Welcome to the seventh post in our 7-part series about our Spain adventure! After an incredible time soaking in the history of Granada, we packed up and headed south toward the coast. This segment focuses on our unforgettable stay in Málaga, a vibrant port city full of surprises, and our journey into the breathtaking mountain villages nearby.
Spain Road Trip Overview
Day 1: Granada to Málaga & A Taste of the City
The Scenic Drive South
We journeyed from Granada down to Málaga. Even though it’s only about an hour and a half south of where we had been staying, the landscape shifted dramatically. As we got closer to the coastal city of Málaga, the countryside became much more mountainous. Even though it was raining, the views were absolutely beautiful.
By late afternoon, we arrived, checked into the Hotel Guadalmedina Málaga, and got settled into our room.
Savoring the Tapas Culture
We’ve always enjoyed food and wine tasting tours, so we booked one for our first evening to explore the town and immerse ourselves in the local food culture.
Traveler Note: Málaga is a major cruise ship destination. On days when the chips are docked, the town can get incredibly crowded with tourists, but it retains a wonderful energy. It is the 2nd largest city in Andalusia and the 6th largest in Spain.
Our tour guide took us to the oldest winery bar in town, Antigua Casa de Guardia. Founded in 1840, it still serves local sweet wines straight from the barrel. We followed that up with three other fascinating local spots where we grazed on tapas, traditional hand-cut Iberian ham and samples of other traditional dishes. It was a fantastic evening filled with great food, great wine, and wonderful conversation with a group of fellow travelers from the UK.
Day 2: The Mountain Villages (Setenil & Ronda)
We woke up bright and early to catch a tour that would take us deep into the famous mountain villages surrounding Málaga. It was a bit overcast as we started the trip, but we still enjoyed great views of the countryside on our way to our first stop: Setenil de las Bodegas.
Setenil de las Bodegas: Life Under the Rocks
This stunning little pueblo blanco (white village) is famous for its houses built directly into the overhanging limestone cliffs. While it looks like a modern architectural quirk, people have actually been living in these natural caves for over 5,000 years.
The town’s modern history dates back to the Moorish era, when it served as an impenetrable cliffside fortress. In fact, its name, Setenil, comes from the Latin septem nihil (“seven times nothing”), referencing the seven times the Catholic monarchs tried and failed to besiege it before finally capturing it in 1484. The second part of its name, de las Bodegas, comes from the cool caves that proved to be the perfect natural warehouses for storing olives, almonds, and locally produced wine.
We spent a couple of hours walking through the unique streets, snapping photos, and hiking past the 12th-century Moorish castle ruins up to the town church for an incredible panoramic observation of the valley. We ran into one couple from yesterday’s food and wine tour! Before moving on, we grabbed a quick snack at one of the cliffside cafés to soak it all in.
Exploring Historic Ronda
After a short drive from Setenil, we arrived at our true destination for the day: Ronda, a mountaintop city set dramatically above a deep gorge. The massive El Tajo gorge separates the “new” (circa-15th century) town from its old town that dates back to Moorish rule.. Our itinerary was packed with incredible sights:
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Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Merced): Our very first stop. This beautiful 16th-century church is famous for housing a highly revered holy relic: the uncorrupted left hand of Saint Teresa of Ávila, which was famously kept by the dictator Francisco Franco until his death. Today it still serves as a convent for nuns, although with dwindling numbers, it is facing possible closure…our guide jokingly asks if anyone is interested in joining.
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Alameda del Tajo Park: From the church, we walked to this lovely 19th-century park, which offers unbelievable, sweeping views from balconies that hang directly over the edge of the 300-foot precipice.
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Plaza de Toros de Ronda: We walked past the historic bullring, marked by a massive statue of a bull. Built in 1785, this is the oldest all-stone bullring in Spain. It is celebrated as the birthplace of modern bullfighting, where the legendary Romero family revolutionized the sport by facing the bull on foot rather than on horseback. We don’t have the opportunity to see it from the inside.
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Puente Nuevo & The Mural of the Romantic Travelers: Next, we walked across the iconic Puente Nuevo (New Bridge). Made of stone from the bottom of the gorge, it connects the old city to the new city. It was pretty crowded, one of the observation platforms was overflowing so we decided to visit other locations and return later. So we headed to the nearby Mural of the Romantic Travelers—which honors the 19th-century artists and writers like Washington Irving and Alexandre Dumas who fell in love with Ronda’s rugged, bandit-filled history.
