Ronda, Andalucia's 'city of dreams': A walking tour

(181 reviews)

Ronda audio tour: Ronda, Andalucia's 'city of dreams': A walking tour

This is a 2.1mi walking tour

It takes an average of 90 mins to complete.

Ronda

Spain

$14.99

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About the Tour

Discover the town that cured German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s writer’s block. “I have searched everywhere for the ‘city of dreams,” he wrote, “and found it here, in Ronda”. Take in the same sights that inspired him on this walking tour from the Lady Goyesca Statue in the Alameda del Tajo garden, over the world-famous Puente Nuevo de Ronda to the old town and back.

On the way, you’ll pass two breathtaking lookout points, the Mirador de Ronda and the Mirador de Aldehuela. As we leave the new town behind us and enter the old, you’ll visit Ronda’s former border at the top of Puerta de Almocábar, and quake in the boots of history’s soldiers as you imagine approaching armies. From there you’ll follow the old defensive wall to the Arab Baths and the Puente Viejo bridge, before making your way back over Puente Nuevo. The tour ends in front of Plaza de Toros, the Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda, which was the country’s very first.

On this tour, you can also look forward to:

Hearing about Centro de Interpretación del Puente Nuevo, the museum housed inside the bridge that was once a prison, a hotel, and even a tapas bar
Listening to traditional Spanish guitar and learning where you can go to hear live concerts
Taking in the Mondrágon palace and hearing about the people who lived there
Standing on the oldest bridge in Ronda
Finding out about La Casa del Rey Moro’s room of secrets and the Moorish Kings’ hidden gold

I’ll also provide answers to some intriguing questions like:

What did Blas infante, the father of Spanish nationalism, do in Ronda?
Why is one particular Italian priest famous around here?
Who built Puente Nuevo?
Did Queen Isabella really visit Ronda?
When did the Christian conquerors arrive?
How important is bullfighting in Andalucia?

Join me on this 90-minute stroll around one of Spain’s most striking towns, or take as long as you like to enjoy the sweeping views of the El Tajo gorge. By the end of the tour, you’ll be as inspired as Rainer Maria Rilke himself!

Music credit:
This tour is accompanied by the mesmerizing guitar of Paco Seco, a professional musician who began playing Flamenco at the age of seven. Paco studied flamenco and classical guitar, jazz, world and electronic music, and ethnic percussion. He has composed music for theater and musical productions. A Ronda local, Paco opened his own venue in 2023.

Please note:
The Parador Hotel is carrying out maintenance work so sometimes the access around the back of the building towards the Puente Nuevo may be
closed. If this is the case simply pause the tour and leave the Mirador de Ronda area (past the tourist office and turn right) to get to the front of the Parador. Here you will find the entrance to the new bridge museum and the location Puente Nuevo de Ronda where you can restart the tour. After you have listened to the introduction to the Puente Nuevo, cross the bridge to the location Mirador de Aldehuela.

Tour Producer

Clive Muir

8 tours

Hello, my name is Clive Muir and I live in Grazalema, a mountain village near Ronda in Andalucía. For more than 20 years I’ve worked in the Natural Parks of southern Spain, where I specialise in environmentally conscious walking holidays and nature-based tourism. As a long-term resident with deep knowledge of this region, I’ve developed expertise in local history, wildlife, and cultural traditions that I share through my guided tours and online projects.

I am the founder of several English-language travel websites covering Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, and the Caminito del Rey, as well as Wildside Holidays, a platform connecting visitors with activity and wildlife tourism businesses across Spain. My work has been used by travellers, tour operators, and conservation groups looking for reliable, first-hand insights into Andalucía’s landscapes, heritage, and biodiversity.

In addition to guiding, I’m an experienced writer, photographer, and web publisher. My goal is to combine storytelling with practical travel knowledge to help visitors discover both the famous landmarks and the hidden corners of Andalucía. My tours on VoiceMap include Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Ronda, and Grazalema, each designed to provide an engaging mix of history, culture, and natural beauty.

I welcome feedback through VoiceMap, my websites, or travel platforms such as TripAdvisor.

