The 20 Best Things to See and Do in Ronda

One of southern Spain’s most famous attractions, Ronda’s epic Puente Nuevo, or New Bridge, spans the 328-feet-deep El Tajo gorge, linking El Mercadillo (The Little Market), the newer part of town, with La Ciudad (The Town), the old Moorish quarter. Completed in 1793, it took some forty years and the lives of 50 construction workers to build. For just €2.50 you can visit the museum in a little stone-walled cavern in the middle of the bridge, which was used as a prison throughout the 19th century and during Spain’s Civil War of 1936-39. It is also said, that during the Civil War both Republican and Nationalist prisoners whose luck had run out were thrown from the bridge to their deaths. For a searing fictionalisation of a massacre which it is said was loosley-based on events in Ronda, see Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Opened in 1785, Ronda’s stately bullring is now used just once a year for the exclusive annual bullfight of the town’s September Feria. It was on the pale sands of this historic arena that a new kind of bullfighting was forged by Francisco Romero in the 18th century. Romero introduced the now-iconic red cape, known as the muleta, and faced the bull on foot, whereas before matadors had performed on horseback. Outside the arena are statues of Antonio Ordonez, another important Ronda bullfighter (see below) and of a life-size fighting bull, which better enables you to understand how hard it must be to keep still when one of these half-ton animals is running at you. There are several daily tours of the bullring and you can learn more about the controversial spectacle that takes place within it, at the excellent museum.

Ronda’s bullfighting culture inspired not one but two works by the Nobel Prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway. Ronda-born Cayetano Ordonez (1904-1961) was the model for the swaggering bullfighter Pedro Romero in Hemingway’s Fiesta – a novel which also made the bull-running fiesta of Pamplona world-famous (some would say much for the worse). Cayetano’s son, Antonio Ordonez (1932-1998), became a great torero as well and his intense rivalry with matador Luis Miguel Dominguín during the 1959-60 season was documented by Hemingway in A Dangerous Summer. The writer is remembered in Ronda by the Paseo de Ernest Hemingway, a pathway that runs alongside the top of El Tajo in the ‘new’ part of town and which offers some of the best views of the surrounding landscape.

Ronda’s so-called House of the Moorish King was in fact built in the eighteenth century, long after the the town fell to the Christians in 1485. It sits atop El Tajo gorge on the old Moorish side of town and, although the palace is closed to the public, you can still walk down the steep stone staircase of the Water Mine – which actually does date from the city’s time under Muslim rule – all the way to the bottom of El Tajo. During Ronda’s Moorish occupation, it was to this perilous staircase that Christian slaves are said to have been chained in order to pass containers of water up to the town from the river Guadalevin. The neck-craning views of Puente Nuevo from the bottom of the gorge are well worth the 300-step trek back to the top.

Either side of Puente Neuvo there are scenic walking routes to the bottom of El Tajo canyon. On the side of the old town, a little country path takes you down the hillside and under the great bridge itself, via some slightly hairy sections that resemble a much lower but less well-maintained version of Malaga’s terrifying Caminito del Rey. On the side of the newer part of town, a better-maintained pathway takes you across one of the quaint older bridges that New Bridge was meant to improve upon, and back up the other side of the gorge past the Casa del Rey Moro. Both of these undemanding walks provide an abundance of spots from which to contemplate the untamed beauty of Ronda’s location.

El Tajo canyon not only rendered necessary Ronda’s most iconic attraction, it also divides the town into two separate halves, each with its own style and atmosphere. La Ciudad – or The Town – is the original Moorish part and weaves around one central Street, Calle Armiñan, south of Puente Nuevo. The best time to explore this ancient barrio (Ronda was under Muslim dominion from 712 to 1485) is in the evening or at night, when the coach-loads of tourists are in their restaurants or hotels on the other side of the canyon. On the northern cliffs of El Tajo is the more commercial part of town, known as El Mercadillo – or The Little Market – it was developed after the Arabs were expelled towards the end of the fifteenth century. The heart of modern-day Ronda has retained all of the beauty and charm of Andalusia’s gorgeous ‘white villages’, even if its Plaza España is now home to a McDonalds.

Despite the fact they were in continual use for some 600 years, Ronda’s 10th and 11th century Arabic baths are among the best-preserved in Spain (along with those in Granada). Though their working parts are no longer in existence, it is not hard to imagine the busy social life that unfolded within these cool, domed rooms, the ceilings of which are attractively studded with star-shaped vents for light and ventilation. They were situated outside the old city walls, near to one of Ronda’s original bridges, the Puente Arabe.

