What to do · Ronda
Palacio de Mondragón
Information
- From
- €12 pass for five monuments
- Duration
- 45 min
- Who it's for
- Everyone
What it is
A palace in La Ciudad, on plaza de Mondragón, which today houses the Ronda Municipal Archaeological Museum. Tradition says it was the residence of the kings of the taifa of Ronda and of the last Muslim governor, Hamet el Zegrí, and that after the conquest of the city in 1485 it lodged the Catholic Monarchs. It is also known as the palace of the Marqués de Villasierra.
What you will see
It was built in the 14th century by joining several Andalusi houses and was altered many times, so it mixes traditions. The ashlar façade is 16th century and is flanked by two brick lookout towers with hipped roofs; the Baroque doorway, 18th century, has Doric and Ionic columns and a broken pediment. Inside, life is organised around several courtyards that preserve Mudéjar plasterwork, arches and coffered ceilings, and a small garden looks out over the edge of the gorge.
In the museum, the piece highlighted by the Sierra de las Nieves Mancomunidad is a mould for casting swords of the Ronda–Sa Idda type, from the 9th and 8th centuries BC. Take your time in the prehistory rooms and then go out to the courtyards: the building is as interesting as the display cases.
Admission and pass
You enter with the Ronda tourism municipal pass, which in its February 2025 leaflet costs €12 per person and €9 for groups of more than ten, students under 26, pensioners and large families; under-14s go in free. It includes five visits: the Puente Nuevo Interpretation Centre, the Casa del Gigante, the Arab Baths, the Palacio de Mondragón and the Joaquín Peinado Museum. There is a premium pass at €25 (€20 reduced) that adds, among others, the Casa Palacio Museo Lara and Santa María la Mayor. On all of them, the last entry is half an hour before closing.
Hours
Hours change by season and we have not found them published up to date. Ask at the tourist office (952 187 119, [email protected]) or at the first monument on the pass that you visit.
How to fit it in
It is five minutes' walk from the Puente Nuevo, on the La Ciudad side. With the Casa del Gigante and the Arab Baths it makes the most comfortable circuit of the old town with the pass; on the way, go down to the Casa del Rey Moro, which has a separate ticket. Allow about 45 minutes.
