Sevilla to Ronda. Suggestions?

Do you mean "by public transportation?" How long might you stay, and what is your next destination? We used a car because our next destination was Granada and we had day trips planned from 3 nights in Ronda.

Thanks. Yes, public transport. We're planning on staying 2 nights in Ronda.
Another post (I should have checked!) suggests there's a bus (travel time 2-2.5 hours) from Ronda to Sevilla, so I'm guessing it must go in reverse too.
https://regular.autobusing.com/venta?locale=en
Driving a car seems tricky but since we're next headed to Terifa, maybe a car might be the ticket. Did you and yours manage the road to Ronda well enough?
Thanks so much for your help and advice.

The trip was several years ago, but the Spanish highways were in superb condition, far better than the U.S. in this age of refusal to raise gasoline taxes to pay for repairs. We also drove to Arcos and Zahara. You are very much mistaken if you suspect that dirt roads and four-wheel drive are needed for basic tourism in this area. We did briefly hit a dirt road on the way to the cave near Ronda that Rick Steves recommends.

Because you mentioned Tarifa I will say that we drove a day trip to Gibraltar and it was modern highway all the way. (We don't rate Gibraltar as highly as Rick does.) However tractor-trailers going more slowly held back our progress. Note that I am not urging you to use a car, I am only reporting on one family's trip.

I made the trip via car from Ronda, through the white towns to Arcos and then Sevilla. The roads between Arcos and Ronda, if you opt for this route, go through mountains and the roads are twisty and winding with plenty of elevation changes. They are in great condition, not too heavily traveled. A combination of visiting Arcos and the towns plus the spectacular scenery was well worth the trip.

Buses offer a few more departures and some may be direct, so that's a common choice. Three out of four train departures take 2.5-3 hours with one connection. How to Look Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the DB train schedule link and tips for using it.

Pjcahill,

Yes, there is a bus that travels from Sevilla to Ronda & vice-versa:
https://regular.autobusing.com/venta

Make sure you choose, Sevilla Prado S.S., (origin) from the drop down menu, when you start typing Sevilla.

Enjoy your trip!

A car sounds like a good idea, but it does depend on the rest of your itinerary. I drove in Andalucia in February last year and 2 years before that, without GPS. There was hardly any traffic on the two-lane roads through the hills then. The drives are scenic with frequent pullouts to admire the views and take photos. Getting out of Sevilla and into Cordoba was difficult for me. There are highways out of Sevilla and I found the signage unclear so it took me some time to find the road I wanted to Ronda. Driving into Cordoba, I had exact directions, but hit a detour for construction just before my exit, so I struggled there as well. Next time . . . GPS. Driving into Granada was easy. Last year I drove from Ronda to Marbella to Gibraltar to Antequera on a Sunday morning. From Marbella to Gibraltar, I eschewed the toll road and it was slow going - seemed like every couple of kms there was a round-about. On the return, I got on the toll road as soon as I could.

If you don't plan intermediate stops, use the bus. They're cheap, very nice (like the giant tour buses), run regularly, and don't need any advance reservations.

The bus station has an information kiosk with an English speaker who will show you your options and help you book a ticket. I normally book a day or so in advance, just for planning, but you really don't even need that if you know the bus you want to be on.

Like Chani, I drove most of the time but it was because we planned lots of stops along the way that aren't convenient when you're on mass transit (I say mass rather than public because the buses are multiple competing private companies, like at the airport).

Thank you so, so much everyone.
What a great resource: people willing to help others. And, Rick Steve's Travel Forum, of course!
Peter