These are the 15 places and experiences in Laos I’d actually prioritize, pulled out of my full Laos travel guide so each one has room to say something useful instead of competing for space with currency exchange rates. A few of these pair naturally with each other (Wat Phou and the 4,000 Islands share the same southern loop out of Pakse), and a couple come with real logistics or safety notes worth reading before you go, not just after.

1. Relax and temple-hop in Luang Prabang.

Easily the prettiest city in Southeast Asia, Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has a low-slung charm and beauty you can’t stop enjoying. It’s also an easy spot to stop, take a cooking class, sip beers by the Mekong, and enjoy the Lao lifestyle.

Because of the French influence for so many years, the architecture is an intriguing combination of intricate European among the traditional Buddhist temples. You can also find delicious breads and sweets in town (also the French influence), and a general level of infrastructure that makes this a great place to recharge if you’ve been in the region for a while.

The temples are the other reason to slow down here—Wat Xieng Thong and Wat Mai are the two worth building time around, and the monks’ morning alms-giving procession through the old quarter is worth one early wake-up, even if you don’t make it a daily habit.

If your trip lands in October or November, Boun Suang Heua—the boat racing festival—fills the riverbank with longboat crews racing on the Mekong. It’s worth timing a visit around if your dates are flexible.

2. Swim in the Kuang Si Waterfalls (Luang Prabang).

Kuang Si, a park about 45 minutes outside Luang Prabang, has a series of turquoise pools stepping down the hillside, and most of them are open for swimming. A round-trip tuk-tuk runs 180,000–200,000 kip, and splitting it with other travelers at your guesthouse brings the per-person cost down close to what a shared minibus would charge anyway.

3. Boat the Mekong River.

Rivers are an essential part of life in Laos—get yourself onto the slice-of-Laos seen from a river boat at least once on your trip. If you’re not up for the two-day boat between the Thai border and Luang Prabang, a half-day trip to the Pak Ou Caves covers the same river scenery without eating up two days of your itinerary.

4. Shopping at local markets.

Backpacking Laos is about more than the big sights—it’s about sinking into the country’s fascinating pace of life, and the markets are where that pace actually shows up.

Luang Prabang’s morning market is worth getting up for—vendors set up well before 6am selling produce, jungle greens, and river fish that are mostly sold out by 8am, and it’s a better look at daily Lao life than any temple visit. The night markets in Luang Prabang and Vientiane are a different thing entirely: more souvenirs than food, built around textiles, wood carvings, and silver jewelry, with prices set high because negotiating is expected.

Bring cash in small bills—vendors rarely have change for anything large, and that alone slows down a purchase more than any haggling does.

5. Learn a traditional craft.

Discover the intricate art of weaving, pottery making, or other local crafts, and gain a deeper appreciation for the country’s artistic traditions. When I traveled Laos with my teenage niece, taking classes and learning local crafts was a real highlight for her. But it’s not only one of the best things to do with kids in Laos, it’s also a lot of fun for adults. I loved our weaving workshop where we learned to die silk and then wove our own placemat.

You can organize this throughout Laos, but you’ll have more options in and around Luang Prabang. The Traditional Arts and Ethnology Center, a short walk from central Luang Prabang, runs weaving workshops and demonstrations with local artisans most days—worth checking their schedule a day ahead rather than just showing up.

Ban Xieng Lek, a 30-minute drive from Luang Prabang, runs pottery workshops where a local potter walks you through shaping your own piece to take home.

For bamboo weaving, Ban Nong Heo, about 30 minutes from Vientiane, teaches basket and mat weaving with artisans who’ve done it for decades—plan on a half day if you want to actually finish something rather than just watch.

6. Eat all the things.

Laos has a culinary history distinct from neighboring Vietnam or Thailand, even though the two get more attention. Food sanitation standards are looser here, but that’s not a reason to skip the street stalls—just follow the same rule that applies everywhere in the region: eat where there’s a line of locals. This guide to food in Laos will get you started, and Mark covers even more essential eats here.

