Perched on a crag at 623m high atop town is Olvera's late-12th-century castle, which later formed part of Nasrid-era Granada's defensive systems. Clamber up to the tower, with ever-more-exquisite town and country views opening up as you go. The surrounding web of narrow streets, the Barrio de la Villa, was once the Moorish medina.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Colegiata de Santa María de la Asunción
22.74 MILES
Lording it over the town, this formidable Renaissance structure – two churches above a crypt – sits on the site of the town's medieval parish church. It…
27.01 MILES
Bobastro was the hilltop redoubt of 9th-century rebel Omar ibn Hafsun, who led a prolonged revolt against Córdoban rule. At one stage he controlled…
16.86 MILES
Twenty kilometres southwest of Ronda la Vieja are some of Andalucía’s most ancient and fascinating caves. Torchlit guided tours into the dark belly of the…
14.44 MILES
In existence for more than 200 years, this is one of Spain's oldest bullrings and the site of some of the most important events in bullfighting history. A…
14.69 MILES
This crazy, cluttered museum is the private collection of Juan Antonio Lara Jurado, who has been a collector since the age of 10. Now in his 80s, he still…
14.66 MILES
Several landscaped terraces give access to La Mina, an Islamic stairway of nearly two hundred steps cut into the rock all the way down to the river at the…
14.57 MILES
Straddling the dramatic gorge of the Río Guadalevín (Deep River) is Ronda's most recognisable sight, the towering Puente Nuevo, so named not because it's…
14.53 MILES
The town's main square was made famous by Ernest Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Chapter 10 tells how, early in the civil war, the 'fascists' of a…
Nearby attractions
0.04 MILES
The old grain store of the Duques de Osuna, next to the castle, houses the tourist office, the fascinating Museo de la Frontera y los Castillos (devoted…
2. Iglesia Parroquial Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación
0.07 MILES
Built over a Gothic-Mudéjar predecessor, Olvera's neoclassical top-of-the-town church was commissioned by the Duques de Osuna and completed in 1841.
1.67 MILES
Three kilometres southeast of Olvera's historic core, en route to Torre Alháquime, this 17th-century sanctuary honours the town's patron saint. Its…
6.86 MILES
At the top of town, Setenil's 12th-century castle was captured by the Christians just eight years before the fall of Granada. You can climb the 13th…
7.46 MILES
Some 20km northwest of Ronda, off the A374, is the relatively undisturbed Roman site of Acinipo at Ronda la Vieja. Although completely ruined, with the…
6. Iglesia de Santa María de Mesa
9.46 MILES
Completed in 1779, the pastel-pink baroque Iglesia de Santa María de Mesa houses a small museum devoted to religious artefacts; among these, a 16th…
9.52 MILES
A path opposite the Hotel Arco de la Villa leads to Zahara's 12th-century castle keep (it's a steep, steady 10- to 15-minute climb). The castle's…
8. Capilla de San Juan de Letrán
9.53 MILES
This dainty yellow-and-white chapel dates from the 20th century. Its slender, whitewashed Torre del Reloj (clock tower) is the only remaining element of…
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