I have planned 3 days in the Ronda region, on day 1, I plan to arrive early in the morning by bus from Seville, and on day 3, I plan to leave by the 4.30 PM train to Cordoba.
1. Now, is it easy to find rental cars in Ronda? I would prefer renting in Ronda itself and driving around the area so that I dont have to come back to Seville to return the car. I can see that there is an agency (http://www.rondarentacar.com/Ronda_R...r/Tarifas.html) , but do they always have cars available, that too of choice, basically, are they reliable enough?

a. Alternatively, I see that renting from Seville is actually pretty cheap. And several of the villages are actually on the way. So I could stop on the way as well. But then I'm concerned about parking in Ronda. I found a place not too far away( Albergue Los Molinos), but I really would like to stay in the village itself.
Also, is parking easy to find in and around the villages?

b. Can I completely avoid getting a car, my main interests are Zahara del Sierra, Gazalema and Olvera.

2. How much time do I really need in Ronda: I would like to walk around take in the views, is about 4-5 hours good enough?

3. Villages to see: I'm mainly interested in nice landscapes and white washed villages with good views. Are the villages Zahara del Sierra, Gazalema and Olvera good enough, maybe Villaluenga del Rosario.

Thanks a lot.

Also, I would be going in December, will snow/rain be a problem in any part of the journey?

You need a car to get to those small towns effectively. You can rent a car in Ronda, but it's real easy in Seville and so is the drive. 4-5 hours is plenty of time for me in Ronda. I doubt there will be any snow.

I would contact the Ronda car rental agency and see what kind of response you get. I don't think parking should be too onerous, especially if you don't mind walking a bit. It's a fairly large city when you consider the "new side" of Ronda.
You can see the various sights (old town, bull ring, etc.) in a long afternoon certainly, but it is very nice in the evenings in the squares and especially the sunset from the park over the gorge.
I have visited twice without a car but would certainly have a car next time to visit the towns you mentioned, and I don't think public transport will facilitate your exploring. http://www.andalucia.com/ronda/bus-timetables.htm
http://www.andalucia.com/province/ca...alema/home.htm
One great thing you can do without a car is take a bus or train to Montajaque/Benaojan and walk along the railway to Jimera de Libar and take the train back.
http://www.turismoderonda.es/en/

I though Ronda stunning and very well worth seeing, but I must admit that Ronda is the one and only place, in all of my travels, that I've ever left early because I had seen and done everything I wanted to do -- and that was with less than 24 hours there! Now, to put that in context, I didn't have a car when in the area, and that would have made a difference. Just letting you know that the city itself -- and everything it holds -- does not take that long to see (unless things have changed a lot).

As for parking, you should be able to specify parking as a search criterion on booking.com

For average weather (including temperatures and precipitation), check wunderground.com

Enjoy!

Thanks a lot everyone!
I'm definitely now inclined to get a car from Sevile itself, since I could go to Arcos on the way as well. So I need feedback on the following itinerary:

day 1: leave from SEville in the morning, head for Arcos De La Frontera. Now I would really just like to get a view for a couple of hours and move on. Any suggestions, on where all to go?
Then leave for Zahara De La Sierra, and spend the evening there, stay at Zahara.
Sugestions on walks around Zahara would be great.

day 2: Leave leisurely after a short morning hike around Zahara, proceed to Ronda (is Grazalema missable?) , spend the remaining day in Ronda.

day 3: go to Olvera in the morning after breakfast, return back to Seville. Maybe do one or more towns on the way.

So some more additional questions I have:
Can I do anymore towns on the way? I am more interested in owns with good views, imposing citadels etc.
Any particular places for sunset in the area?

The sunset I saw from my hotel in Ronda was pretty nice! I stayed at the Hotel Reina Victoria before it was spiffed up and before it had a pool and spa, but in a room with a balcony overlooking the cliff, the countryside below, and a distant line of hills. It certainly needed some TLC when I was there, but it looks like it has been getting some good reviews since the makeover.

