8 Best Day Trips From Ronda (Easy & Fun!)

While many travellers visit Ronda as part of a day trip, Ronda deserves more of your time, and you’ll realise that the moment you step into the town. There are many things to do in Ronda, from wine tasting to museums and scenic walks.

Having visited Ronda for a day and also stayed for two nights, I recommend spending a weekend or longer. Besides all the activities Ronda has to offer, the town is a short drive from stunning and lesser-known destinations.

Here are the eight best day trips from Ronda. If you’re short on time during your time in Southern Spain, you might want to visit some of these on the same day as your Ronda day trip.

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Day trips from Ronda

1. Setenil de las Bodegas

🚗 Duration: 25 minutes drive

If you’d love to discover another small, picturesque Pueblo Blanco (white town), you must go to Setenil de las Bodegas.

This town is located on the border between Malaga and Cadiz, but it belongs to Cadiz province. What makes this town unique is the way it’s been built.

Many buildings, like houses, restaurants and bars, have been built into rock overhangs above the river Guadalporcún that goes through Setenil.

In addition to this peculiar characteristic, the town offers plenty of photo opportunities. There are many lovely cobbled streets with incredible views of the town and its natural surroundings.

2. Montejaque

🚗 Duration: 25 minutes drive

If you’re looking for an adventure, you don’t need to travel far from Ronda. Montejaque is a small village with spectacular hiking trails; nevertheless, almost no one talks about it. In fact, I didn’t know about it until two years ago.

Presa de los Caballeros is incredible! You can hike around the Montejaque dam and admire the rocky landscapes and green surroundings, or do rock climbing with an expert guide. I did the latter, and it was a fantastic experience.

Cueva del Gato is another beautiful natural spot near Montejaque and Benaoján. Visit the cave and see the natural pools.

After a good hike, I recommend stopping by Restaurante Asador El Muelle, a traditional restaurant serving delicious grilled meat and typical Andalusian dishes. It’s rustic, charming and authentic.  

3. Acinipo Ruins

🚗 Duration: 30 minutes drive

Are you looking for hidden gems near Ronda? Then you want to check out the Acinipo Ruins, a historical and archaeological complex that was once a Roman city.

Spend some time exploring the Roman Amphitheatre, the Roman Baths, and the Domus and enjoy the beautiful countryside views.

It’ll take you approximately an hour to explore the ruins, so I’d recommend combining this day trip with Setenil de las Bodegas, as it’s only a 14-minute drive.

4. Zahara de la Sierra

🚗 Duration: 35 minutes drive

As much as I love Ronda, it’s true that it’s become a popular destination, so it can feel a bit overwhelming for some people. Most travellers visit Ronda on guided tours, and many companies organise excursions to the city almost every other day. Weekends are busy.

Therefore, if you want to experience a quieter and stunning place without the crowds, you’ll be glad to know that it’s possible and it isn’t far.

Zahara de la Sierra is a 35-minute drive and offers a completely different experience. The town is on a hilltop, overlooking a gorgeous artificial reservoir and the mountains. The views are breathtaking. 

While in Zahara, I recommend walking its hilly limestone streets, stopping by its viewpoints (there’s a map of the viewpoints across the town; I recommend taking a photo and following it), browsing the little indie shops with local products, and taking in the relaxing atmosphere.

In addition, Zahara has a castle, which is the main attraction; however, it isn’t for everyone, as the path to the castle is quite hilly, and I don’t recommend visiting during the summer. 

5. Olvera

🚗 Duration: 50 minutes drive

Olvera, not far from Zahara de la Sierra, is another town adding to your list of day trips from Ronda. I would actually do Zahara and Olvera on the same day as I did. It’s completely viable. 

It’s another picturesque town with white-painted buildings, narrow streets and beautiful historical sights. One of the main postcard images is the Neoclassic-style church: Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación.

Another must-see historical building is Olvera Castle. Get ready for steep and narrow stairs that take you to the top of the castle. While it’s a bit of a workout, I assure you it’s worth it. It’s my favourite view.

