The name Ronda inevitably conjures up pictures of its lofty Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) and spectacular bullring. Situated in the north-west of Málaga province, in the beautiful natural setting of the Serranía de Ronda range, it is the ideal spot for a weekend getaway.

In the course of its history, Ronda has been conquered by Celts, Iberians, Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs and Berbers, as evinced in the city’s rich heritage. It was also occupied by the French in 1810, prompting the emergence of a bandit resistance movement known as bandolerismo.

Ronda, A Monumental City

The obvious starting point is the Puente Nuevo, one of the city’s icons.Built in the 18th century, it connects the historic town to the city’s modern districts, spanning a 100-metre-deep ravine through which the river Guagalevín flows. It is well worth crossing the bridge to see the stunning views. Another vantage point is provided by the balconies in the Jardines de Cuenca, revealing a view of the bridge in all its splendour. But, there’s more. Pre-dating the Puente Nuevo is the Puente Romano (Roman Bridge), also known as the Puente de las Curtidurías, in addition to the Puente Viejo, finished in 1616.

Another sightseeing area is the inner city with its narrow streets, particularly the Calle Manuel Montero with its characteristic white houses adorned with flowering geraniums. The area also boasts a large number of mansions and palaces, notably the Mondragón Palace. Moorish in origin, the building features harmoniously blended Mudéjar and Renaissance styles. It currently houses the Ronda Museum. Other outstanding buildings are the Palace of the Marqués de Salvatierra, the Casa del Gigante (House of the Giant), a jewel of Nasrid architecture, the Renaissance-style House of St John Bosco and the Palacio del Rey Moro (Palace of the Moorish King). The latter houses a fountainhead opened up by the Moors which provides access down to the river.

When it comes to religious architecture, a must-see monument is the Church of Santa María la Mayor, built over the High Mosque of Medina. A prominent feature of its interior is the choir, carved in fine walnut and oak woods.

There are numerous vestiges of the old Moorish settlement, as we saw for ourselves. You can still visit the Muslim Medina, of which part of the wall has been preserved, although the most striking feature is the Almocábar Gate, dating from the 13th century. However, the most important vestige of that period is the Arab Baths –the best preserved on the Iberian Peninsula –built in the 13th and 14th century alongside the Arroyo de las Culebras.

Also worth exploring is Ronda’s Roman past, the major landmark being the Acipino Archaeological Site. Located some 20 kilometres outside the city, the standout feature in this complex is the Roman theatre.

Ronda – A City of Bulls

As intimated at the beginning of this post, the Bullring is another icon for which Ronda is famous. The Real Maestranza de Caballería de Ronda, unveiled in 1785, is one of the oldest and most monumental bullrings in Spain. Interestingly enough, its design is attributed to Martín de Aldehuela, artificer of the Puente Nuevo. For those who wish to explore the world of bullfighting, the bullring includes the Museo de la Tauromaquia (Museum of Tauromachy) which is open to the public.

However, Ronda is not only well-known in bullfighting circles for its bullring. It was here that modern tauromachy emerged, as did the Corridas Goyescas, and the city is the cradle of powerful matador dynasties like the Romeros and the Ordóñez. This is precisely why Ronda was frequented by its two best-known international aficionados, Ernest Hemingway and Orson Welles, and the ashes of Orson Welles were deposited in the Ordóñez family estate in Ronda.

Ronda – the Home of Good Food and Drink!

The best way to round off a tour of Ronda is to try its culinary specialities, notably their sopa de castañas (chestnut soup),migas con chorizo (cured pork sausage crumble), rabo de toro (bull’s tail stew), conejo a la rondeña (Ronda-style rabbit) and perdiz al tajo (Tajo-style partridge).The ideal accompaniment to these dishes is any of wines produced in the nearby Serranía de Ronda, designated either DO Málaga or DO Sierras de Málaga.

Ready to explore all the cities concealed in Ronda? Secure your Vueling here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Photos by SuperCar-RoadTrip.fr, Elliott Brown, Julia Kostecka, Antonio

The trails criss-crossing Tenerife, which vary in their difficulty rating, pass through a rich variety of environments, climates and habitats. Trekking along them enables you to discover the island’s secrets, observe its stark beauty and learn the lifestyle of its inhabitants, including its original settlers, the Guanches. They were the first to open up routes through the dense laurisilva, a sub-tropical cloud forest or highland forest, characterised by huge trees, calami and lianas with leaves resembling laurel. They also prepared pastureland near Mt Teide.

