City of Dreams: A Ronda Self-Guided Audio Tour

Ronda splits in two around the El Tajo gorge. Its Puente Nuevo bridge hides a chamber that's been a prison, a hotel, and now a small museum. Poet Rilke called Ronda his "city of dreams" – you'll hear why, and what's inside that bridge. This self-guided audio tour runs at your own pace, on nobody's schedule but yours. From the Alameda del Tajo gardens, cross the Puente Nuevo into the Old Town, taking in clifftop miradors, the Arab Baths, Casa del Rey Moro and the bullring. Narrated by Clive Muir, a 20-year Ronda-region resident and Andalucía travel writer, with an original flamenco score by local musician Paco Seco. Download it, put your headphones in and start whenever you like. No crowds! Highlights - Explore at your own pace – no bus schedule to keep to - The Puente Nuevo's hidden past: prison, then hotel, now museum - Original flamenco score by Ronda musician Paco Seco - Narrated by 20-year local resident Clive Muir - 43 stops, 2.1 miles, about 90 minutes – works offline

1. 1

   Alamenda del Tajo

   Pass by

   Start at the Lady Goyesca statue in the Alameda del Tajo garden

2. 2

   Mirador De Ronda

   Pass by

   Take in the beauty of the valley from the Mirador de Ronda and other viewpoints along the way.

3. 3

   New Bridge

   Pass by

   Walk over the 'New Bridge' and hear about Centro de Interpretación del Puente Nuevo, the museum housed inside the bridge that was once a prison, a hotel, and even a tapas bar.

4. 4

   Mirador de Aldehuela

   Pass by

   The light will change as you walk, enjoy the new character and different angle of Puente Nuevo from Mirador de Aldehuela.

5. 5

   Stop 5

   Pass by

   The Parador de Ronda sits right beside the Puente Nuevo, on the edge of the Tajo gorge in Ronda's old town. Part of Spain's state-run Parador network, it opened in 1994 inside the town's former town hall and food market, and still shows the original Casa Consistorial façade – arcades, cornices, and a traditional clock. Inside, over 100 works of bullfighting art trace styles from Romanticism to geometric abstraction. Guests get a seasonal pool, a panoramic terrace, and one of the closest views of the gorge the bridge spans. It sits right on the VoiceMap tour's own route through the Old Town.

6. 6

   Puerta de Almocabar

   Pass by

   Imagine the feelings of history's soldiers as you walk past Ronda's old border.

7. 7

   Banos Arabes

   Pass by

   There is an optional stop at the Archeological museum of Arab baths and hear about their historical significance to the Muslim Moors of Spain.

8. 8

   Puente Viejo

   Pass by

   In the middle of Ronda's "oldest bridge", I'll tell you about the controversial debate around which of the city's historic bridges came first.

9. 9

   Casa Del Rey Moro

   Pass by

   While passing by the Casa del Rey Moro, you'll hear about the room of secrets and the Moorish Kings’ hidden gold.

10. 10

    Stop 10

    Pass by

    PLEASE NOTE: PAID ATTRACTION FOR ENTRY. Casa de San Juan Bosco is an early 20th-century modernist villa perched on the edge of Ronda's Tajo gorge, in the town's historic quarter. Built for the Granada family, it was later bequeathed to the Salesian order – Don Bosco's own – as a retirement home for elderly priests. Inside, a courtyard lined with Arab-style ceramics holds a substantial collection of regional pottery, alongside 19th-century tapestries and walnut furniture. Its real draw, though, is the garden: laid out as a viewpoint in its own right, it opens onto sweeping views across the gorge and the mountains beyond.

11. 11

    Stop 11

    Pass by

    The tour ends in front of the Bullring of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda where you'll hear about the tradition.

12. 12

    Palacio de Mondragon

    Pass by

    Hear about Ronda's most popular museum and the Palace's Moorish courtyards, gardens and stunning views of the Sierra de Grazalema and the Serranía de Ronda.

13. 13

    Plaza de Toros de Ronda

    Pass by

    Finish your tour at Ronda's historic bullring, arguable the first in Spain, and the home of the Royal Cavalry of Ronda.

14. 14

    Ronda

    Pass by

    The tour takes place in the gorgeous town of Ronda. Be captivated by the town's beauty and enthralled by its history on this self-guided audio tour.

• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.