Welcome to Ronda the “city of dreams” in Andalucia! One of Spain’s most visited white towns of Andalucia. Ronda is very compact and easy to navigate whilst walking the cobbled streets visiting the Real Maestranza bullring, the Puente Nuevo or El Tajo gorge There are many beautiful churches, museums, and wonderful coffee shops and tapas bars.
Creating the VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda from the content here at Ronda Today has been a real pleasure and I hope that you enjoy walking the tour as much I did making it. VoiceMap GPS Audio Guide for Ronda.
Scan the QR code to go directly to the Audio guide at VoiceMap
For quite a few years now, the A4 printable guide has been downloading steadily directly from Ronda Today and I have received many hundreds of emails from visitors, who have discovered the very best of a visit to Ronda, using the indepth information made up from the top 20 articles published here at Ronda Today.
But what better way to improve the guide? An audio guide of course!
Short clip by the Ronda Tourist board showing some popular places in Ronda the “City of Dreams”
Ronda Hotels
As well as being blessed with some of Spain’s most impressive natural and historic monuments, the accomodation options in Ronda are excellent because many offer views of the Tajo gorge from their windows and balconies plus the stunning views of the mountains surrounding the city.
Join great names like Orson Welles, Earnest Hemingway, Rainer Rilke, James Joyce, Jorge Luis Borges, Madonna, or Jamie Oliver who have enjoyed their time in Ronda.
Why Visit Ronda?
Ronda the “city of dreams” in Andalucia! is a small city perched on a seemingly precarious platform of rock, it was at one time an impregnable fortress only defeated in battle through trickery, and during the reconquest with modern (for the era) rock blasting cannons.
The population of Ronda is around 34,000 so it is big enough to offer all the essential services of a large town but still small enough to retain it’s authentic charm as one of the white villages (pueblos blancos) of andalucia. At a height of 723m in the Ronda mountains, the city has a cooler year round temperature than the coast, making life in Ronda altogether more agreeable than other Andalucían cities.
Ronda is the biggest city in northern Malaga province, and the closest city to many of the smaller villages in Cadiz province, making Ronda an ideal base for exploring the Serrania.
Within a few kilometres of Ronda are some of the most visited Pueblos Blancos, the famous white villages of Andalucia, Setenil de las Bodegas, Grazalema, Gaucín, Juzcar, Benalauria, Montejaque, Teba, Cortes de la Frontera, Igualeja, the list goes on…
The countryside of the Serranía is described as unique, in fact universally important. Many endemic species make their home here, including the pre ice age Pinsapa pine tree, and numerous orchids only found on our mountains.
Ronda Today
Everything you need to know before you visit Ronda “The city of dreams” in Andalucia. https://www.rondatoday.com/
Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.
Visit Cádiz
Planning on visiting Cádiz? Tourist information. Monuments. Hotels. Activities. City guides. https://visitingcadiz.com/
There are some excellent guided tours around Ronda and the white villages (Pueblos Blancos) of Malaga and Cádiz. Day trips start from from many of the nearby cities such as Seville, Málaga and the Costa del Sol area of Andalucia.
Using a local guide can provide many benefits, such as:
Insider knowledge: Local guides have a deep understanding of the culture, history, and customs of the area. They can provide unique insights and perspectives that you may not find in a guidebook or online.
Language skills: A local guide can speak the language fluently, This helps you navigate any communication barriers you may encounter.
Safety: A local guide can help you navigate unfamiliar areas safely and can also be a valuable resource if you get lost or need assistance.
Connections: Local guides often have connections in the community. This provides access to experiences or locations that may not be easily accessible to tourists.
Saving Time: Local guides often know the best routes, shortcuts and insider tips to help you make the most of your time.
Cultural immersion: Local guides can help you immerse in the local culture more and get the most out of your trip.
Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.
Iberia Nature Forum
Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum!
Discover the Iberia Nature Forum – Environment, geography, nature, landscape, climate, culture, history, rural tourism and travel.
