# A weekend in Ronda, an hour and a half from Málaga One night in Ronda to see it without the day trippers: the bridge and La Ciudad, the Mina down to the river, the Cueva de la Pileta by torchlight and a tasting of Serranía wines. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/ronda/itineraries/ronda-weekend-from-malaga · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Dónde: Ronda Ronda is the day trip everyone makes from the Costa del Sol, which is why the bridge is full at midday. With a night you see it differently: the evening and the morning are yours, and you have time for what falls outside the classic day, a cave with Palaeolithic paintings in the sierra and a tasting at a winery. ## Where to sleep in Ronda? AccommodationFor whomWhat it has Parador de RondaThose who want to sleep above the gorgeThe former town hall beside the Puente Nuevo; seasonal pool and garage Hotel MontelirioCouples after the old townA stately house in La Ciudad; private parking by reservation Camping El SurFamilies, motorhomes1.5 km away; pitches, apartments, pool in summer; dogs admitted ## If you go with children or a dog With children, Camping El Sur has a pool in summer, a playground and apartments, and the Cueva de la Pileta is the best moment of the weekend from age 5. Under-14s don't pay for the pass. With a dog, the campsite admits them for €1.80 a night and Tragatá lets them in according to the Michelin Guide. ## El plan ### Saturday · 10:30 · Puente Nuevo and La Ciudad Park at the Mercadillo, buy the municipal pass in the bridge's chamber (€12, free for under-14s) and cross to La Ciudad: Palacio de Mondragón and Casa del Gigante. ### Saturday · 12:30 · Arab Baths and the Mina Go down the Cuesta de Santo Domingo to the Nasrid hammam and, on the way back, enter the Casa del Rey Moro to descend the Mina staircase to the river. ### Saturday · 14:30 · Tapas at Tragatá Sharing plates from the Bardal chef, with a reserved sitting. ### Saturday · 17:00 · Bullring and Alameda The ring and the Maestranza museum, and then the balcony of the Alameda del Tajo to watch the sun set over the sierra. ### Saturday · 21:00 · Dinner at Bardal or Tragatá If it is your special night, Bardal opens on Saturday; book it weeks ahead. If not, Tragatá reopens at 20:00. ### Sunday · 10:30 · Tasting at Huerto de la Condesa A stroll among the clouds, 90 minutes with four wines and a snack, for €30. Open from 11:00 to 15:00: call to fix the time. If you are driving, swap the tasting for the walk down to the bottom of the gorge. ### Sunday · 13:00 · Cueva de la Pileta Twenty minutes towards Benaoján. The 13:00 tour with a torch, an hour, €15 (€10 for ages 5 to 10). There are 101 steps from the car park. ### Sunday · 15:00 · Drive back Eat in Ronda or on the way and be back in Málaga in an hour and a half. ## Un consejo más Book the Cueva de la Pileta by phone before you leave: you call from 10:00 to 13:00 and without a booking you only get in if there is room. ## Cuándo no ir The bridge between 12:00 and 16:00 on a spring Saturday: it is when all the coast coaches arrive. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How long does it take from Málaga to Ronda? An hour and a half by car, about 100 km via the A-357 and the A-367. ### Is one night enough? Yes, for Ronda at leisure and an outing to the sierra. With two nights you add Setenil de las Bodegas or the Sierra de Grazalema. ### Where to sleep in Ronda? Above the gorge at the Parador, in the old town at the Hotel Montelirio or, with children or a motorhome, at Camping El Sur. ### Do I need to book the Cueva de la Pileta? Yes, by phone, on 677 610 500, from 10:00 to 13:00. ## Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Parador de Ronda**: The Parador de Ronda occupies the former buildings of the town hall and the market, on plaza de España, on the Mercadillo side, with the Puente Nuevo right up against one of its sides. It opened in 1994 and keeps the façade of the old Casa Consistorial, with its arcades, cornices and clock. At the back, the building looks out over the gorge, which according to Paradores is 120 metres deep here: hence the hotel presents itself as a viewpoint. A balcony over the gorge What sets this hotel apart from the others in the centre is its position. The terrace and the pool look over the gorge and the sierra, and the Puente Nuevo is a few steps from the door; the chamber of its central arch and the way down to the Arab Baths are done on foot. On the other side of the square starts the Alameda viewpoint promenade, which follows the edge of the cliff. For dinner without taking the car, Bardal and Tragatá are on the streets behind. Inside, the decor is brightly coloured and the Parador displays a collection of bullfighting art with more than a hundred works, from Romanticism and Goya-style to abstraction and pop. Doubles, superiors and duplexes There are three room types: standard double, superior double and duplex. All have air conditioning, a flat-screen TV with Chromecast, minibar, a safe for a laptop, hairdryer and free wifi; there is a lift, room service, breakfast in the room and laundry. Prices change with the date and appear in the Paradores calendar, with room-only, bed-and-breakfast or half-board rates, and a cheaper non-refundable rate. If you want to see the gorge from your bed, expressly ask for a room with views when booking. A big table or raciones The restaurant serves Andalusian and Mediterranean cooking, with dishes from the serranía. Next door, El Manzel de Ronda is a space with a more informal menu and sharing raciones from the Málaga districts, useful for a light dinner after a day of sightseeing. Car, garage and arrival The Parador has a paid garage and an electric car charging