We're trying to fit in a visit to Ronda between stays in Granada and Seville. Ideally, we would spend 3-4 hours in Ronda on our way from Granada to Seville. We prefer not to drive, but figuring out bus or train transportation in that area is not easy. Hoping someone has tried this and can suggest how to make that work. Thanks!
Posted by
Paris
7304 posts
I agree with Nick. Ronda is fine, but it is really a hassle to get there from Granada without a car. And by skipping it, you don't miss that much in my opinion: one of the main assets of the town is its unusual geography with the ravine (Tajo), but there aren't "must-sees" to speak of.
Posted by
Washington DC
28082 posts
As of 2019 there was at least one tour operator offering a one-day bus tour from Seville to Ronda and one or two of the small white villages. It wouldn't give you as much time in Ronda as you want and would mean quite a lot of time sitting on a bus, so I'm not recommending it, just informing you of its existence.
Posted by
Australia
1072 posts
We will be in Spain in February 2023 and the only way we can see to make Ronda work by public transport is to visit it on the way from Seville to Malaga. There are both trains and buses serving this route but it's over 2 hours for each segment. We are thinking of spending a night in Ronda to do this, or skipping it entirely.
Posted by
OP
Oak Park, Illinois
14 posts
Thank you so much for the extremely helpful responses. You've saved us weeks of dithering and overplanning. I must say this community is better than any guidebook (except Rick's, of course :) ). Happy travels to all!
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8059 posts
There is public transport on the route, but probably difficult to spend a few hours in Ronda and move on.
We took the Damas bus from Seville to Ronda, and the train from Ronda to Granada. (So reverse, and spent two nights in Ronda) The train though only departs Ronda twice a day (early morning and late afternoon) so I imagine "arrivals" are similar. The train does require a change in Antequera, but it was seamless, train pulled up and everyone moved over.
However, we bought the bus tickets at the station, and had to go to the station for train tickets (because of the train change, the option was not available on the Renfre app, or at least my assumption).
Rome2Rio shows you should be able to take the Train to Ronda (the bus is longer and requires a change in Malaga) and get there about 11:30 and then a Damas bus at 15:30 or 18:30 for Seville. I agree that you might find it difficult to buy ahead, meaning you just buy once in Granada, or maybe a third party site. Damas tickets you can buy ahead (once schedules are released) from the website https://damas-sa.es/