7. Trek through the lush landscapes of Luang Namtha.

Head to Luang Namtha, located in the north of Laos, for an unforgettable experience. This region is renowned for its ethnic diversity and stunning natural landscapes, making it an ideal destination for an immersive adventure.

Luang Namtha is Laos’ best base for responsible trekking. The Nam Ha Ecotourism Project, launched here in 1999 with UNESCO backing, was the first community-based trekking and permit system in the country, and that model still shapes how tours run today. Multi-day treks mean overnighting in Akha, Khmu, or Tai Lue villages, with a larger share of the fee reaching the host families than in trekking regions elsewhere in Southeast Asia that have become heavily commercialized.

Ask the tour operator directly how homestay fees are split before booking—that question alone tends to separate the operators still honoring the original model from ones just borrowing its reputation.

Luang Namtha is accessible by bus or flight from cities like Luang Prabang. Various tour operators in the area offer homestay and trekking packages that range in duration from one to several days. Prices for homestays and trekking tours can vary depending on the length and inclusions, but budget around $30-50 per day. If you’re keen to organize it before arriving, Viator has great options for treks and homestays lasting from three to five days from Luang Namtha.

8. Explore the picturesque villages of Muang Ngoi and Nong Khiaw.

Muang Ngoi and Nong Khiaw sit twenty minutes apart by boat on the Nam Ou River, but they’re different kinds of stop, not interchangeable ones. Nong Khiaw has a road and a bridge, guesthouses with river views, and a steep hike up to the Pha Daeng viewpoint that’s worth the sweat. Muang Ngoi has no road in at all—you arrive by boat only—with noticeably less electricity and far fewer motorbikes, which is either the whole appeal or the dealbreaker depending on how much you actually want to unplug.

If you only have time for one, pick Nong Khiaw for easier logistics and the better viewpoint, or pick Muang Ngoi if the point of the detour is specifically to get somewhere the road doesn’t reach.

Bus to Nong Khiaw from Luang Prabang and then easily take a boat onward to Muang Ngoi. Accommodation options in both villages range from guesthouses to riverside bungalows, with prices averaging around $10-20 per night.

9. Sleep in a treehouse and listen for Gibbons in the Bokeo forests. 

The Gibbon Experience is pricey but so worth it—I did the Classic Gibbon Experience and will remember it forever. The project has done phenomenal conservation work in the Nam Kan National Park and is a solid choice for responsible backpackers in Southeast Asia, nature lovers, and adventure lovers alike. As of 2023, prices for the Gibbon Experience run around €175 for the express package, and €290 and up for the Classic and Honeymoon packages.

10. Find adventure in Vang Vieng.

Almost every backpacker traveling to Laos is on their way to Vang Vieng to tube down the Nam Song River. You can also rock climb nearby, eat pancakes at the mulberry farm, and generally enjoy the area. Tubing is rite of passage for SEA backpackers and it’s a fun way to spend a day, especially now that it’s not the massive party scene it used to be (it used to be culturally insensitive and dangerous, too).

11. Spend a day in the historic capital city, Vientiane.

Vientiane is the most low-key capital you’ll visit in Southeast Asia—after Bangkok or Hanoi, it can feel more like a large town. One day is usually enough to see Pha That Luang (the national symbol), the Patuxai Monument, and the night market along the Mekong, unless you want to use it as a base for a half-day trip to the Buddha Park (Xieng Khuan), about 40 minutes outside the city. If you’re short on time and have to choose between an extra day in Vientiane or an extra day in Luang Prabang or Vang Vieng, choose the latter—Vientiane is pleasant, but it’s not where Laos shows off. Reachable by air or bus; budget $30-40 per day.

12. Discover the cave landscapes of Tham Kong Lo.

Tham Kong Lo is the most physically dramatic single thing to do in Laos, and the one most travelers skip simply because it’s inconvenient to reach—which is exactly why it’s worth a two-day detour if you have the time. A long-tail boat takes you through 6.4km of river inside a 7.5km limestone cave system, in total darkness apart from the boat’s headlamps—bring your own headlamp as backup. Access is from the town of Ban Kong Lo; most travelers base out of Tha Khaek, the jumping-off point for the Thakhek Loop motorbike route, which passes the cave. Boat tours run $15-20 and are easier to arrange the morning of, once you can see the river level, than to book far in advance.

