My husband and I plan to spend 6 days in Spain in March. We will be arriving from Lisbon so thought of taking a bus to Sevilla, staying there a couple of nights then a bus to Ronda. With spending so much time on a bus, we would like to know what they are like. Can we bring backpacks onto the bus or do they have to be stowed underneath? Do the busses have washrooms? Any other information about buses would be very welcome.
Posted by
Chicago
8332 posts
The bus has one toilet and depending on the length of the journey there are rest stops. Medium size to large bags go under the belly of the bus and you get a claim check before boarding; a normal size backpack could fit overhead or underneath the seat like on an airplane or on your lap if too big overhead or under the seat.
This company serves Seville to Ronda
https://www.avanzabus.com/
You could use Ryanair and fly Lisbon to Seville in 1 hour for about same cost as the bus since the bus takes almost 7 hours.
Posted by
Surrey, UK
170 posts
you could also get the train from Seville to Ronda with a change in Cordoba - about four hours.
Posted by
Washington DC
28899 posts
I've taken a lot of buses in Spain. In my experience, they do not all have toilets, and sometimes there is a toilet but it is kept locked. My going-in assumption is that I'll be taking advantage of the driver's comfort stop. Our Spanish posters will tell you comfort stops are mandatory. I will tell you I was on an 8-hour bus ride from Granada to Valencia during which the driver made no comfort stops for about the last 6 hours. I know that was an anomaly; the driver was trying to make up time. But it happened.
The buses are very comfortable aside from that one issue I had on one trip.
I would not, however, spend "a couple of nights" in Seville and then head to Ronda. Ronda is interesting enough but is a very minor destination compared to Seville. There's enough to see in Seville to justify four nights, as far as I am concerned. By comparison, Ronda is more the sort of place you might stop for a few hours on a typical swing through southern Spain.
You haven't mentioned Cordoba, which has a great deal more to offer than Ronda and is a quick trip from Seville by train. Many people do make that day trip, but I was very happy to spend three nights in Cordoba.
Posted by
new york
288 posts
I totally agree! Cordoba is a MUCH more interesting place than Ronda and it's such a quick train ride from Sevilla.
Are you going to Ronda because your next destination is Malaga? If not, I'd skip it.
Posted by
OP
Canada
2 posts
Thank you for your replies. We hadn't thought of flying from Lisbon to Sevilla but are now planning to do that at least one way. As for Ronda, we chose it because we wanted to see the Cueva de la Pileta and, if it works out, a vineyard and winery. Our next question is how to get to them as the tours we've looked into are either too expensive or already booked. Rick Steves suggests a taxi, so that is what we will try.
Posted by
5627 posts
Would you feel comfortable renting a car in Ronda for your day trips? It is not needed to get from place to place, but you might want it for exploring.
We went to Benaoján by bus and train but we did not tour the cave.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7517 posts
There are some wineries near Ronda, but it’s not an area known for its wines. If you like sherry, then you can get tours of bodegas in Jerez de la Frontera.
We visited Cueva de la Pileta in 1979 when we were living in Spain and it was worth visiting. It is off by itself in the countryside. Ensure you check the hours before going to it. When we went we just happened to be driving by, saw a very small sign for the cave, and a tour just happened to be starting.