Ronda

Here we have four very different views of Ronda. For those on holiday any where on the Costa del Sol be sure to take a day trip to Ronda. The views here are fantastic and some of the best you will ever see!
This fast growing town is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in Andalucia, it is only beaten to the top place by Seville(1st) and Granada (2nd).

Views of Ronda

A view of the house's perched on the edge of the 100mt deep Tajo gorge as seen from one of the archways below the new bridge. Although this is classed as the new bridge it was started in 1751 and completed in 1793.

This is the outstanding sight of the El Tajo Gorge which brings thousands of visitors to Ronda year after year.

The second photo in this selection of Ronda shows the Tajo gorge looking up towards the 'new bridge'
To get a real sense of how sheer this drop is, take a look at the two people looking over the edge in the top left of the photo !!

Next is the view looking towards snow capped Sierras.

Its said that the architect who worked on the bridge after its completion was looking over to admire what he had accomplished, when a gust of wind came and blew his hat off. When he tried to catch it he lost his balance and fell to his death in the gorge!

A Day in Ronda

One of the most visited areas in Andalucia is the ancient city of Ronda. Many excursion company's run day trips to Ronda at a cost of €30-€40 depending on your pick-up point.
To save a few euro's while the exchange rate is very low for us Brits it is very easy to do the trip by ordinary service bus from the resorts along the coast. From Benalmadena the present cost for the journey is just €8.56 (one way) The bus leaves here at 10.30am and take 2hrs & 15 mins.
The bus first travels down to Marbella then turns inland to start its climb up through the mountains from where you have breathtaking views all around you for the duration of your journey. On clear days you can see Gibralter and North Africa!

A good tip as you arrive at Ronda bus station is to book your seat for the return journey as places are limited. A good time to return would be 16.30.
Leaving the bus station look to the right of the roundabout in front of you and you will see a small cafe/bar on the corner of Calle San Jose, walking down this street will bring you to the historic town centre near the bull ring and the tourist information office where you can get free maps and advice on the best route to take around Ronda.

Ronda - Lara Museum

In the ancient town of Ronda is the very interesting Lara Museum. Situated in a former palace where some members of the Spanish royal family stayed when they visited Ronda. The museum is split into various rooms each with its own theme. Some of the themes being music, knives, bullfighting and the very spooky witchcraft collection, but the most sickening part of the museum is the torture chamber, on show here you'll find implements of torture used during the Spanish Inquisition.

Ronda.

Near the bull ring in Ronda is the Hotel Reina Victoria. This hotel is very well known because of the fact that Earnest Hemingway stayed here on several occasions. Another famous visitor to Ronda was Orson Welles, both wrote about the beauty of the the town. Above is a photo of the name plate of the street which takes you round the back of the hotel to a very nice walkway where you can look out from the hotels terrace which is on the very edge of a nearly 500ft drop!

Ronda - El Tajo Gorge

The historic town of Ronda is about 40 miles inland from Marbella and is one of the oldest towns in Spain. This must be some of the best scenery to be found in Spain. Most sightseers come to see El Tajo gorge with depths of 600ft as seen in the first photo below. From here you have views of the surrounding country side for miles around and also the dwellings perched on the edge of the gorge. Some people have even carved out steps in the rock by which to make they way to a lower ledge in the rock and then created small gardens !


To get the full benefit of this town its a very good idea if you first call in at the tourist information place, where you will be given advice of the best places to visit in the available time you have. They will also give you free maps of both the old and new parts of town.

One part of the gorge is called Vultures Canyon from where you can actually look down and see Griffon Vultures soaring down below you.

The last photo is looking down over the country side, you can judge just how far down it is by looking at how small the swimming pool is !

More from Ronda.

With the town of Ronda being so picturesque here are some more photos...the one below is the larger than life statue of a bull which stands outside the bullring entrance.

Pictured below is one of the horse and carriages waiting to take tourists on a tour of the sights of Ronda. This is a very popular form of sight seeing in these towns owing to the narrow and sometimes very steep streets.

Andalucia - Ronda

THE BULL RING OF RONDA

Although I'm not a fan of bull fighting I have taken a tour of the bullring at Ronda. This bullring is the oldest in the world. In the leaflet given as you enter it says that its the first purpose built space in the world for fighting bulls. The entrance fee is 6€, which entitles you to enter the the ring itself, the two tier spectator stands and the museum.
Under the bottom tier is where the museum is housed showing the costumes of the matadors.

The first fight that took place here was back in 1785, and is still used today.