SPAIN - Arcos or Ronda?

Thank you all for your feedback. Arcos/Ronda: We have 21 days & have determined "minimums" for each town/city that we'll spend the night in so we're trying to figure out how to divide the remaining days. We'll probably do a lot of walking & activities so I wouldn't mind a few down days in a smaller town. I've only traveled to Europe once & that was to Italy. We stayed in Siena 3 nights, which might seem too many to some, but I really enjoyed the charm of the small town & buildings, especially in the evenings. It's hard to tell just by looking at a map (or even a Google 3D map) if 1 town is better then the other b/c I think Ronda looks bigger & maybe more to do or walk around & explore. But, the terrain of Arcos looks awesome. Tarifa/Tangier Dilema: We thought we'd use Tarifa as a base for only 2 nights - long enough to day trip to Gibraltar (I'd like to see the rock, apes, & airstrip) and to visit Tangier. I've read LOTS of comments, both positive & negative, on Tangier. We went back & forth on whether to: - Visit Tangier via ferry from Tarifa or - Skip Tarifa & Tangier altogether or
- Fly to Marrakesh or Fes from a larger city in Spain I didn't see any flights to Marrakesh or Fes that would work for us so I thought, rather than skip Morocco, we'd make do with just the day trip with a guide. hmmm, I keep going back to maybe if we can't give Morocco enough time, then we could skip that area & go from Granada to Nerja (I just threw that in, that's another place that is on the bubble) to Ronda to Arcos to Sevilla for the middle part of the trip. That way, we can see both Arcos & Ronda. Thanks again everyone. I really appreciate opinions from people who have been there.

Of the places you menton, I have been to all except Arcos. Madrid and Barcelona are of course big cities with much to see and do, and both Granada and Seville are wonderful cities, also with much to see and do. Especially if you also plan to do day trips from those places. If your question is 2 - 4 days in either or both Ronda or Arcos - Ronda is nice, but not that big and I would say 2 days would be sufficient. Arcos I have not been to but it is not that big - Jerez, nearby is very nice. You could do a day trip to Ronda quite easily from Seville. As for Tarifa, it seems an unusual base for day trips. Tarifa is small and a place more for chilling out by the beach. It is also renowned as being one of the windiest places in southern Spain. I am not that familiar with the train or bus schedules as we live in Spain and generally travel by car, but those schedules should help your planning.

It is seven odd years since the once I was in Arcos, but I think I would agree with many posts on forums, when this comparison question comes up, Arcos is an anticlimax after Ronda. Ronda is a fine town once the day trippers' coaches have left, two nights would be enough. Just a couple of thoughts. Presumably you have your transport detail.
I too query why Tarifa as a base, when to my mind it does not connect well to much in particular. No disrespect to Liz's suggestion and you may go with it if it suits you, Seville to Ronda as a day trip is, if I recall correctly, not less than a two hour each way bus trip. 'We're the types who enjoy landscape, history, culture, & people most.' - Yes, the Spains have all of that, all over.

Tarifa = day trips = ferry ??? That's the way Mr Steves does Africa, so it must be the best way.

We visited both Ronda and Arcos in 2010 and really liked both places. We did spend the night in Arcos and felt that we had seen pretty much what we wanted in one afternoon and evening. We just did a day trip to Ronda and I would have liked to stay longer. I liked the dramatic setting of Ronda better and felt there was actually more to do than in Arcos. Either place is lovely. I might almost stay a couple of nights in both - if you don't mind unpacking one more time.
I also agree with others in questioning why Tarifa as a home base.

