Ronda travel guide

Background

In the collapse of the Córdoba caliphate, Ronda was seized by a Berber general and became its own taifa state before being annexed by Sevilla in 1066. Ronda wasn’t reconquered by the Christians until 1485, when it was taken by forces under Fernando, the Catholic monarch. Always a centre for resistance and bandit activity, the Ronda area held out strongly in the 19th century against the invading French forces, leading villagers to chant ‘Napoleón, Napoleón, conquistaste toda España, pero no pudiste entrar en la tierra de las castañas’ (Napoleon, Napoleon, you conquered all of Spain, but you never could enter the land of the chestnuts).

Later, the town was popularized by Romantic travellers and became a haunt of artists and writers. Gustav Doré, Rainer Maria Rilke and Ernest Hemingway are among those who spent much time here. In the Civil War, many right-wingers were brutally murdered and the town shared its resources along a strict socialist system; reprisals after the Nationalist takeover were also fierce.

Ins and outs

The largest of the white towns in these parts, Ronda sits atop a hill, which is cut in two by the Tajo, a narrow gorge formed by the Río Guadalevín. The centre of town is Plaza de España on the edge of the ravine; from here the Puente Nuevo crosses the drop to the original Moorish part of town, where most of the interesting monuments are located. The larger Christian expansion, known as the Mercadillo, stretches north and east of Plaza de España and is the main focus for the daily life of rondeños; it’s also where most of the restaurants and bars are located. Ronda’s bus and train stations are both on Avenida de Andalucía on the northern edge of the new town, a 10- to 15-minute walk from Plaza de España.

Ronda

Bus

There are 4 to 10 daily buses to Málaga (2 hrs, €9.87), some direct. Sevilla is served 3-5 times daily (2 hrs 30 mins, €9.80), and there are a couple of daily buses to Marbella and Fuengirola. Other destinations include Grazalema and Ubrique (2 a day, none on Sun), Cádiz via Arcos de la Frontera and Jerez 5 times daily, 1 to Algeciras via Gaucín and Jimena de la Frontera, and 6 to nearby Setenil (4 on Sat, none on Sun).

Train

Ronda is on the train line running from Algeciras to Granada via Jimena de la Frontera and Antequera. There are 3 daily trains to Granada, 2 hrs 30 mins, €12.25, and 5 to Algeciras, 1 hr 45 mins, €6.70-17.40, as well as connections to Bobadilla and then Córdoba, Málaga, Madrid and Sevilla.

Internet

Ronda Telecom, C Jerez 8. Cyber Central Corner, C Los Remedios 26, T952-879839, open daily from 1600, €2/hr.

Post office

C Virgen de la Paz 18.