The initial part of the Tajo de Ronda Gorge walk is currently under construction, with the intention of opening the section that stretches from the ‘Monolith House’ to the base of the Puente Nuevo de Ronda.
Once this section is finished, visitors will have the opportunity to access the base of the Puente Nuevo, and there will be two viewpoints along the cliffs.
Furthermore, it will be mandatory for participants to wear helmets during the walk, similar to another attraction of this kind, the Caminito del Rey. Additionally, there will be controlled access to prevent the unregulated activity that has been happening until now.
It can be assumed that there will be an entrance fee and the walkway will be managed by a private business once it is open to the public.
At the start of the tour, the control point is expected to be situated at the location of the old ruined house. Adjacent to this, construction is also underway for two viewpoints that will offer visitors a different perspective of the Tajo and the Puente Nuevo. Previously, this area was accessible to tourists but lacked safety measures.
The works being carried out here are on the old ruined house where the proposed control point will be situated. Photo by Javier Flores
The suspended walkway leads to the Arab baths
Meanwhile, the second phase of this project, approved by the Ministries of Culture and Environment, will connect the Puente Nuevo to the Arab Baths via a suspended walkway approximately three meters above the Guadalevín River.
We will keep this page updated on the progress of the works and the public opening of the Tajo de Ronda Gorge walk.
Ronda Today
Everything you need to know before you visit Ronda “The city of dreams” in Andalucia. https://www.rondatoday.com/
Visit Cádiz
Planning on visiting Cádiz? Tourist information. Monuments. Hotels. Activities. City guides: https://visitingcadiz.com/
Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.
Iberia Nature Forum
Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum! https://iberianatureforum.com/
Construction of the new bus station in Ronda started in early 2021 and was scheduled to be completed and opened to the public in February of 2023.
However, the project has been affected by many delays due to lack of funding, corruption scandals and opposition at various political levels. It is unlikely that the project will be finished by the end of 2023, almost a year overdue.
The new bus station in Ronda is located just a few hundred metres from the old one that is currently in use.
The new footbridge
The new footbridge crosses the train line and joins the industrial area of Ronda from the new bus station to the town of Ronda. From here it is just a 15 minute walk to the centre of Rondas old town and main monuments.
Members of the local council inspecting the new footbridge that will hopefully be completed during the autumn of 2023. This bridge will connect the new bus station with the main town of Ronda.
We’ll update this page as and when there is more news about the new bus station in Ronda.
Ronda Today
Everything you need to know before you visit Ronda “The city of dreams” in Andalucia. https://www.rondatoday.com/
Visit Cádiz
Planning on visiting Cádiz? Tourist information. Monuments. Hotels. Activities. City guides: https://visitingcadiz.com/
Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.
Iberia Nature Forum
Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum! https://iberianatureforum.com/
One of the few cities in the world to be naturally split into two halves. The city of Ronda has the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo Gorge! The gorge also served as the most formidable defence Ronda’s enemies have ever tried to attack. Known as “El Tajo”, the gorge was created by constant erosion of the river Guadalevín.
Visiting the area around the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo Gorge.
The gorge is quite narrow only 68m at it’s widest, but in places very deep and up to 120 metres. Incredibly photogenic, the Puente Nuevo is one of Spain’s most photographed locations. The rio Guadalevín exits El Tajo into the valley below where it was traditionally used by a number of flour mills to drive their grinding stones. All flour grinding activity ceased in 1917 after a rock slide destroyed the canal supplying the water.
Scan the QR code to go directly to the Audio guide at VoiceMap
For quite a few years now, the A4 printable guide has been downloading steadily directly from Ronda Today and I have received many hundreds of emails from visitors, who have discovered the very best of a visit to Ronda, using the indepth information made up from the top 20 articles published here at Ronda Today.
But what better way to improve the guide? An audio guide of course!
Most people start their exploration of Ronda on the north side of puente nuevo. This is the side where the Parador Hotel, the tourist office and the bullring are located.