13. Visit the enigmatic Plain of Jars.

And near Phonsavan, in central Laos, you’ll need to hire a tuk-tuk to see the enigmatic Plain of Jars, but it is well worth the trip. The jars date back to the Iron Age and are scattered throughout the upland valleys of the Xiangkhoang Plateau. Hire a tuk-tuk or join a tour to explore the different jar sites, and expect to pay around $10-15 for a half-day excursion.

One thing to actually know before you go, not just read after: this region is still being cleared of unexploded ordnance (UXO) left over from the Secondary Indochina War, and it’s not fully cleaned up. The sites open to tourists are safe because the Mines Advisory Group (MAG) has cleared and marked them—stick between the paired white markers you’ll see along the paths, and never wander off a marked trail anywhere in the region, however tempting a jar outside the fence looks. MAG runs a visitor center in Phonsavan itself that’s worth a stop if you want the fuller picture.

14. Visit Wat Phou, Laos’ pre-Angkorian temple.

Wat Phou, in Champasak, is Laos’ other UNESCO site—a pre-Angkorian Khmer temple complex built into a hillside roughly four centuries before Angkor Wat, and it draws a fraction of Angkor’s crowds. Entry runs about 30,000 kip (roughly $1.40), it’s open daily from 8am to 5pm, and you’ll want a tuk-tuk or rented scooter from Champasak town to reach the hillside complex. Go in the early morning if you can—there’s no shade on the climb up, and Champasak gets properly hot by mid-morning.

15. Decompress in the 4,000 Islands (Si Phan Don).

Si Phan Don is a string of low-slung islands in the Mekong near the Cambodian border, and it’s where you go to stop moving for a few days rather than to sightsee. There’s little to “do” beyond renting a bicycle, swimming, and watching the river—which is the point after the bus-and-boat grind of northern Laos. It’s an easy add-on to Wat Phou above, since both sit on the same loop out of Pakse.

The one outing worth the effort is Khone Phapheng, Southeast Asia’s largest waterfall by volume, plus a half-day boat trip to look for the endangered Irrawaddy dolphins (sightings aren’t guaranteed, so ask locally about recent activity before paying for a tour). Access is via bus or boat from Pakse. Budget $20-30 a day for accommodation and meals—less on Don Det, the backpacker island, more on the quieter Don Khon.

For the full picture on planning a trip here—budgets, routes, safety, food, and how to travel responsibly—see the complete Laos travel guide.

This travel story (15 Best Things to Do in Laos ) first appeared on the A Little Adrift Travel
Blog, thank you for following the journey. :)

In more than 15 years of solo travel, I’ve been groped three times and dealt with exactly two incidents of real violence—once in Jordan, once in India, both in broad daylight, both with friends nearby. None of that happened because I was careless, and avoiding it isn’t purely a matter of preparation either: safety for solo women comes down to luck as much as it does planning. But luck isn’t the same as recklessness, and there’s a real, specific list of things I do, every single trip, that stack the odds in my favor.

These aren’t theoretical. They’re the habits that have carried me through solo trips across six continents, and I go deeper into the reasoning—and the honest reality of what safety does and doesn’t guarantee—in my essay on the safety of traveling alone as a woman. Here, I’m sticking to the list.

Pair these tips with common sense and they will take you most any place you want to go in life:

Do Your Research & Bookmark Important Resources

Read the national travel advisories and research what the government says are the key dangers—many local embassies around the world will update country and city listings with nuanced safety information surfaced by no amount of Google searching.

The U.S. government has one, though I find the Canadian one more thorough in some regards. The Canadian one also includes an extensive section on risks for women—have a read and then bookmark because it has a section for “If the worst happens.”

While your embassy is one potential point of contact for Americans abroad, Pathway’s to Safety International provides care for American victim’s abroad.

