Ronda and the Puente Nuevo above the Tajo gorge at sunset

The Serranía de Ronda

Ronda, the town suspended above the void

Perched on a plateau split by the Tajo gorge, Ronda is one of Spain’s most spectacular towns. Hemingway and Orson Welles lost their hearts here; you understand why at the first glance from the Puente Nuevo.

The New Bridge, completed in 1793, spans a 120-metre gorge and separates the Moorish town, La Ciudad, from the modern Mercadillo quarter. Wander from the Casa del Rey Moro to the Arab baths, walk down the Molinos path to photograph the bridge from the valley floor, then climb back up for a drink on the Alameda del Tajo.

Ronda is also the Plaza de Toros, one of the country’s oldest bullrings, and a reborn mountain vineyard to be explored bodega by bodega. All around, the white villages of the Serranía and the Grazalema natural park stretch the escape by a few more days.

Ronda

What to see and do in Ronda

Puente Nuevo

The monumental bridge over the Tajo, to be seen from above, below and at sunset.

Plaza de Toros

The 1785 bullring and its museum, cradle of modern bullfighting.

The Arab baths

The best preserved in Spain, at the foot of the old quarter.

The Serranía bodegas

Mountain wines and lunches among the vines, by reservation.

Practical information

From Málaga airport: About 100 km · 90 min by road
Best season: Spring and autumn; summer is hot but evenings stay mild at altitude. Avoid the Pedro Romero Feria weekends (early September) without a booking.
Ideal for: Romantic getaway · Wine and heritage lovers · White villages road trip

My advice