Landmarks of Ronda, Spain

Landmarks of Ronda, Spain

In the mountainous hinterland of Andalusia, a few kilometers inland from the Costa del Sol, is the town of Ronda. This beautiful little town has been a popular tourist destination for many years. From several well-known seaside resorts you can drive to Ronda in about an hour. Once you arrive in Ronda, it seems as if time has not affected the city. The beautiful parks, squares and streets in the town have lost none of their charm over the centuries and seem to have only become more beautiful over the years. The history of Ronda goes all the way back to the Celts, although evidence has also been found that people lived in the area around present-day Ronda long before the Celts. After the Celts came the Greeks and Phoenicians. It was the Romans who expanded the city considerably. In some places, such as at the Puente Romano, remnants of this can still be seen. When the Moors settled in this area, Ronda was declared the regional capital, which accelerated the growth of the city.

According to HOMEAGERLY, Ronda is now one of the most popular places for a city break in this part of Andalusia. Ronda is large enough to spend a day walking around, but if you still have time, there are plenty of villages in the vicinity of ronden that are worth a visit. A number of Andalusia’s famous white villages are within driving distance of Ronda.

Top 10 sights of Ronda

#1. Puente Nuevo

The Puerto Nuevo is without a doubt Ronda’s main attraction. The bridge was built in the eighteenth century, over the Tajo de Ronda. This gorge has a maximum depth of 120 meters, at the place where this bridge was built. The bridge connects the parts of Mercadillo and La Ciudad, which were originally separated by the river Guadalevín. From the bridge you have a beautiful view over the gorge and the houses that are built along it. You have the best view of the bridge if you descend via Puerta de los Molinos de Cuidad de Ronda. Once down you will be treated to a magnificent view of the bridge.

#2. Plaza de Toros

The Plaza de Toros is Ronda’s bullring. As in many other places in Andalusia, bullfighting is still an important pastime in Ronda. Fortunately, real fights are rarely held and completely different rules apply than years ago. Ronda’s Plaza de Toros is considered one of the most beautiful in Spain. The arena was built in the second half of the eighteenth century, the center circle has a size of 66 meters. The royal lodges can be found on the first floor of the pillared and arcaded arena. If possible, it is even more lavishly decorated and decorated.

#3. Tago de Ronda

The Tajo de Ronda gorge forms the natural separation between the two historic districts of Ronda. The Mercadillo and La Ciudad were separated by the Tajo de Ronda gorge, which was carved by the Guadalevín River. A bridge, the Puente Romano, was built over the gorge as early as Roman times. This bridge still exists and its Roman origins can still be recognized on its foundations. In the sixteenth century, this bridge would be replaced by the slightly higher Puente Viejo. In the eighteenth century, the Puento Neuvo was built on the highest point of the gorge, now the main attraction of Ronda.

#4. Church of Santa Maria la Mayor

The fifteenth-century Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor can be found in the historic center of Ronda in Plaza Duquesa de Parcent. This is Ronda’s main religious building. The construction of the current church started in the fifteenth century, but was not completed until the seventeenth century. The church was built on the spot where a Christian church could already be found in the Roman period. Few traces of this can now be found, but traces of the mosque from the Moorish period can still be seen. The beautifully decorated mihrad is still part of the church. The front of the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor has a special architectural style with the balcony and the arcades.

#5. Banos Arabes

The Arab baths of Ronda date back to the twelfth or thirteenth century, when the Moors ruled this part of Spain. The baths are remarkably well preserved and, according to some sources, are even the best preserved in all of Spain. In the period when the baths were used, this part of Ronda was a small suburb where the tanners worked. The bathhouse was supplied with water from the Guadalevín River through an aqueduct. The baths are open to the public, during a visit you will see beautiful vaulted ceilings supported by the medieval pillars.

#6. Gardens of Cuenca

You have a beautiful view of the Puente Nuevo and the El Tajo de Ronda from the Jardines de Cuenca. To visit this small city package you don’t have to walk all the way down, but only descend a short distance to be treated to a nice view. From the gardens you not only have a view of the Puente Nuevo, but also of the Puente Viejo and, if you walk a little further, of the Puente San Miguel. In the Jardines de Cuenca, beautiful native flowers and plants bloom in the spring and summer months. Nice side effect; the Jardines de Cuenca can be visited for free.

#7. Park Alamenda del Tajo

The Park Alamenda del Tajo is Ronda’s urban park between the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced and the Plaza de Toros. It is a wonderfully quiet part of Ronda where you are treated to beautiful views of the surroundings of the town. As you stroll through the park, you’ll come across busts of Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell – both famous writers who lived in Ronda – splashing fountains and benches from which to enjoy views of the region. The trees in the Park Alamenda del Tajo provide the necessary shade on the warmer days of the year.

#8. Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de la Merced

The sixteenth-century Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced can be found at the beginning of the historic center of Ronda, by the Park Alamenda del Tajo. In front of the church is a small square, from this square you can walk to the church via a number of stairs. The church is rarely open to the public, because the cloister of the church is still used. Because the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced has always been used as a building of faith over the centuries, the inside is almost completely authentic. Unfortunately, that will remain hidden from most people.

#9. Plaza Duquesa de Parcent

A pleasant square in Ronda is the Plaza Duquesa de Parcent. This square is a bit hidden in the historic part of the city, so it is not visited by all tourists. On the square is the town hall of Ronda, the Iglesia de Santa Maria la Mayor and on the corner the Santuario de María Auxiliadora. The square is best known for its cozy terraces. In the summer period you can sit in the shade under the various (orange) trees.

#10. City walls of Ronda

Ronda was once completely surrounded by large city walls, but now only a small part of it has survived. The old gateway to the city, the Puerta de Almocábar, has been preserved, as has part of the city walls in the southern part of Ronda. These old city walls consist of a few parts, the Muralles de Ronda, the Murallas del Carmen and the Muralles de la Cijara. These city walls are interrupted by the Puerta de la Cijara. Along these old city walls and through the historic gate you walk to the Puente Viejo, the bridge that used to be the connection between the two city districts of Ronda. The city walls of Ronda are now a major landmark.

Ronda, Spain