Ronda, perched high above the El Tajo gorge in southern Spain’s Málaga province, offers one of the most dramatic landscapes in Andalusia. The city is split in two by a 120-meter-deep canyon carved by the Guadalevín River, and connected by the iconic Puente Nuevo, an 18th-century stone bridge that took over 40 years to complete. Visitors crossing the bridge can stop at the viewpoint built into the stone itself, once used as a prison. From here, the views stretch across olive groves, terraced hillsides, and distant mountains of the Serranía de Ronda.

History in Ronda reaches back to Roman and Moorish times, with remnants found in its cobbled alleys, fortified walls, and Arab baths, some of the best preserved in Spain. The old town, known as La Ciudad, still follows a layout shaped during Islamic rule. The Palacio de Mondragón, once home to Moorish royalty, now houses a museum with artifacts from Roman mosaics to medieval weaponry. Just outside the walls lies Ronda’s 1st-century Roman bridge, a quieter contrast to its more photographed successor.