Kristy, To answer your question in two words: Arcos, definitely. On my last trip to Iberia/Morocco, we went to both Arcos and Ronda (spent one night in each, which was about right). We liked Ronda, but we loved Arcos - it was one of the highlights of our trip. Being up in the old town (we stayed up there overnight) is was magical, really special. If you loved Siena in the evenings, then you will love Arcos - it's really a place "out of time." Ronda was swamped with tourists, even into the evening, and felt much morte like it was much more plugged in to the mass tourism industry machine (I believe it's a regular day trip for the hoards on the Costa del Tourismo and cruise ships). Now, that's not to say that Ronda isn't nice, it is. We just didn't think it came close to Arcos. I'm sure others have their own views. For you, getting to/from Arcos may be a challenge - I'd say it's worth renting a car for a couple days if that enables you to get there. As for the Tangiers conundrum: having been to Morocco a couple of times, I'm convinced that taking a ferry to Tangiers or other "Moroccan bordertowns" is like going across the border to Tijuana or other Mexican bordertowns for a few hours. Yeah, it's kind of like going to Mexico, in a grotesque, artificial way, but if you really want to go to Morocco, invest the 3 days or so that you need to do it right, and fly straight to Marrakech or Fes (flights from all over Europe are crazy cheap - there are many options so be sure you're looking at all of them - probably half a dozen discount airlines make the trip). Of course, that requires more than just a day, but before deciding, know what you're going to get - and I think the analogy with Mexican bordertowns is instructive. Hope that helps.

We just completed 20 days Spain and Morocco. Hadn't been to Arcos so cannot comment. We visited Ronda as a day trip from Marbella and it is definitely worthy of a several day stay. I would not recommend going to Tangier however if you do want to see some of Morocco if only for several days you have the option of flying to Marrakech from Sevila on Ryan Air or you can take the ferry from Tarifa to Tangier and arrange to have a driver guide meet you and take you over the Rif mountains to Chefchaouen and onto Fes and then back to Tangier. If you decide to do this I'd arrange it ahead of time. We had a driver guide pick us up and did just that however we spent 10 days in Morocco going onto the desert and then to Marrakech and flying back to Madrid on Iberia. Tangier is not a good representation of Morocco....it is stunning and exotic and the people are eager to show you their country and culture. If decide not to include Morocco...I would suggest considering spending a couple/several days in Cordoba

Ronda is higher on our list than Arcos.

Thank you all so much. I think we will probably cut out Tarifa/Tangier, which will free up a few days. We'll use the extra days to add Nerja & work back through Ronda & Arcos on our way to Sevilla. Thanks again!
Kristy

Thanks for the thanks, as so rare.

We only spent an afternoon in Arcos, but three nights in Ronda. Arcos has a more antique look, like turn of the century paintings of rural Europe, but Ronda has much more to do. It may have been a mistake to day-trip to Gibraltar from Ronda-the highway was excellent, but slowed down by truck traffic. (We had no plans for Morocco.) But we also went to the Pileta cave from Ronda, which was very convenient-especially if they cancel your tour time due to insufficient customers, and you have to come back. We also enjoyed one of the best rooms in the Parador in Ronda, if you can afford it. I think parking cost extra there even in the best room. Ronda is indeed charming in the evening, like a non-touristy city in Italy, with a paseggiata and lovely sunsets. I actually felt the "tourism" more in Arcos because of the narrow streets, limited parking, and (to use Rick's term) Bogus Parking Wardens. Some parts of some past years there has been an odor problem from low water in the river. Incidentally, we stopped in Carmona while staying in Seville. While it is not equivalent to Ronda or Arcos, it is a lovely town (also with a famous Parador) and has a great Roman city nearby.

Another place to consider is Cadiz. My FIL was just there and said it was his favorite place of the whole trip. It's on the ocean near Arcos and, I think, is the oldest city in Europe (at least some guide book said so).

Haven't been to Arcos and was only in Ronda for a day trip a few years ago. Ronda was wonderful and we wish we could have stayed at least one night. We recommended it to my brother and his wife and they went and stayed overnight which they felt was perfect. Ronda is beautiful.

Kristy,,,please skip Arcos! and add Terrifa ( Gibralter) back in. We found Arcos to be good for a few hours and that was all! But Ronda; it was awesome; we spent three nites there. Terrifa is a "nothing" town, but the cab tour of Gibralter was absolultely facinating. Don't miss it.