Puente Nuevo & El Tajo
The bridge over the gorge
Look down from the bridge, then take the path to the viewpoints below for the full height of the gorge and its waterfall.
RondaMust-seeView
Ronda & the White Villages, Spain
Ideal: 2–3 daysBest: Mar–Jun, Sep–NovPrice: Moderate
In 60 seconds
Ronda & the White Villages in 60 seconds
Ronda stands on a cliff split in two by El Tajo, a gorge more than 100 metres deep, and the 18th-century Puente Nuevo bridges it in one breathtaking span. Walk down the path below the bridge for the classic view, see one of Spain's oldest bullrings, where the rules of modern bullfighting were shaped, and wander the old Moorish town of La Ciudad across the gorge. Ronda is also the gateway to the pueblos blancos — white villages strung across the sierras of Málaga and Cádiz: Setenil de las Bodegas, whose houses are built under overhanging rock; Zahara de la Sierra beneath its castle; Grazalema in the rainiest corner of Spain, with walks among Spanish firs. Eat oxtail and payoyo cheese. Two or three days with a car.
ViewsVillages
Best for
- Hiking
- Road trip
- Nature
- Hidden gems
Known for
- Puente Nuevo
- El Tajo gorge
- Setenil de las Bodegas
- White villages
Skip if
You will only come on a day trip at midday — Ronda fills with coaches from the coast; stay overnight to see it at dawn and dusk.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well Ronda & the White Villages fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Plaza de Toros
ModerateOne of Spain's oldest bullrings
An elegant stone ring of 1785 with a museum of bullfighting; you can walk the sand of the arena.
RondaHistoryMuseum
Setenil de las Bodegas
A village built into the rock
Whole streets run under great ledges of overhanging rock that form the houses' roofs.
SetenilUnusualVillage
Eat
Where to eat
A short list, kept short on purpose. Each entry answers one question: when is this the right choice?
More places to eat
Too few picks yet for their own heading, so they share this list.
Tragatá
ModerateTapas from the same chef
Classic and inventive tapas, salmorejo and croquetas; book or sit outside.
RondaBusyTapas
Bardal
Very expensiveBenito Gómez's tasting menu
The flavours of the Serranía de Ronda in a tasting menu by the bullring.
RondaBook aheadMichelin
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Sierra de Grazalema
Limestone mountains and Spanish fir forests
A natural park of white villages, vultures and rare pinsapo firs; some trails need a free permit.
GrazalemaHikingNature
Orientation
Neighbourhoods
How the city is actually divided, and what each part is for.
La Ciudad
The old Moorish town
Palaces, the Arab baths and quiet lanes south of the bridge.
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Ronda
ExpensiveHotels on the cliff edge
Ask for a room facing the gorge.
EveningsViews
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- Trains from Algeciras and Granada stop at Ronda; buses run from Málaga and Seville.
- Getting around
- A car is needed for the white villages; mountain roads are narrow and winding.
- When to go
- Spring and autumn; Grazalema is green and flowering in April and May.
- Taste locally
- Rabo de toro, payoyo goat's cheese, Serranía de Ronda wines and almond sweets from the convents.
Plan this trip — useful links
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1485
Ronda falls to the Catholic Monarchs after centuries of Moorish rule.
- 1785
The bullring opens.
- 1793
The Puente Nuevo is completed after 42 years of work.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Málaga
Picasso's city
Málaga has its own guide.
1 hr 45 min by carBeachCity
Jerez & the sherry triangle
Sherry, horses and flamenco
Jerez has its own guide.
1 hr 30 min by carFlamencoWine