One of the places we were most looking forward to visiting in Spain was Ronda, so we were excited to enjoy a weekend getaway there. It is a relatively small town, located in the mountains northwest of Málaga on the Guadalevin River. The river creates the feature that defines Ronda: El Tajo Canyon, a steep gorge which is over 300 feet deep and divides the town in two. There are three beautiful bridges over the gorge, the Puente Romano (built by the Romans), the Puente Viejo (the “Old Bridge”, built by the Moors), and the mind-blowing Puente Nueve (The “New Bridge”, which despite the name is well over 200 years old). On one side of the canyon is the old, Moorish town, with the whitewashed buildings and narrow, winding streets. The other side contains the new town, with charming plazas and Spain’s oldest bull-fighting ring, along with the more modern outskirts.
We stayed at Casa Palacio VillaZambra charming small hotel with amazing views of valley and bridge. Our room even had a jacuzzi-style tub which was actually in the tower of the hotel. We also got to see the Parador where Tracey and her family stayed when they visited Ronda almost 20 years ago! It was a really great visit, but make sure to spend the night there so you can enjoy the town without the crowds of day-trippers who come up from the coast and are generally in town from about 10am – 6pm.
Wonderful photos – enjoy and beat the summer heat!