Ronda Sights: Walking and cycling tour

By Heather Cooper

Explore Ronda in the most unique way on a dual-activity guided tour. On this cycling and walking tour of Ronda, you will gain a fascinating insight into the history culture and most famous sights of the town. Professional, local guides accompany you all the way, sharing their knowledge, insight and love of Ronda. 

Tours are available in English or Spanish and on hybrid bikes or e-bikes. The cycling is easy and suitable for everyone. 

Development of Ronda 

Ronda occupies a unique and ideal location – whether we are considering its long, historic past and highly defendable, naturally protected clifftop position or our present-day love of character, authenticity, fresh air and nature. Ronda sits in the heart of the countryside, unsullied by sprawling suburbs or busy highways. Within minutes of leaving the town, we are in the middle of olive groves, vineyards and holm oak forest. But what is the relevance of the countryside to the town’s development? Why did the Romans, Visigoths and Arabs choose this site above all others in the area? How did early inhabitants cope with getting water up into the town when the river runs beneath it? And why were so many bridges built across the river Guadalevín which divides the town in two? All this and more, you will discover on our Ronda Sights walking and cycling tour. 

Cycling around Ronda 

The tour begins in the old town, where you will meet your cycling guide and spend a few moments getting used to the bikes. From there we cycle out into the countryside. We pass historic landmarks which relate to the provision of water to the town’s inhabitants – an aqueduct, water trough, an eight-spout fountain and the Arab Baths. We ride past agricultural land which has provided produce for the town right up to the present day – olives, walnuts, vines and holm oak forest, rich in acorns which are used to feed the best Iberian pigs. We ride across ancient bridges, down cobbled streets and past sections of the city wall. We re-enter the town via the Almocábar Gate, riding up to the Plaza Duquesa de Parcent, the most important plaza in the old town. Here you leave your bikes and meet our official Ronda Tour Guide, a native of the town, who will take you on a fascinating walking tour. 

Walking through Ronda 

You will see Ronda’s impressive Town Hall or ayuntamiento and learn about the role of religion, churches and convents in the town’s development. You will hear of the swashbuckling acts of Ronda’s bandits and cultural heroes who gave the town its romantic reputation. You will wander through the narrow streets of the old town, past grand houses and the Mondragón Palace. You will walk through the remains of the old market area and across the main Puente Nuevo bridge into the new town. You will enjoy superb vistas of the countryside and learn about the famous names of the modern world who made Ronda their home and spread the word about its unique charms. You finish your tour at the bullring, one of the most iconic buildings of the town, where you say goodbye to your guide.  

Now you will understand why Ronda is called the ‘City of Dreams’. 

This cycling and walking tour of Ronda is provided by Hike + Bike the Sierras, based in Ronda. This tour is suitable for everyone, with easy cycling on a mix of smooth tracks and quiet roads. E-bikes are available for anyone who feels less confident about the cycling section of the tour. The walking tour takes a slow pace around the town. Both sections last approximately one and a half hours. 

Read more about this Ronda tour here. 

Contact Hike + Bike for more information and bookings. 

About Heather Cooper, Hike + Bike

 Heather Cooper lives in Ronda with her husband, Wayne. Together they run their business, Hike + Bike the Sierras, which arranges guided and self-guided day trips and holidays for mountain bikers, cyclists and hikers from around the world. Heather and Wayne have unequalled knowledge of the Serrania de Ronda’s tracks and trails and love nothing more than helping people to enjoy the region’s unspoiled countryside.