Book your parking on line in advance before visiting the Puente Nuevo in Ronda
If you are looking for a parking space in the center of Ronda, the APK2 Plaza del Socorro parking lot is ideal. Located very close to the main tourist attractions of the city, such as the Plaza de Toros de Real Maestranza, Puente Nuevo and Mirador, from here you can stroll through the old town and find the most popular restaurants and hotels.
Great video clip with an aerial view of the Puente Nuevo in Ronda
Built into the gorge (but not really visible from the bridge) is the water mine. A tunnel carved into the rock and which descends 60m with 231 steps down to the river level. It’s an impressive feat of engineering and can be seen by visiting the Moorish King’s House (Casa del Rey Moro) for a tour of the garden and the mine.
The Puente Nuevo spans the El Tajo gorge at its highest point and is a must see destination on any tour of Ronda. The north side of the Puente Nuevo is Plaza de España, which is where the Parador hotel is located. Crossing the bridge to the the south(parador) side will take you to the old town and towards the main museum of Ronda
Pedestrians are able to walk along both sides of the bridge and there are several seating positions built into the protective barrier.
How to visit the museum inside the Puente Nuevo?
To get into the interpretation museum of the Puente Nuevo simply descend the steps on the north side closest to Ronda’s Parador Hotel. There is a charge of 2.50€ per person but the view of the gorge below and the photo opportunity of the hills in the distance taken through the arch of the bridge is well worth it.
Puente Nuevo Interpretation Centre Opening Times Autumn and Winter Monday to Friday 10am till 6pm (10:00-18:00) Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 10am till 3pm (10:00-15:00)
Spring and Summer Monday to Friday 10am till 7pm (10:00-19:00) Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 10am till 3pm (10:00-15:00)
Price of Entry 2.50€ per individual 2€ if part of group larger than 10, a student or retired. Children under 14 free registered disabled free
Many people assume Ronda’s famous icon is a recent construction but, in fact the bridge was first proposed in 1542, though not completed until 1793.
In 1542, a few short years after the reconquest, and at a time when the market districts of Ronda were forming, the citizens of Ronda requested a new bridge that would directly connect the two sides at the highest point across the gorge, an area that was long and flat, and ideal for the expansion of Ronda which, even then, was already becoming crowded.
It wasn’t until Ronda’s golden years of the 1700s that permission was finally granted to span the rio Guadalevin with a new bridge that would be able to carry more traffic and be a more direct route between the two areas known as El Mercadillo and La Ciudad than the older and more circuitous road lower down and In 1734 the first attempt to span the gorge at this height was completed by the architects Jose Garcia and Juan Camacho using a single arch design.
Unfortunately, their bridge was hastily built and insufficiently strong enough to withstand the stresses of carrying traffic, and in 1741 the entire bridge collapsed taking 50 souls to their deaths in the gorge below.
The current bridge stands 98m from base to top and was built from 1759 to 1793, a total of 34 years, and spans 66m from side to side. The original design was drawn by Domingo Lois de Monteagudo, an architect of great renown, and it is believed the bottom third of the bridge was built under his direction although by 1778, for unknown reasons, he was no longer involved with the project.
By 1785 work on the bridge had stalled and the administrator of Ronda, Pascual Ruiz, called on the expertise of one of Andalucia’s top architects, José Martin de Aldehuela to complete the bridge. His remarkable design built on Lois de Monteagudo’s foundation, turned the bridge into a work of art which has since become Spain’s most photographed bridge.
Rumour suggests Martin de Aldehuela committed suicide from this very bridge, although in fact he lived a long and happy life dying many years later in Malaga in 1802. The rumour came about after suggestions from critics that a second, and perhaps more beautiful bridge, would be needed, and that he jumped from the bridge in despair that his work was not good enough. Martin de Aldehuela was an architect of great renown in Malaga and the Puente Nuevo in Ronda, even in those days, was considered his crowning career achievement. Fortunately the rumour was just that, a rumour and to date a second bridge hasn’t been needed, so it is safe to say the architect’s fame legacy is safe.
