February, 2015
I took the bus (ida y vuelta or return ticket) from the bus station in Nerja at 8.30 a.m. Price; 8 Euro’s. By car it should have taken me probably half an hour, but the bus goes first along the nice coastal road and then stops in this typical touristic place “Torre del Mar”, which is quite time consuming. After, the bus joins the highway and has another stop in one of those boring tourists towns. It turns towards Malaga on the Eastern side of the city and until it reaches the central bus station, you get quite a sightseeing tour! Problem is, that it takes around one and half hour all together and I had 10 minutes to walk (run) from the bus station to the train station, buy a ticket Malaga to Ronda (23.20 Euro return), go through the security with my bag (just like the airport) and hop on the train after another control post.
No time for the washroom anymore, but of course there was one on the train……(clean).
You get your assigned seat, but there were barely any people on the train, so you could sit wherever you wanted. Next time I would take an earlier bus (no later, as you will not have time enough for Ronda). The return time was on the ticket; 16.50 from Ronda and arrival in Malaga at 18.50. A two hour drive, but definitely also a sightseeing tour, as you drive through a beautiful landscape of orange trees and almond trees and then the train climbs higher, goes through some tunnels and gorges and now and then there is a glimpse of some snowy mountain tops far away. The two hours are gone in no time! I was glad with my sandwich, as it is a long way all together! On board of the train there are only machines with some drinks. In total there are 8 small villages, where the train stops. From Bobadillo the train goes in the other direction, so we all changed places!
Ronda is a place too beautiful for words! Just walk around and take your time for it. I walked for three hours non stop, not to miss anything and by that time my joints were giving in……….It was cold in the beginning, but the sun was bright and after 3.00 p.m. I could sit on a terrace for some tapas and wine.
It would be better to stay a night in Ronda, even walking through the main street with all the stores and restaurants is a joy. I was happy to be on my own and not in a group! That way I could escape the crowds and enjoy the views more. One day is not enough, there is so much to see! El Tajo Gorge, Puento Nuevo, Plaza de Toros, Camino de los Molinos, Banos Arabes, Palacio de Mondragon, Plaza Duquesa, Jardines de Cuenca and more.
By the time I returned to Malaga at the bus station, it was after 7.00 p.m. and I didn’t know you had to confirm a time for the bus to Nerja, until somebody told me. The bus was already gone and I had to wait until approx. 8.30 for the next one. At that point, I met a guy from Argentina, who lived in Andalusia for a long time and we had a nice conversation, until his bus was leaving. We kept in touch and later that week we went together to Granada.
