Restaurante El Mirador
What to order: the cod fritters, the tuna with onions or the oxtail ingot, and the Setenil sponge for dessert
geocalia
Day itinerary · 36.86° N · 5.18° W
Setenil and Ronda: streets under the rock and the Puente Nuevo.
A morning in the streets of Setenil that run beneath the rock, lunch in the village and an afternoon in Ronda, 20 minutes away, with the Puente Nuevo and the monuments pass.
Leaving from
Part of Setenil de las BodegasCurious Places
Add to my trip
Total time11 h
By car1 h 45 each way
WalkingAbout 3 h in total
DifficultyEasy, with slopes
CostRonda pass €12 + lunch
Best timeOctober – May
With childrenYes; under-14s free in Ronda
CarEssential
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave Málaga 1 h 45 by car
1 h 50 from Málaga or Seville, 2 h from Cádiz
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1
Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra
Cuevas del Sol, Cuevas de la Sombra and Herrería · 1 h
- 5 min on foot
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2
The keep and cistern
tower, cistern and the Lizón viewpoint · 30 min
- 2 min on foot
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3
Restaurante El Mirador
El Mirador · Sierra de Cádiz cooking with views · €€€ · book, and check it is open that Sunday
Calle Callejón, 10, 11692 Setenil de las Bodegas · +34 856 941 384
Restaurant €€€Book - 30 min by car19,5 km
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4
Ronda, 20 Minutes Away
20 min by car · Puente Nuevo and the municipal pass at €12
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Back home
You arrive around 21:15
Approximate cost
About €35–60 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Cuevas del Sol and Cuevas de la Sombra
Two villages in the mountains, each split by a river and twenty minutes apart, and two ways of living with rock. In Setenil, the Guadalporcún river hollowed out the base of the cliff and the locals closed off the gaps with white façades: there are whole streets with stone for a roof. In Ronda, the Guadalevín carved a gorge almost a hundred metres deep and the city crosses it by the Puente Nuevo. This plan does Setenil in the morning, before the groups arrive, has lunch there and leaves Ronda for the afternoon, when the light falls on the Tajo.
The Day, Hour by Hour
9:00 · Departure. From Málaga or Seville it is an hour and fifty minutes by car; from Cádiz, about two hours. The last twenty or so kilometres are winding mountain roads: do not leave it to the last minute.
11:00 · The cave streets. Park down below, on the Paseo Federico García Lorca, and walk in through Cuevas del Sol, the street of terraces, with the rock overhead but open to the sun. Cross the bridge to Cuevas de la Sombra, where the crag covers the whole roadway like a tunnel, and climb Calle Herrería to Plaza de Andalucía. It is an hour's stroll, free of charge. The whole area has been a historic-artistic site since 1985 and many houses are still homes: respect doors and windows.
12:15 · Keep and Lizón viewpoint. Above stands the tower of the Nasrid fortress that withstood seven sieges before falling in 1484; hence, according to tradition, the name of the village. You climb its floors to the terrace, with the cistern at its foot. Opening hours and the fee are not published: ask at the tourist office, in the former town hall, a few steps away.
13:30 · Lunch at El Mirador. Without leaving the upper part: a glass-walled dining room on Calle Callejón, next to Plaza de Andalucía, with the village at your feet. Updated Sierra de Cádiz cooking using local produce: tuna with onions, the oxtail ingot or salt cod fritters, and the Cádiz cheese tart. The website does not publish opening hours: book by phone on 856 94 13 84, or on its website, and confirm it is open that Sunday. On Sundays the village fills up from one o'clock with coach trips from the coast.
16:00 · Ronda. Twenty minutes by car. Leave the car in a public car park before the old town and continue on foot. The municipal pass, at €12 per person and free for under-14s, opens five monuments: the Puente Nuevo interpretation centre, the Casa del Gigante, the Arab Baths, the Palacio de Mondragón and the Joaquín Peinado Museum. With three hours you see the bridge, the old Ciudad and two or three of them. Last entry is half an hour before closing, and opening times change with the season: check them on the Ronda tourism website.
19:30 · Return. You reach Málaga or Seville around a quarter past nine.
Why Setenil First
Setenil can be seen in three hours and fills up mid-morning: whoever arrives at eleven finds parking and the covered streets without queues. Ronda is bigger and copes better with the afternoon. What is more, the Puente Nuevo looks best in low light, from the viewpoints on both edges of the gorge rather than from on top.
If It Rains
This is one of the few plans that almost improves in the rain: Cuevas de la Sombra and Calle Herrería sit under a roof of rock. Wear shoes with grip, because the polished stone is slippery. In Ronda, the monuments on the pass are indoors.
With Children and Dogs
The covered streets impress children and the distances are short. With a pushchair, stay in the lower part of Setenil: there are steps higher up. In Ronda, under-14s get in free with the pass; the descent to the Arab Baths is paid for on the way back, uphill. With a dog, swap the keep for the Mills Walk along the stream, along the valley floor, and leave Ronda for strolling outside the monuments.
Time1 h
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Setenil de las Bodegas
From October to May. In July and August the heat is fierce outside the covered streets; if you go in summer, leave Ronda for the last hour. On spring Sundays, get into Setenil before eleven.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Arrive before eleven
By mid-morning on Sunday the car park in the lower part is full, and so are the terraces on Cuevas del Sol.
- 2Buy the Ronda pass on its website
For €12 you see five monuments; under-14s do not pay.
- 3See Setenil from the river
The best views of the houses under the rock are from the Trejo bridges, not from inside the streets.
- 4Work out your return time
At night the mountain road is winding: in winter leave Ronda while it is still light.
We'd skip it
A spring Sunday at one o'clock in Setenil: with guided groups arriving one after another there is no way of stopping in Cuevas de la Sombra or finding a table without a reservation.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Málaga, Seville or Cádiz?
An hour and fifty minutes from Málaga and from Seville, and about two hours from Cádiz, by car.
Can you see Setenil and Ronda in one day?
Yes. Setenil in about three hours in the morning, with lunch, and Ronda in another three in the afternoon. They are 20 minutes apart.
How much does it cost?
The streets of Setenil are free. The Ronda municipal pass costs €12, €9 with a discount, and under-14s get in free. Add lunch and fuel.
Do I need to book for lunch?
On a Sunday, yes, or eat early. Setenil receives many day trips from the coast at midday.
What if it rains?
The cave streets are under the rock and the Ronda monuments are indoors. Wear shoes that grip.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/setenil-de-las-bodegas/itineraries/setenil-and-ronda-day-trip-from-seville
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.