- Casa Museo Don Bosco: Right across the street from the mural, we visited the Casa Museo Don Bosco. This modernist palace was built at the turn of the 20th century and later donated to the Salesian religious order as a sanatorium. Today, it features a charming small café and boasts unbelievable views of the valley, including a unique angle of the Puente Nuevo.
The Haunting History of Puente Nuevo
The “New Bridge” is actually over 230 years old, completed in 1793 after 34 years of dangerous construction. An earlier single-arch bridge built on the site collapsed just six years after its completion, tragically killing 50 people. The hidden room directly above the central arch of the current bridge served as a prison for centuries and later became a dark execution site during the Spanish Civil War.
Lunch at Don Miguel
After the museum, we got a few more angles of the bridge before our appetite took over. For lunch, we stopped at Don Miguel, which features a beautiful terrace with a full, dramatic view of the gorge and the bridge. It was a wonderful meal that once again included a favorite Iberian dish of ours – braised pork cheeks in sauce.
Jardines de Cuenca
To wrap up our day in Ronda, we wandered through the Jardines de Cuenca, which are terraced gardens built into the steep rock faces of the canyon. Named after Ronda’s sister city – Cuenca, it provides tree-lined paths, numerous terraces and is generally a lovely place to admire both nature and architecture. We could have easily spent more time wandering the massive gardens, but we needed to walk back to catch our bus to Málaga. In hindsight – we should have planned an overnight in Ronda to experience it more fully.
Day 3: Waterfront Walks & Málaga Old Town
A Morning by the Water
Harrison got up early and went for a long solo walk down toward the Málaga Waterfront. This area, known as Muelle Uno, is a beautifully modernized seaport, but Málaga itself is actually one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, founded by the Phoenicians around 770 BC. It was beautiful to see where the massive cruise ships come in, and the entire waterfront area is truly stunning.
Historic Walking Tour
Later in the morning, we joined a guided walking tour of the city:
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Mercado Central de Atarazanas: Our first stop is the Central Market. The name Atarazanas translates to “shipyard,” because this very spot was where the Moors built and repaired naval vessels back when the sea reached all the way into the city center. Unfortunately, the market wasn’t open, but we were able to peek through the windows to admire its stunning 14th-century Moorish marble gate and its vibrant stained-glass window.
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Málaga Old Town: We wound through the historic streets while our guide shared the rich history of the local architecture, which seamlessly blends Roman, Moorish, and Christian eras.
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The Roman Theater & The Alcazaba: We ended up at the 1st-century BC Roman Theater, which lay buried for centuries until it was accidentally rediscovered in 1951. It sits right at the foot of the Alcazaba, an 11th-century Moorish fortress palace. We originally wanted to tour the Alcazaba, but there was a local holiday happening and the ticket line was incredibly long. We decided to forgo seeing the interior, but we did get to walk around the cool exterior perimeter walls instead which included the Roman Theater!
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Bishop’s Palace : On our way to the Málaga cathedral, we stopped by the impressive, brightly colored Baroque facade of the Episcopal Bishop’s Palace, completed in the late 18th century.
- La Manquita: The One-Armed Lady (Málaga Cathedral): Construction began in 1528 but was abruptly halted in 1782, leaving the southern tower entirely unbuilt. Local legend—which is proudly displayed on a plaque inside—says that the building funds were diverted to help the American colonies during the Revolutionary War against Spain’s bitter rival, Great Britain. Because it only has one completed tower, locals affectionately call it La Manquita, or “The One-Armed Lady.”
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Picasso’s Birthplace: From the cathedral, we wandered the narrow streets to Plaza de la Merced to view the birthplace of Málaga’s most famous son, Pablo Picasso, who was born here in 1881. The home has been converted into the Picasso Birthplace Museum
A Taste of Home
After several weeks of strictly Spanish cuisine, Nancy and I were having a massive craving for a real American hamburger. We knew the Hard Rock Café would deliver, and there are actually two of them in Málaga. Remembering the one Harrison saw on his morning waterfront walk, we headed down there and had a great, comforting lunch.
The Málaga Verdict
Málaga was an absolute blast! It gave us the perfect mix of coastal city life, deep ancient history, and access to Spain’s dramatic mountain folklore.
Now, we are packing our bags and heading over to Lisbon, Portugal for a few days to wrap up our epic journey through Spain before heading back home.
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