After exploring these two places, I suggest wandering through the streets of Barrio de la Villa and stopping for tapas or coffee at Cafetería Nómada.

6. Sierra de las Nieves

🚗 Duration: 1 hour drive

An excellent day trip from Ronda for nature lovers is Sierra de las Nieves National Park – beautiful white towns, stunning flora and protected animals like the golden eagle, the wild cat and the otter.

Hiking in Sierra de las Nieves is a great experience, and you can find routes for all levels. I highly recommend checking the AllTrails app, then going to the visitor centre for advice from a ranger.

7. Marbella

🚗 Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes drive 

If you’re visiting Ronda in the summer, you’ll definitely want a little day out to the beach, and this is when Marbella is perfect. While you can do more things than visiting the beach in Marbella, which I recommend seeing as well, you’re spoiled with fantastic beaches. 

An alternative, though with a price tag, is spending the day at a beach club, such as Nikki Beach, Amù Beach Club, or La Sala by the Sea.

No matter what time of the year you come to Marbella, if I were you, I wouldn’t miss the old town. I totally think it’s the most charming and interesting area with its historical buildings, squares and picturesque streets.

In winter, opt for a walk along the beach promenade, visit the museums, or head to the nearby village of Ojen, a hidden gem many travellers miss when exploring the area.

If you prefer a less popular coastal town, even though it’s becoming increasingly famous, head to Estepona. Its historic centre, orchidarium and beaches are also worth visiting.

8. Malaga

🚗 Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes drive 

When you’re staying in Ronda or anywhere in Costa del Sol, you must do a day trip to Malaga.

There are many activities to do in Malaga in a day, from visiting historical buildings like Malaga Cathedral and Alcazaba de Malaga to exploring its interesting museums and relaxing on La Malagueta Beach.

If you’re spending 24 hours in Malaga, La Alcazaba de Malaga is an unmissable historical attraction. In this Moorish fortress-palace, you can learn about the Muslim period in the city, walk through beautiful patios decorated with jasmine flowers and small fountains, and get some breathtaking views of the port.

After visiting La Alcazaba, go to the Roman Theatre, which is next to it, and if you love art, don’t miss the opportunity to visit Picasso Museum Malaga. Here you’ll find masterpieces of one of Spain’s most important cubist artists.

Have lunch at El Pimpi to enjoy traditional dishes from the region of Malaga, such as fried fish, bull egg tomato, and taste Malaga sweet wine.

Spend the rest of your day relaxing at La Malagueta Beach or visiting the Cathedral or the Carmen Thyssen Museum.

Map with the best day trips from Ronda

Tips for travelling around Ronda

• When you base yourself in a big city like Malaga, you have many day trip opportunities, even if you don’t rent a car. There are good transportation connections and excursions. However, it’s a completely different story with Ronda. If you want to visit most of the places mentioned on this list, you’ll need a rental car.
• Driving around Ronda and its surroundings isn’t as straightforward as driving on the motorway from Malaga to Marbella, for example. Small towns have hilly, narrow streets, so I recommend parking at the bottom of the town and walking. This happens with towns such as Zahara de la Sierra.
• Avoid day trips to inland destinations in the summer. It’s really hot in Ronda in the summer, and so it is in many of these locations. I’d only consider day trips to coastal cities like Marbella or Malaga.
• If you don’t like the crowds, either explore early in the morning (before 10 am) or after 5 pm when most group trips leave Ronda.

Conclusion

I totally believe it’s worth exploring beyond Ronda when you plan to stay more than two days, or if it isn’t your first time in the city, and therefore, you’ve already seen some of the main sights. 

Also, you might want to visit some of these destinations on the same day. For example, Setenil de las Bodegas and the Acinipo Ruins, or Olvera and Zahara de la Sierra. It all depends on how slowly you want to take it. You might want to take it easy in the towns, take in the atmosphere and have a delicious lunch without rushing. 

Do you have any questions? The best place to ask questions and connect with other travellers and me is my Facebook group. I hope to see you there.

Enjoy your time in Ronda!

Cristina