Preview Location

Location 6

Puente Nuevo, the new bridge

One of the few cities in the world to be naturally split into two halves, Ronda has the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo Gorge! The gorge also served as the most formidable defence that Ronda’s historical enemies ever tried to attack.

Let's stop here and admire the views!

The Pu... One of the few cities in the world to be naturally split into two halves, Ronda has the Puente Nuevo and El Tajo Gorge! The gorge also served as the most formidable defence that Ronda’s historical enemies ever tried to attack.

Let's stop here and admire the views!

The Puente Nuevo spans the gorge at its highest point and drops to a depth of around 120 metres. It's a must-see destination on any tour of Ronda and on the north side of the Puente Nuevo, where we are now, is the Plaza de España, which is where the Parador hotel and many restaurants are located. Crossing the bridge to the south side will take you to the old town and towards the main museum of Ronda located in the Mondragón Palace but we'll get there a bit later.

The gorge is quite narrow in places and is just under 70 metres at its widest point. It's incredibly beautiful, photogenic and in fact, the Puente Nuevo is one of Spain’s most photographed locations.

The Guadalevín river exits the Tajo gorge into the valley below where it's waters were traditionally used by a number of flour mills in order to drive their grinding stones. However, all wheat grinding activity ceased in 1917 after a rock slide destroyed the canal supplying the water to the mills.

If you'd like to visit the interpretation centre of the Puente Nuevo, you'll see the ticket office right in front of you now. The museum is inside the bridge, in the large room under the road and at various times in the past, this has been a prison, a hotel, and even a tapas bar.

Descending the outside steps, you'll find yourself standing on a wide ledge overlooking the gorge, giving a great view of the arches of the bridge up close. Then you'll enter the bridge and climb a short staircase into the central room, which contains a detailed history of why it was needed, how long it took to build, and how it was built. From here, it's also possible to look through the doors of the room to the valley below.

If you don't go into the museum, then you'll see that pedestrians are able to walk along both sides of the bridge and there are several seating positions built into the protective barrier. Please cross the bridge when you're ready. I'll meet you on the other side and I'll tell you a bit more about the Puente Nuevo when you get to the next viewing platform.

Take your time across the bridge and enjoy! Read More

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Major Landmarks

Alameda del Tajo
Centro de Interpretación del Puente Nuevo
Mirador de Aldehuela
Mondragon Palace
Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor
Plaza Duquesa de Parcent
Puerta de Almocábar
Arab Baths Archaeological Site
Puente Viejo
La Casa del Rey Moro
Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
C. Virgen de la Paz, 29400 Ronda, Málaga, Spain
Total distance

3km
Final location
C. Molino de Alarcón, 29400 Ronda, Málaga, Spain
Distance back to start location

645.31m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour starts in the Park Alameda del Tajo at P.º Blas Infante, 1, 29400 Ronda, Málaga.

The tour begins in Ronda's Alameda Park at the statue of the Lady Goyesca, seen in the picture. The entrance to the park is next to the Plaza and church of Merced. If you need any help you can the "get directions" link on your phone to use a maps app to help you arrive at the starting point.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

The places we are visiting on this tour where you have an option to enter are the interpretation centre of the new bridge, The Casa Don Bosco, The Palacio de Mondragón with it's museum, The Moorish kings house, Water mine, The plaza de toros and the Arab baths. There are many bars and restaurants along the route. The area of San Francisco at the halfway point is particularily good for lunch and evening meals whilst the streets around the bull ring also have a lot to offer with many shops, bars and restaurants. If you are thinking of visiting more than two or three monuments and museums then the bono tourist ticket, available from the tourist office close to the bull ring is highly recommended.

Best time of day

To be sure that monuments and museums are open during your audio guided visit the best times are between 10am to 1pm and 5pm and 7pm. However, this tour can be done at any time of any day.

Precautions

Although we are walking through the streets of Ronda there are also some areas with steep and uneven cobbles so please make sure to wear sensible shoes. Its a good idea to carry water with you as well as sunscreen and a hat.

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App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”