point, something to be thankful for in the centre of Ronda: the streets of the Mercadillo have restricted traffic and parking is difficult. Paradores places Ronda 118 km from Málaga. From the train or bus station it is about fifteen minutes' walk to plaza de España. The pool is outdoor and seasonal; the dates are not published on the page, so ask if you are travelling in spring or autumn. For travelling with a dog, Paradores refers to the conditions in its frequently asked questions: confirm before booking. - **Hotel Montelirio**, desde 104 € / night: The house A stately house in La Ciudad, at number 8 calle Tenorio, about a hundred metres from the Puente Nuevo and overlooking the gorge. The hotel presents itself as "a dream over the Ronda gorge": from some rooms and from the restaurant you can see the ravine and the valley, views that few buildings in the centre of Ronda have. There is wifi throughout the hotel. The bullring is about 400 metres away, the Alameda del Tajo 500 and calle de la Bola, the shopping area, 350. The bus station is about 900 metres away. The rooms There are four types, all with air conditioning, television, safe, free wifi and cable, parquet floors and a bathroom with bath and shower, bidet and hairdryer. The prices on the website are "from" prices and change with the date: Double without views (18 m², from €104 a night): 16th-century-style decor and Ronda wrought-iron balconies that face the historic centre, not the gorge. Double with views (18 m², from €159): the same, but looking over the gorge and the valley. Superior double with views, the Marrakech room (from €171): themed on Al-Andalus, with a 200 cm four-poster bed. Junior suite with river views (36 m², from €200): 17th-century furniture, a balcony over the gorge and room for a sofa bed and an extra bed, up to four people. In some doubles an extra bed can be added for €33 a night. If you come to Ronda for the views, it is worth paying the difference: the basic doubles do not have them. The restaurant Albacara is at the foot of the Puente Nuevo and has its own telephone, 952 16 11 84. It serves Mediterranean cooking between tradition and avant-garde, with Ronda produce, and is in the Michelin Guide. Among its specialities, the house cites the little meatballs of carabinero prawns with cockle sauce, the foie mi-cuit with pistachio quince and Ronda wine reduction, the roast suckling pig and the salt-baked sea bass. In 2026 it closed from 7 January to 1 March, so in winter it is advisable to confirm. Getting there and parking You cannot stop in front of the hotel. On arrival, go to calle Tenorio, 16, where there is room to stop for a moment, unload the luggage and go into the hotel: there they explain the parking options. The private car park must be booked beforehand; booking on its website gives you priority in space allocation. - **Camping El Sur**, desde 15 € / pitch: El Sur is a family campsite with twenty-five years of history at kilometre 1.5 of the Ronda to Algeciras road, the A-369, on the southern exit of the city. You reach it from the ring road without crossing the centre, and the old town is a kilometre's walk away. It is a cheap, quiet alternative to the hotels of the Mercadillo for anyone travelling by car, by van, with a tent or with children. One hundred and twenty-four pitches among olive trees The campsite has 124 pitches of 70 to 100 m², with shade and electricity hook-up, spread along asphalted lanes among olive trees, centuries-old holm oaks and almond trees. There are two toilet blocks with free hot showers and an adapted facility, sinks and laundry sinks with hot water, a service station for caravans and motorhomes, a laundry, a minimarket, left-luggage, a safe, wifi throughout the site and an electric car charging point. The published rate per night is €15 for a pitch with a car and tent or €25 with a caravan or motorhome, plus €6 per adult, €5 per child, €6 for electricity and €1.80 per dog. The campsite warns that the price changes with the season, and at Easter, the Ronda Fair and the 101 km you must ask beforehand. Studios, apartments and a little wooden house For those without a tent there are built accommodations, of current design. Two 25 m² studios for two people, one with a double bed and the other with two beds; a 50 m² apartment for four, with two bedrooms and a living room-kitchen; and a little wooden house for two with a living room and bedroom. All have an open-plan kitchen with utensils, a bathroom with shower, a furnished terrace, bed linen and towels, wifi, television, microwave, air conditioning, heating and the car parked alongside. They cost from €80 for the two-person one, €100 for the three-person one and €140 for the four-person one. Animals are not admitted in the apartments. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out before 12:00; going over the time is charged as an extra night. The campsite asks for payment seven days before arrival and warns that all payments are non-refundable. Pool in summer, restaurant since 1992 The pool is open from 1 June to 30 September. For children there is a playground, table tennis, giant chess, minigolf and a basketball hoop. The restaurant, open since 1992, has a mesón-bar, two dining rooms and a large terrace, with a menu of tapas, raciones and set menus in four languages. Its website announces the bar restaurant opening on 9 April, so in winter it may be closed: confirm it if you are counting on it. On foot to the Puente Nuevo The kilometre to the old town is uphill on the way there. From there you reach the Puente Nuevo and go down to the Arab Baths. For dinner in the centre, the bar at Tragatá opens every day. In autumn, the same A-369 continues to the Genal valley and its copper forest.