Day trip to Ronda -- options

We took the train to Cordoba - picked up a car and went to the hill towns including Ronda (two nights there) and then drove on to Granada and back to Cordoba. That was before the direct train from Cordoba to Granada was finished. But getting to Ronda and the Hill Towns is hard without a car. You could take train to Antequera from Seville via Cordoba and get a car/bus from there to Ronda, which would be the easiest way by public transport. It was worth renting the car to see the hill towns, and we loved Ronda. It is probably not a very good day trip, but it could work to take one day to get to Ronda through Antequera and then go on to Granada from Antequera on the following afternoon.

Have fun!

Hi, Nick-- Thanks for your reply. I guess the best option is really to drive. How is the drive from Sevilla to Ronda. We have never driven internationally so we are a little apprehensive. Also, I heard that once in Ronda, parking may be a problem... any comments on parking situation there?

Emily - Seville to Ronda by Bus: The bus service from Seville to Ronda is run by Los Amarillos. The journey takes two to two-and-a-half hours, and buses depart from Seville Prado de San Sebastian Bus Station. If you decide to spend a night in Ronda, you can day trip to other Pueblos Blancos towns like Setenil or Marbella by bus. Here is the bus line to take to go to Marbella. The trip is 1 hr and 21 min from Ronda.

https://www.busbud.com/en/bus-schedules-results/eys342/eykx8z?outbound_date=2020-01-01&adults=1

Hi Emily, no need to drive if you want another option. Here’s the link to our Spain trip report and the train info is listed towards the end. As you will see, we did the itinerary you’re requesting- Sevilla, Ronda, Granada.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/1st-time-to-spain-trip-report

Jean

The white villages most often mentioned on the forum are Arcos de la Frontera (easiest from Jerez), Grazalema and Zahara de la Sierra. Marbella is a highly-developed coastal resort town and I believe not what most people have in mind when the look for white villages. It is difficult to string together two or more of the small towns or Ronda with even one of them if you don't have a car, and at least one overnight in Ronda would surely be required if you wanted to see any of the others.

I've driven twice to Ronda - both times for 3N stays. I enjoy driving and I have driven a lot on mountain roads.

I got lost leaving Sevilla once, until I finally got on the right multi-lane limited access highway. I'm not very good at navigating in general and worse when driving at the same time. Many rental cars in Europe do come with GPS but don't count on it. Bring from home. I finally bought a Garmin with European maps and a smart phone and use Waze. I'm sure I'd had been fine with either. Once well out of Sevilla, it's mostly a two-lane highway through the hills (and I never got lost). All the roads I drove were in good condition and the curves were well graded. It's also very scenic and there are pull-outs where you can easily stop to admire the view and take a photo. All the hill towns, including Ronda, are off the main road. Some of them can be very difficult to drive into, because of narrow, steep streets, sharp corners and parked cars. However, those villages are small, so you can park and explore on foot. Leaving Ronda, you'll have some hills to drive through but then it's a multi-lane divided highway to Granada, where you may want to drop the car and then take a taxi to your hotel. The old city center can also be a little tricky to drive in.

In Ronda, most of the city is easy driving. It's surprisingly flat. The oldest part of town has narrow streets with sharp corners and the side streets always seem to have cars parked where they shouldn't be, but if you go slowly and carefully, it's not a problem. Some hotels have parking spaces. There is an underground lot in the center, close to the bridge and the bullring. I've only been to Ronda in winter, never had trouble getting a space there.

If you decide to rent a car, spend 1-2 nights in Ronda if you can fit it in your itinerary. Then visit Arcos on your way to Ronda. There's a big parking lot at the foot of the town and then a steep walk or a shuttle ride up. It's well worth a few hours. Then drive on to Ronda for the night. If you stay 2 nights, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy Ronda's sights or to spend the day visiting other hill towns.

We found the roads to be well-maintained two lane roads that would be typical anywhere in the more rural hilly US. The main road runs north of the hills and to get to the Hill towns you have to head south into the hills. We asked for parking lot directions from our hotel which was most willing to provide them. This is one advantage of an overnight - they really want to help. The main lots are a bit away from the hotels, but we drove in to drop our stuff off, and took the short walk back. The major driving problem was a lot of people spilling off the narrow sidewalks onto the narrow streets, not the streets themselves.

Hi, everyone and Happy New Year to all.
Thanks to all for the various options presented. We will check it out the options you have suggested and see which works best for us.

Los Amarillos no longer serves the Seville-Ronda route. Service is now offered by Damas.

Have you ever tried Tours By Locals? These are all private tours and they are all over the world. Each tour guide has their own reviews so you know exactly what you are getting. Expensive, but could be worth it. We used in both Italy and Croatia and you literally can create your own tour. Look at Seville and see what you can find.