzling clifftop views, this palace and garden complex has Moorish origins, dating back to 1314. It was the home of Ronda’s last Moorish ruler, Hamet el-Zegri, and the Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand II also stayed here.
Centuries of renovation have hidden most of the medieval elements, but the gardens, with their low fences, palm trees, and fountains, feel like a miniature version of the Generalife in Granada.
Inside the palace, the wooden ceilings and original geometric tiles stand out, and the exhibits of the city museum can help you learn about the interesting history of this building and the town around it.
9. Iglesia del Espíritu Santo
Overlooking the Puerta de Almocábar was the first church built after Ronda was recaptured.
Construction began in 1485, the same year that the Catholic Monarchs claimed sovereignty over the town and was completed 20 years later.
In the early days Ronda was preparing for future conflict, so this explains why the church, built in fortifications, has such a defensive appearance.
Also, unlike many churches of this size, the design has a uniform feel because it was built in a short time.
It’s a solid gothic church, with sparse decorative details but plenty of fascinating stories to tell.
10. Lara Museum
This museum is named after its founder, Juan Antonio Lara Jurado, who apparently spent a lot of time and money building this very eclectic collection.
Museo Lara is located in the historic center, inside the 18th-century Casa Palacio de los Condes de las Conquistas.
What piques most people’s interest are the exhibits on the Inquisition and witchcraft downstairs.
As you can imagine, there are a lot of torture tools that look very creepy and in the next room there are some strange artifacts that are related to black magic.
Upstairs things are softer and very random, with vintage typewriters, sewing machines and even cameras used in early 20th-century silent films.
11. La Casa del Rey Moro
The name of this tourist attraction is “The House of the Moorish King” which is a bit confusing as it was built in the 18th century.
The lavish gardens are even newer, painted in the neo-Mudéjar style in 1912. But the unique feature here is the staircase of 300 steps that runs from the garden to the bottom of the canyon.
It was built in the 1300s to allow secret access to the Guadalevín River during the siege.
Now, just like when it was first used, this is a pretty tough but very rewarding descent.
Stop at the Sala de Secretos “Chamber of Secrets”, so called because the two whisperers at each end of this compartment can hear each other perfectly.
12. Acinipo
There is an ancient city 20 km northwest of Ronda.
The site covers an area of 32 hectares and at the height of the 1st century, 5,000 people lived here.
Acinipo was given royal minting privileges and the city lasted until the 5th century when it was sacked by the Visigoths.
The тιтle is definitely the theater, the steps line up with the slope of the hill.
A lot of scenae frons (stage backdrops) are still there, and you can even see where the actors will change.
Downhill are the ruins of the Acinipo baths, where separate rooms such as caldarium (H๏τ room) and tepidarium (warm room) can be seen.
13. Cueva de la Pileta
To the east of the Sierra de Grazalema, half an hour south of Ronda, is a spectacular collection of caves with prehistoric murals.
One of the many great things about Cueva de la Pileta is that it is a simple, family-run activity despite the immense importance of what’s inside.
You are even led by the descendant of the person who discovered it in 1905, José Bullon Lobato.
The geology of this system is impressive, but the Paleolithic paintings and carvings dating back up to 20,000 years are also impressive.
They depict horses, bison, bulls, deer, and fish, and you can also recognize the burn marks created by ancient campfires.
14. Sierra de las Nieves
You definitely want to explore the poetic landscapes that you can see from the cliffs in Ronda.
The town’s tourism office can provide detailed information on some of the walking routes and detours in the local countryside.
The plains that surround Ronda are a patchwork of grain fields, olive groves and, of course, vineyards.
Chúng bị gián đoạn bởi những cụm cây gỗ cứng như hạt dẻ và sồi.
And if you want to be really brave, you’re also just a few minutes away from two remote and protected mountain ranges, the Sierra de Grazalema in the west and the Sierra de las Nieves in the east.
15. Costa del Sol
You are close enough to the Mediterranean Sea to be able to prepare your luggage for a day of beach rest at any time.
The nearest resort is the affluent Puerto Banús, part of Marbella.
Descending from the wild mountains and rural vineyards of Serranía de Ronda, this luxurious escape for the ultra-wealthy can be a shock to the system! There are Blue Flag beaches along this length of coastline, like El Saladillo, which is almost three kilometers long with fine slate, like most beaches in this area, completely free of garbage.