And at the risk of seeming inconsistent, please note that I wasn't saying not to give Ronda any time -- I just meant that from my perspective, it didn't need a lot. There are some things worth seeing there that have opening and closing hours, so if those things are of interest to you, make sure you give yourself sufficient time.

Ronda was not a highlight of our 3-week trip to Spain last year, but no denying the view of and from the Puente Nuevo is pretty impressive. The Plaza de Toros is definitely worth a visit, and we also enjoyed the Arab baths and walking down to Iglesia del Espiritu Santo. That all makes for a nice loop.

For sunset the view from the Parador or Mirador should be pretty darn good (unless completely overcast like it was for us). These face mostly southwest, typically perfect for sunset, but the views are big enough for a nice panorama.

However, an absolute highlight of our trip was flamenco at El Quinque.
http://elquinque.es/en/

Whatever magic comes together for a memorable performance was definitely on in full force the night we were there. Everyone in the audience was wildly cheering. Highly recommended, and good food too.

If they are closed then check out Celia Morales. More sedate, but some real talent in another intimate venue.
http://www.celiamorales.es/

Bookmarking for October/November 2016

Great flamenco suggestions in Ronda, Nelson! Here's my favourite flamenco dancer on the planet, the malagueña Rocío Molina, in the Ronda bullring back in 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQcJC72NTsc

Since then she has conquered the whole dance world, and not only the flamenco circles: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/20...-bosque-ardora

She's dancing in Sevilla in a couple of weeks, in her hometown Málaga on October 23 in the majestic Teatro Cervantes and in Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris for several days in the beginning of November. http://www.rociomolina.net/

Molina in Málaga on Sunday Oct 23: http://www.teatrocervantes.com/es/ge...pectaculo/1908

I can't imagine dedicating 3 days to Ronda and pueblos blancos!
To each his own!

I can think of nothing finer than to spend time in nature and in these small towns.
There are a few books about hiking in the area, and I assume the parks website may hold info as well. One was published by someone who taught me a lot about travel: RIP, TonyB:
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-ne...s-book-launch/

Thanks for the amazing recommendations!
The book looks good.
I was checking a deal on autoeurope.com, I got this: "Location Surcharge of approximately EUR 49.00 for rentals commencing at an airport. "
So does this apply to all cars out of Seville airport? Is there a way you can avoid it?

I believe all rentals at airports have this surcharge. If you pick up a car in town, you can avoid it, but, of course, you'll have to pay to get into town. So it goes !

Thanks, I can see a few good deals from the train station, the prices include taxes and surcharges. So are there any tolls to go in and out of Seville?

Are you flying from NYC? If there is any chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. There is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit.

For tolls, check viamichelin.com

kja, thanks, I would be spending 2 days in Seville before going for this trip. I've been in touch with the rental agency from Ronda, they don't seem to communicate in english. If that doesn't work out, I'll book a car from seville itself.
I also happened to find a bus which take you to Zahara De La Sierra, so I'm wondering if I could spend an entire day there, and then just book a car for Olvera and another town, that would be quite cheaper.
Would a whole day be too much around Zahara Del Sierra? I found it quite captivating, but suggestions on what to do around the town would be great.

There is a lot of free parking space 10-15mins outside of the old town. Would give Ronda at least a day, it's very nice and different imo and you can hike in the area. The food is great btw (there are very cheap (still good imo) and quite expensive restaurants near Puente Nuevo)

The Pueblos Blancos was our least favorite part of our journey through Spain, although we liked our hotel a lot in Zahara de la Sierra (they provided a delicious dinner, too).

<B>http://www.al-lago.es/</B>

Grazalema was fun to wander through for about an hour, and help me Ronda left us underwhelmed (although it was fun to tour the bull ring and see the gorge). A few hours was enough for us.

There are a couple of parking garages in Ronda (of course, we parked in the wrong one, but still an easy walk to the gorge).

Personally, I would spend more time in Sevilla, but I know many people like Ronda.

Thanks a lot! I was just wondering if it's possible to do Olvera and Zahara in a day, renting a car only for a day? Will I get enough time to go up the castles and wander around a little at both the places?