The locals of Ronda love to eat, drink and socialise as much as any of their Andalusian neighbours, meaning there is a huge choice of places to take refreshment in between exploring El Tajo or learning about the bulls. A delicious regional speciality is spicy Rondeño chorizo – bite-sized little paprika-infused sausages, served with the usual carb-fest of crispy fries and chunky bread.

If you can bring yourself to inch onto one of the precipitous balconies overhanging El Tajo canyon, they provide a perfect spot from which to try and catch sight of some of the area’s beautiful airborne wildlife. The gorge that splits Ronda in two is ideal hunting and nesting ground for its many species of bird, among which are eagles, kestrels, falcons and the menacing Griffon Vulture, which has a giant 9-metre wingspan. Ronda’s clifftop location allows you to feel part of these magnificent birds’ natural habitat in a way you rarely can at less stomach-churning heights.

Puente Viejo (‘Old Bridge’) is the more notable of the two crossings that the gigantic Puente Nuevo was built to improve upon. Comprising a single stone archway, this early 17th-century structure is reached by strolling down through the beautiful Jardines de Cuenca, and from its centre, there are some spectacular views of the countryside beyond Ronda.

Named after Ronda’s twin Spanish city, these stunning gardens are staggered down the eastern side of Puente Nuevo, leading to that famous crossing’s older and smaller brother. Best visited either during the morning, before it gets too hot, or at sunset, they offer jaw-dropping views of El Tajo canyon, Puente Nuevo and the fertile landscape south of Ronda.

Andalusia’s most stunning park is located just behind Ronda’s historic bullring. Particularly beautiful during spring and autumn, the Alameda del Tajo features several viewing platforms that hang over the cliff edge; hilariously, Spaniards call these coño balconies, coño being a versatile Spanish swearword that you may well want to use upon looking down.

Less than half an hour’s drive west of Ronda is the beautiful and wild Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park. Definitely worth a visit if the length of your visit permits, this rugged protected area is home to some epic natural features such as incredibly deep canyons – scars in the landscape four times the height of the gorge that splits Ronda in two. Best explored by bike or on foot.

About a 45-minute drive east of Ronda is the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park. At its centre is the 1,909-metre (6,263-foot) Mount Torrecilla, while other notable natural features include one of of the deepest potholes in Europe, at 1,098 metres (3,602 feet). The park’s largely uninhabited expanses are also home to birds of prey, mountain goats and continental Europe’s largest spider.

For fast and cheap tapas surrounded by locals, El Lechuguita is your place. Nestling on a sidestreet just off Plaza España, this hugely popular joint flings out bite-sized treats for as little as 80 cents, while the more ‘expensive’ tapas will set you back two or three euros. It’s traditional fare – think grilled meats and tortilla – and it’s very small, so arrive early to avoid disappointment.

Ronda’s elegant Palacio de Mondragón dates from the early 14th century and was once a residence for the town’s wealthy Moorish rulers. At the close of the 15th century, the building was extensively remodelled by a distinguished family from Seville, who were given the palace for their efforts during the Catholic reconquest of Spain. Nowadays, it houses the Municipal Museum, where you can learn about the history of Ronda.

Don’t leave Ronda without treating yourself to a meal at Meson El Sacristán, one of the town’s stand-out restaurants. Its USP is a gorgeous old wood oven, in which a variety of mouthwatering, locally sourced meat dishes are cooked. Star platos here are the roasted suckling pig, the baby goat chops and the stewed bull’s tail, a Rodeño classic. The restaurant is also famous for its world-class cured jamons and its homemade desserts.

Casa Maria likes to surprise its clients. You don’t order off a menu here: you simply take your table, order the drinks and let the kitchen staff serve you several courses made from whatever was freshest at the market that morning. This ingredient-driven approach to cooking has made Maria’s House extremely popular, so be sure to book in advance. Order the fabulous lemon cheesecake for dessert.

The wonderful Museo Lara takes its name from local collector and founder Juan Lara Jurado. Jurado bought the historic building in 1993 and six years later opened its doors to what has been called the best private collection in Spain; it spans human endeavour over the centuries, from science to weaponry, including artefacts such as pistols, cameras and instruments of torture used during the Spanish Inquisition.

Come early September, Ronda throws itself into its annual Pedro Romero festival. Named after the legendary 18th-century Ronda-born bullfighter who is credited with inventing modern bullfighting, the fair takes over streets and squares in the Mercadillo area, converting them into a giant open-air party. Food and drink stands appear on every corner and ceilings of balloons and paper lanterns provide shade for revellers. The feria culminates with a bullfight in the town’s 18th-century bullring.