Hey hey heyyyy dear friends of mine! Told you I’d come back and tell you about this cute little town near Malaga, named Ronda… so here I am! In my previous blog post, while I was sharing you my 1st Spanish experience, had also mentioned that on day 2, husband and I went on a day-trip until Ronda. Have to tell that it was ohhhh so very super nice and pretty! YUP! But let me tell you more.
So we took the ‘Los Amarillos’ bus, round-trip tickets were 20 euros per person. The bus station is at Paseo de los Tilos. We actually took a taxi until the bus station because our departure was at 8 AM. I am not a morning person, oh nooo, not at all. However, it seems that being on trips works wonders on me hehe. The whole ride took like 2 hours but it was just perfect, trust me. Headphones, favorite music and amazing landscapes. How can you not be at peace while traveling?
The weather in Malaga wasn’t that great that morning, it was pretty grey as far as I remember, but once we arrived in Ronda, perfect blue skies seemed to be waiting for us. YAAAY!
We were quite starving so we headed directly to the city center, had something to eat + one coffee for husband and one… orange juice for me. I don’t drink coffee! Yeah, you read it well. I’m one of those persons who actually doesn’t drink coffee. I do like its taste a lot but it seems I become way too agitated after drinking it… no need for more, no good for me :))
Plaza Duquesa de Parcent is Ronda’s most picturesque square and one that is brimming with monuments. The Santa Maria del Mayor church is the highlight, a church which took over 200 years to build and is a mixture of gothic and Renaissance styles. Other squares that come recommended are Plaza del Socorro, the square in front of the Almocabar Gate and around Calle Nuevo.
Afterwards, we just wandered around and found ourselves at El Balcón del Coño Viewpoints. The view is outstanding, you can stand there all day, hearing birds chirping and admiring the landscape. You can find this amazing balcony in the Alameda Park.
After staying there for half an hour I guess, we then visited Plaza de Toros – The Bullring. Ronda is said to be the home of modern day bullfighting. The Real Maestranza bullring is one of the oldest and most picturesque in Spain. It was built in 1785 by the architect Jose Martin Aldehuela – the same architect who built the Puente Nuevo. The ring can hold up to 5000 spectators. Also, the entry price is 7 euros per person.
Moving on, we went to see the all mighty Puente Nuevo because that’s the main attraction in Ronda. What???? You don’t know about Puente Nuevo? Oh well, first of all, it has 98 meters height and that’s quite something.
Offering unforgettable views over the El Tajo Gorge, the Puente Nuevo – new bridge – was actually completed in 1793 and took forty two years to build. The bridge joins the old Moorish town and the newer, El Mercadillo parts of the city. It is, by far in a way, Ronda’s most famous landmark.
If you have the time, walk down into the gorge along the Camino de los Molinos. The views are the best to be had. Walk to the bottom of the gorge, though not for the faint hearted because this is a steep descent, but completely worth it to get that perfect photo of the bridge. Follow Calle Tenorio to the end and after the plaza take the walking track to the old Arab gate. If you wish, you can go through the gate and walk down and then under the Puente Nuevo.
We actually wandered around the area near the bridge all day long, been through the Jardines de Cuenca as well. The Cuenca Gardens are located on the ledges of the Tajo and distributed across a series of terraces. The views are fantastic and give you a unique and differing perspective of the city.
Below these gardens there were the Arab Baths which are considered the most complete in Spain even though they are ruins, and offer a tantalizing glimpse into medieval Islamic times. To be honest, we didn’t visit them, because we could see them from above and they didn’t seem that interesting to us… maybe we were wrong, who knows?
After that, we stopped for 30 minutes and didn’t do anything, just sunbathed. I remember it was a very warm day for February. Actually, found some trees blossomed already. I was so sooo happy!
Then guess what? We were hungry! So we went to Plaza de Espana and had some paella at a very cute restaurant with a terrace outside. They also served us some sliced tomatoes with olive oil and Himalaya salt on them along with crusty bread. So simple, yet so yummy! The price was ok, I think we paid like 20 euros both of us for a very big paella and 2 glasses of wine. Tomatoes were on the house!
After we finished our lunch, we bought some cute little bottles of ‘Malaga Dulce’ wine from a souvenir shop and we just kept on strolling through this little town until we found a very beautiful area with very picturesque white colored houses. Let me show you more!
And that’s pretty much all we did that day. We then took the bus and went back to the city of Malaga. About Ronda, what can I say? It is a magical little town and if you choose to visit it as a one-day trip from Malaga, you won’t regret it and won’t get bored either!
Hope you liked the pictures and if so, follow me through my next adventures. I will be writing about Scotland soon, stay tuned!
Until next time,
Andreea.
- Our day-trip to Ronda: 18.02.2018
- Bus ticket from Malaga to Ronda: 20 euros per person round-trip
- Total: 40 euros as a couple
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Thank you!
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