The job of actually constructing the bridge from the architect’s plans fell to a Rondeño, Antonio Diáz Machuca who invented the systems of pulleys and other heavy lifting equipment that hoisted the large stones from the gorge floor where they had been quarried and shaped, up to where they were needed on the bridge.
Constructed in three stages, the first stage forms the foundation against the bedrock and the first arch, which in turn forms the foundation for the main arch that takes the bridge to a height of 90m. The final stage includes the two top arches and the centre room of about 60 square metres that today contains the interpretation museum of the bridge, although it’s most famous use was as prison for bandits and dangerous criminals during the 19th century, and then for political prisoners during the Spanish civil war.
Sitting talking to the locals a few years ago I was told that a gruesome rumor persists even to this day that civil war prisoners were thrown to their deaths from the bridge, and written about by Ernest Hemingway in the novel For Whom The Bell Tolls, it’s a great story embellished by a great writer, maybe it’s true, maybe not. who knows what Ernest was thinking when he wrote that story.
Best places to take photos of the puente Nuevo in Ronda?
Viewing points for photographing the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo Gorge in Ronda.
You may also hear someone exclaim the word “Tajo” whilst you are out and about in a local bar. The standing joke in Ronda for anyone who has to go to back to work when they’d rather stay at the bar with their mates is the shout ‘Tajo!’, a reminder of Moorish times when Christian slaves and prisoners would spend their lives chained to the steps that lead to the river; their job under pain of a good thrashing was to pass empty buckets down and full buckets up so that Ronda’s water tower was always full.
Photographing the Puente Nuevo can be a challenge although there are several publicly accessible locations that offer good views. Closest to Plaza de España, walk around the gorge side of the Parador hotel, or from the south side of the bridge, onto the viewing platform next to Santo Domingo.
For a wider view of the entire bridge, the Cuenca gardens on the eastern side are a perfect location in the mornings, whilst in the afternoons, the viewing platform in the garden of the House of Don Bosco (1.50€) gives a very pleasing photo.
It is also possible to descend into the gorge from Plaza Maria Auxiliadora and take a photo of the bridge at the old gate of Albacara.
Take a trip on the Wildside! Discover the wildlife and nature of Spain, its Natural and National Parks and find the top wildlife, activity and walking holiday companies.
Iberia Nature Forum
Struggling with identifying those bugs and beasties? Why not check out the Iberia nature Forum! https://iberianatureforum.com/
Carved into the cliffs of the ‘El Tajo’ gorge is a surprising mine and fortress that dates back to the Moorish era. This was when constant wars in Al-Andalus required the city governors to protect the water supplies for the defenders of the city.
Ronda’s Water Mine under the Casa del Rey Moro was built during the reign of Ronda’s King Abomelic at the beginning of the 14th century. Ronda, at this time, was an independent Islamic kingdom on the frontline between the Christian north, and the newly developing Islamic Nazari Kingdom in Granada.
Scan the QR code to go directly to the Audio guide at VoiceMap
For quite a few years now, the A4 printable guide has been downloading steadily directly from Ronda Today and I have received many hundreds of emails from visitors, who have discovered the very best of a visit to Ronda, using the indepth information made up from the top 20 articles published here at Ronda Today.
But what better way to improve the guide? An audio guide of course!
To reach the water mine it is necessary to first enter the gardens of the House of the Moorish King but before you do that I’ll tell you a little bit about it.
Welcome to the vibrant and captivating city of Cordoba, nestled in the heart of Andalusia! As the sun cast its fiery August glow upon the historic streets, my family and I embarked on a family adventure in historic Cordoba that combined the rich tapestry of Cordoba’s past with the energy of two grown ups and three curious kids, aged 14, 14, and 9.
August’s fierce heat with temps as high as 46C didn’t deter us from uncovering the treasures this enchanting city has to offer. From awe-inspiring architecture to delightful culinary experiences, our exploration was a blend of education, culture, and pure fun. With 5 sets of eagle eyes and the help of Google maps, it was also pretty easy for us to find great places to eat as well.
Viewing points for photographing the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo Gorge in Ronda.
