We'll be traveling by car from Granada to Seville tomorrow. We'd like to cut out to Ronda, but are there other recommendations in the area? Other towns/scenery/sites we need to also see along that stretch?
Posted by
Paris
7301 posts
After Ronda, you could continue west to Grazalema, then north along a beautiful road to Zahara de la Sierra.
Setenil de Las Bodegas is also worth a mention but harder to tie into a logical route. I also don't think you have time for 3 villages plus Ronda. 2 plus Ronda is plenty already.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
@Balso
Seems solid. We're trying to do this in a day. Your proposed route is about 6 hours. Would 3 hours be a reasonable additional amount for stops?
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7157 posts
Most white villages are best seen from the road at a distance where the white buildings contrast with the background scenery. Zahara de la Sierra has a tower you can climb that affords some nice views of the reservoir, but there’s little else to it. An hour there is more than enough. I haven’t been to Setenil de la Bodegas, but a friend told me a hour there is sufficient. Ronda could be a wild card depending on what you decide to see. The new bridge and gorge area are the main sites to walk around. Ronda could take as little as two hours to a half day.
The road between Zahara de la Sierra. And Grazalema has plenty of twists and turns, and while the distance is short, it will take about 30 minutes.
If you skipped Setenil de las Bodegas north of Ronda and just continued west from Ronda, you could conceivably make a stop in Arcos de la Frontera, stopping at the overlook by Basílica de Santa María de la Asunción.
Granada - Ronda: 2.25 hours
Ronda - Arcos: 1.25 hours
Arcos - Sevilla: 1.25 hours
With an early departure from Granada, since it stays lighter longer, you should have plenty of time.
Posted by
48 posts
There are lots of places to eat in Ronda, but a nice way to enjoy one of the smaller towns like Zahara would be to plan lunch in one. Ronda is much more bustling, whereas the others are lovely and calm. Scenery is great. Atmospheric spot for pause for a meal.
Posted by
NC
396 posts
We were not fans of Ronda — too touristy, crowded and unfriendly for us — though others seem to love it. But there is a small white village nearby, Arriate, where we had one of the most delicious and memorable meals in all of Andalucia at Taberna Malacaña. It is a very small, simple, locals place but the food is amazing.