Ronda has been declared a historic and cultural site and thrills visitors whose first impression is the Puente Nuevo bridge spanning the river Guadalevín and offering stunning views of the city. We strongly recommend enjoying this view in the so-called “magic hour”, the time at sunset when the sky takes on a dark hue and the city lights turn on.
THE OLDEST BULLRING IN SPAIN
The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda is a must. It was founded by local nobility in 1572 during the reign of Philip II of Spain to practice jousting tournaments and train horses. Bullfighting was introduced in the eighteenth century. Today, it continues to be dedicated to classic dressage events and celebrates the famous “Corrida Goyesca” bullfight every year in early September. It is open to visitors to look around inside.
ARAB BATHS
While Arab baths can be found in many parts of Spain, the best preserved ones in Europe are in Ronda. The baths are located in the former Jewish quarter, next to the old Puerta de la Puente (no longer standing) and close to the river to take advantage of its waters.
ART AT MONDRAGÓN PALACE
Mondragón Palace is home to the Ronda Municipal Museum but is a gem in its own right. It is a Mudéjar-Renaissance building founded in the Al-Andalus period, where King Abd Malik took up residence in the fourteenth century. A few years later, when the Catholic Monarchs took the city in 1485 (they themselves inhabited it during their time there), it passed to Melchor de Mondragón. In 2006 it opened its doors to visitors with a collection of artistic and historical works that can be toured today.
RONDA AND ITS LOOKOUTS
Puente Nuevo is not the only spectacular vantage point in town. Ronda is full of places where you can look out and enjoy stunning views of the city: Mirador de los Viajeros Románticos, Mirador de Aldehuela, Mirador del Paseo Blas Infante, Mirador de los Reyes Católicos… thanks to its geographical position and defensive walled enclave, Ronda is packed with vertigo-inducing sites.
NATURE IN EVERY CORNER
If you’re wondering what to do in Ronda and you love nature, there’s no shortage of options exploring the highlands and nearby areas, surrounded by rocky formations and fresh greenery. Ronda boasts three nature parks, Sierra de las Nieves, Los Alcornocales, and Grazalema, but there are also many protected natural areas with a diversity of plants and animals of great value. They include the Hidalga, Oreganal and Blanquilla mountain ranges, the Garganta del Arroyo del Cupil gorge, Sijuela Valley, the Merinos-Cancho de la Pepa range, Cueva de la Pileta, with its cave paintings (National Monument), the Sanguijuela-Salinas mountain range and the Reales de Sierra Bermeja nature area.
Among the wildlife we can find in these places is a wide variety of birds of prey such as eagles, hawks and owls, and mammal species like the wildcat, roe, Egyptian mongoose and others.
WEALTH AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE
The cultural heritage is extraordinary and ranges from traces of the first prehistoric settlers to leave us their dolmens (such as La Planilla, on the UNESCO World Heritage list) to Roman remains like the Acinipo site and the untold wealth of the Arab legacy still so strongly present. All this makes up the different architectural and monumental pieces that the passage of time has bequeathed throughout each age and which can be visited.