Ronda

in Spain

Ronda is pretty breathtaking. When I lived in the south of Spain, it was one of my favorite places to take people - not only because it was pretty sure to win their approval, but because I always loved to see it again for myself. The new part of the city and the old part are set of opposite sides of a narrow but really very deep gorge, called in Spanish El Tajo, which translates as "The Cut" - a rather appropriate name. It's also the site of the oldest bullring in Spain, and is set amongst beautiful rolling hills. Add in a good Tapas lunch, and it made a perfect day-trip. I can imagine enjoying a much longer stay, though.

Top Picks

• See El Tajo. I found a good way was to take a circular walk. Start by heading over the bridge to the old town, having a good look over the edge to get a good idea of how deep the canyon really is. (A story relates that the architect of the bridge, upon its completion, lost his hat over the edge of it thanks to a gust of wind, and in his reach to try and catch it fell over the edge to his death. It may or may not be true.) Head down along the main road through the old town (and preferably detour off it a bit to see the sights), which eventually starts going downhill and curving around. Eventually there are some steps down to a lower road that becomes a farm track kinda thing, heading downhill but in the direction of where the bridge is. Eventually you'll end up lined up with the bridge and the gorge, and find a dirt path up towards the bridge. This is the bit with the best views - certainly in spring you can see the river gushing and foaming too. A path leads back up to the old town. Take some water - on a hot day, it can be a little knackering.
• Visit the bull ring. Even if you don't want to see bull fighting (they very rarely hold it), the architecture is worth it for sure, and it is special in that it's the oldest ring in Spain. The entrance fee also gets you into a small museum, which has English translations and relates the history of bull fighting and the ring, plus has various costumes and so on.
• The park on the edge of the cliff near the bull ring has some balconies offering wonderful views over the surrounding countryside.

Photos

Outside the Ronda bull ring	Inside the Ronda bull ring	Looking over the bull pens
More of the training area	Looking through an arch to the ring	The seating area
The ring	Mountain view from the ring	The ring from another angle
On the upper level	Mountains and hills by Ronda...	...and another one.
Road winding down into the valley	A nice landscape	In a park by the bull ring
Looking towards the gorge	The Parador hotel	Band stand with a view
Looking down the gorge...	...and again.	Looking into the gorge
Fields and mountains	One of the many churches	A fountain in a nice square
Tree hides a church	Another church	Houses in the valley
Looking into the valley again	Yes, that really does mean the Museum of Torture and Death	Another look over the mountains
The rocks Ronda is perched upon	Yet another church...	...and another!
The Parador Hotel	The gorge again	Landscape of the same shot
Parador and the New Bridge	A landscape of the same thing	Houses sat on the edge
Another church in the center of Ronda	The main commercial area