The most outstanding trail in Tenerife is, of course, the one that climbs up Mt. Teide, to an altitude of 3,717 metres. With its high difficulty rating, a special permit is required to attempt the summit.

Apart from the National Park, the other two exciting and spectacular settings for hiking trails are the Anaga and Teno rural parks. Following is a rundown of a low-difficulty trail in each of these Parks. They can be negotiated leisurely, while soaking up the scenery, with friends or family.

The Fortress – the Teide National Park

With its gentle gradient, this route is ideal for observing the park’s characteristic fauna and flora – the shrike and pimelia darkling beetle abound here. From the start and up until Cañada de los Guancheros, the route snakes across hills of pumice derived mainly from the eruptions of Montaña Blanca, where broom and golden chain are prevalent.

The Cañada de los Guancheros is a sedimentary plain featuring such plant varieties as broom, golden chain, rosalillo de cumbre (Pterocephalus lasiospermus), tonálica and Teide straw. On the final stretch, the trail winds around the foot of the crags of La Fortaleza with vegetation characteristic of steep slopes. Most striking are the moralito (Rhamnus integrifolia) and Canary Island cedar, the latter often interspersed with Canary Island pine at the foot of this mountain. La Fortaleza is the sole surviving vestige of the former Edificio Cañadas, located in the north of the Park. This reddish colossus was formed by highly viscous phonolithic lava which accumulated and solidified around the lava vent itself.

Anaga Rural Park – Cabezo del Tejo

The trail starts at the Anaga Forestry Park and proceeds towards Roque de Chinobre. From here, it becomes a pleasant stroll through the laurel forest, affording magnificent panoramic views of the Cordillera de Anaga range and the Roque de Chinobre. The route continues past the Roque Anambro as far as Cabezo del Tejo, with a vantage point set 800 metres above sea level. The return journey starts at this point, the forest trail winding past Hoya de los Toneleros, Ujuana and the Mirador de la Chamuscada. This hike takes about two hours. An alternative to this route is one running from the Anaga Rural Park, up to Chinobre and then descending directly to Las Chamuscadas – and its viewpoint of the same name – and back to the Forestry Park. This route takes around one hour.

Upper Teno, Lower Teno – Teno Rural Park

The Teno Rural Park was declared a protected woodland in 1994 under the Canary Islands Nature Reserve Act, aimed at preserving its ecological values and heritage and boosting the standard of living of local towns. Situated in the north west of Tenerife, it contains one of the island’s oldest geological areas, the Macizo Volcánico de Teno (Teno Volcanic Massif). With an area of 8,064 hectares, it is a treasure trove of biodiversity, with endemic species exclusive to the area and an unusual landscape, the outcome of natural processes and the endeavours of local inhabitants to harness the agricultural resources of this rugged terrain to the full.

The route we recommend starts in the Caserío de Teno Alto, at a spot known as Los Bailaderos. It runs along the present-day track leading to Las Cuevas, along the south side of El Vallado mountain. The importance of this initial stretch lies in the numerous examples of vernacular architecture along the way, in addition to the old brick kilns. Once you reach Las Cuevas, the path dips down to Las Casas along an uneven surface which occasionally lays bare the original cobblestone. The enclave of Las Casas is located at the foot of the slopes of El Barranco de Las Casas and the start of the Teno peninsula. Remains of traditional Canary Island architecture can be seen here. This leads straight to the Punta de Teno, the north-western tip of Tenerife island, set within the Teno Rural Park and affording some spectacular views of the peninsula, the coastline and the lighthouse.

This, the most pristine part of the island awaits you all year around. Discover it by getting hold of your tickets here.

Text by ISABELYLUIS Comunicación

Images by Turismo de Tenerife

The modern design is what better identifies Denmark, its trademark, with high quality classic and modern objects and colourful furniture. These are not relevant only for the original aesthetic; these are elegant objects that offer intelligent solutions for the daily needs.

Among the best Danish designers, who experiment and conduct functional ideas, names like Børge Mogensen, Arne Jacobsen, Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, Poul Kjærholm, Poul Henningsen or Verner Panton stand out. This is because, before functionality was trendy, Danish were already using natural and high-quality materials.

