The Plaza de Toros de Ronda is an 18th-century bullring and one of the oldest surviving bullrings in Spain. It opened in 1785 and its circular sandpit measures 60 metres in diameter.

From the street, the building appears rather unassuming. It is only once you step onto the sand that you realise its true scale and see the two storeys of stone arcades surrounding the stands.

In my opinion, it’s a great and interesting stop that doesn’t take much time. I enjoyed the bullring itself the most. The small museum exhibition, on the other hand, was considerably less interesting.

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What you’ll see inside

• The sand-filled arena – you can step right into the centre and view the entire space from the perspective of the bullfight participants.
• Bull pens –individual stalls from which the bulls were released into the arena.
• Stone stands and arcades – the architecturally most beautiful part of the entire building. The royal box also stands out well from here.
• Museum exhibition – dedicated to the history of bullfighting, the equestrian tradition and the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda organisation.
• Historic saddles and horse harnesses – part of a smaller collection linked to the Royal House of Orléans.

You don’t need to have any connection to bullfighting to visit. I was mainly interested in the architecture and the chance to walk through the empty arena at my own pace.

How much time to allow

I spent about 20 minutes inside. I walked the whole length of the arena, but I didn’t linger long at the exhibition as I didn’t find it particularly interesting.

If you want to read all the information panels, allow 30 to 35 minutes. With an audio guide, the visit may take longer.

In terms of value for money, it isn’t the cheapest attraction in Ronda. Even so, I didn’t regret paying the entrance fee. The view of the empty arena directly from the sandpit was well worth it.

Admission and opening hours

Standard admission costs 10 eur. A ticket with an audio guide costs 12 eur. 

It is open every day:

• November to February: 10.00–18.00
• March and October: 10.00–19.00
• April to September: 10.00–20.00

You can buy tickets at the ticket office or online. Due to building maintenance and events taking place, part of the tour route may be temporarily altered. Please therefore check the official website for the latest information before your visit.

Don’t miss the souvenir shop

I enjoyed the shop at the end of the tour more than the exhibition itself. In the end, I bought some rather nice and original souvenirs there, which didn’t seem as generic as the range on offer in the usual shops in the city centre.

What’s more, you can access the shop directly from the street. So you can pop in here even if you don’t want to buy a ticket to the arena.

Where to find the arena

The Plaza de Toros is on Virgen de la Paz Street, right next to Alameda del Tajo Park.

It’s just a few minutes’ walk from Puente Nuevo.

I’d combine a visit here with a trip to the Alameda del Tajo park and the nearby Mirador de Ronda viewpoint. All three attractions are practically right next to one another.

A hotel with a view of the bullring

Directly opposite stands the Catalonia Ronda hotel. From its roof terrace and swimming pool, you look straight out onto the bullring.

Some of the ‘Junior Suite with View’ rooms also offer this view. Not all rooms face the right direction, so please check the specific room category when booking.

You can find other suitable hotels in the guide to where to stay in Ronda.

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Ronda.