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Ronda

Ronda is one of Andalusia's loveliest towns, steeped in history. It stands on a towering plateau in the mountains of Málaga Province, which made it impregnable to the Christian armies until the very last years ot the Reconquest, and is famous through Spain for the plunging river gorge which divides the medieval from the 18th century parts of the town. This gorge is known as 'El Tajo' -The Cliff and is spanned by a stone bridge which is known as 'Puente Nuevo' - New Bridge, which is the chief landmark for all itineraries and which one housed a prison. Ronda is the quarter to the North of the gorge, called 'El Mercadillo', with the 'Plaza de España', the site of Ronda's recently built 'Parador', the spectacular walkway along the river gorge with superb views of the countryside below. This walkway leads to Ronda´s lovely 'Mirador', with colourful flower beds and a railing for sightseers to lean against as the gaze into the distance. Visitors love to peer down into the gorge, to see the waters of the River Guadaleví.

You can walk from Plaza de España and the bullring up the Calle Nueva, Ronda's pedestrian shopping district, where some of the shops still retain their traditional appearance and style. It is very popular with day-trippers from the Costa del Sol, and has a wide range of cafés and restaurants. However, it retains all of its traditional charm and languid atmosphere.

Ronda is located 60 km -1 hour's drive- from Málaga. The road winds up through the mountains of the Sierra Bermeja, and the descends into the Serranía de Ronda and the town itself.

Ronda is also famous for its bullring, the oldest and the most beautiful one in Spain; the 'arena' itself is also the country's largest. When there are no fights the bullring is open to visitors and it has a fascinating museum with many mementos of Spain's most renowned bullfighters. Ronda's famous bullring, made famous in the 18th century by a local bullfighter, the legendary Pedro Romero, who killed over 5,000 bulls during his career.