For instance, the best house in the world is a work by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, awarded at World Architecture Festival in the housing category. His work, House 8, is located at the Ørestad district in Copenhagen. Kaare Klint, considered the father of furniture design, has mythic creations such as the Safari Chair, the Propeller Stool or the Church Chair. Poul Henningsen, better known as PH, started creating lamps in the 50s but his designs are never old-fashioned. You can purchase them at Louis Poulsen or in Illums Bolighus

Considered the best city to live, according to the prestigious magazine Monocle, Copenhagen is the perfect destination to gift yourself with a modern whim - a home accessory, an object on Scandinavian style or a sample of Danish fashion – while you do tourism.

To start discovering this universe, get to Bredgade street. Here you will find a great variety of shows from famous brands, like Georg Jenseny and Arne Jacobsen, or Design Museum of Denmark with the greatest design exhibition in Denmark.

Made in Denmark offers high-quality Danish design. Founded by Asger Daugbjerg and Brian Engblad, the shop is located in Brolæggerstræde since 2011 and it quickly became a success.

Normann Copenhagen is located at the old cinema of Østerbro area. Its products are sold to many countries. Started in 1999 by Jan Andersen and Poul Madsen, they offer their own designs and collaborate both with well-known and new designers from around the world.

In the area of Kongens Nytorv there is a great variety of interior design stores from the most vanguard designers. For instance, here is the main store forBang & Olufsen. 

In Bredgade street you’ll find great antiques and many distributors for Danish furniture. This is the place to get, for instance, a classic from Arne Jacobsen or Finn Juhl. Or in Læderstræde, where besides the cosy cafés, you can get exclusives jewels or vanguard clothing.

TV-series likeForbrydelsen, Danish version of ‘The Killing’, made famous the Peruvian alpaca fiber sweaters that the main character dresses often. They’re from the brand Gudrun & Gudrun and come from the Faroe Island, which belongs to Denmark. They’re hand-made and warm, perfect to get through the cold Nordic winters.

A place well worth discovering! Check out our flights here.

Asturias is a natural paradise, with a great variety of landscapes. Maybe that is the reason why many film directors chose this region to shoot the scenes of their movies.

But one of the towns with a bigger amount of film locations is Llanes, a beautiful fishing village with a medieval origin. The old quarter has being conserved perfectly and the location between the sea and the mountain makes that, in a little area, many different landscapes can be found.

At the historic quarter the Tower or the walls from the 13th century stand out, also the Basilica or many palaces and mansions, originally from the 16th to the 18th century. This area was used to film Spanish movies like "Porque te vi llorar" or "Los jinetes del alba".

Other remarkable sports in Llanes are the avenue Paseo de San Pedro, where José Luis Garci’s "Historia de un beso" was filmed in 2002, The Memory Cubes by Basque artist Agustín Ibarrola, the fortress, San Antón avenue, the lighthouse, the Aula del Mar or the beaches in Sablón, Puerto Chico and Toró.

There is also an interesting sample of Indianan architecture like the Casino or the Partarriú palace, the same mansion that Juan Antonio Bayona used to film The Orphanage that can be found as you get to Llanes.

By the east of Llanes, we get to the golf field of Andrín, where the movie "Mi nombre es sombra" (1966), by Gonzalo Suárez was filmed. In front of the field, there is a little way that leads to the Boriza viewpoint and by the cliffs where "El abuelo" was filmed. This offers a terrace above the sea, with a great panoramic view over Andrín and Cué beaches. The area has great beauty and other paths along the cliffs make this place the perfect spot for trekking. This is when you realize that following film locations is just an excuse or a reason to enjoy the beautiful landmarks in Asturias.

The film route along the west area of Llanes is equally beautiful. You’ll pass by the Pría jesters from the movie "La Señora" (1987) by Jordi Cadena. The jesters are breaches in the rocks and the sea waters goes through creating fountains that can reach several meters high.

The cemetery in Niembru, along to the Church of Nuestra Señora de los Dolores, make a beautiful spot where scenes from the movies "La Señora", "Epílogo" or "El abuelo" where filmed.

In total, there are about 25 locations where 42 sequences from 18 different films, 3 TV-shows and 1 short film were shot. This is divided in three different routes around the town of Llanes, east and west. Explanatory panels in every spot explain the technical remarks of the scene and will help you to orientate.

Llanes has invested a lot of effort in this initiative, along with film meetings, screenings, Q&A with the directors or live music from movie soundtracks.

We’ll be there. If you want to come too, check out our flights here.