Understand Local Cultural Norms

The first thing I recommend to any traveler—male or female—is to understand the cultural norms. Read about your upcoming destination; read memoirs and histories and the accounts of travelers and locals in that destination. Email local expats or locals who blog; figure out the geo-politics and religions and these will inform your travels as well as your behaviors.

I have a whole section of this site dedicated to the best travel books broken down by region/country for this very reason—so you can learn and understand before you leave and have a baseline for your actions.

In some places you should cover your hair (Iran) while others it’s best to cover shoulders and legs but belly is acceptable (India). The interactions between women and men differ and you cannot travel and assume your home culture will follow you.

Although Western women are afforded “male” status in some countries, you cannot accept that as a given. That means things like direct eye contact, touching, and even the way you address others is up for adjustments as you travel.

Involve Others in Your Safety

Look around you and find ways to involve the people in this new place in your safety as a solo female traveler—usually just telling them you are alone is enough. This applies to bartenders, hotel clerks, and any place you might be waiting around. Tell your hotel you’re traveling alone and they will make certain you know any risky areas in the city; many also go out of their way to make sure you arrive home each evening. Bartenders only need to know that you’re concerned to take you under their wing.

The same goes with waiting: At bus stations, when I have hours of sitting around, I will ask other groups if I can sit near them (or I’ll just do it).

Recognize that you being alone is often a choice, and telling the right person gives you a network of people also aware and concerned for your safety.

Choose When You’re Solo

Finding ways to get comfortable once you land, and know that you don’t have to be solo even if you are traveling solo. I often take a free walking tour on my first day or two in a capital city. These tours are chock full of historical information, which is fun, but they often include cultural information included too, which helps me understand where I should put my attention, and they offer me the lay of the land so I know the look and feel of the major neighborhoods.

And what’s more, walking tours are filled with other travelers visiting for the next few days or weeks. It doesn’t always work out that I meet someone I want to do something else with, but sometimes I will at least meet people from the tour for food/drinks/daytrip another day.

Even more, I have paid for one- or multi-day tours when I just wasn’t in a state of mind to handle things myself. If you arrive abroad and don’t love how things are going, book a tour, buy your peace of mind. If you mentally set aside a bit of budget to cover it, just in case, then it’s there if you need it.

Stay Aware

One reason I sleep for a week straight when I go home is because my brain is taxed after months of maintaining awareness of everything around me. When I’m walking down the street, there’s only one brain mapping the city to make sure I can get back to my guesthouse. On buses, if I’m solo then I’m likely not asleep.

To date, the only times I have had issues is when I pair up with another traveler and both of us relax in ways we never would otherwise. We lose awareness and we forget things, get lost, allow ourselves to be surrounded by touts, etc. As a solo traveler, you need to assess and make decisions constantly.

This post on how to build situational awareness is brilliant. Read it. Borrow a couple of those books from the library before you leave. And though it’s written from a male point of view, the descriptions of how to teach yourself to continually assess new situations is a valuable skill on the road.

Stay Sober

This is a personal choice and it dovetails with stay aware. While I love a good beer, and while enjoying drinks in dive bars around the world is a backpacker rite of passage, I don’t ever get sloshed when I’m solo. My stance on drinking when I’m with others varies depending on the time, place, and situation, just as it did when I lived in Los Angeles.

Know Basic Self Defense

Before I left in 2008, I spent four months learning Krav Maga, an Israeli form of self-defense training. The gym was near my home in L.A. and I booked an unlimited package so I could rapidly build my self defense skills before I set off solo. Self-defense training for women is important, not only do you learn reflexive defense skills, but it’s a huge confidence booster.

I have never used my Krav Maga training, thankfully, but every day I am the road I carry that knowledge. I know how to properly punch, and I know how to push through the exhaustion-barrier in a fight.

Again, while I’ve never needed it, and there is every reason to believe that you won’t either if you are aware and cautious, there is no reason you shouldn’t research local classes and learn the basics.

Many local YMCAs, libraries, or women’s group offer affordable classes. I highly recommend it. Will it save me if someone truly means me harm? I don’t know, probably not—but I like my chances better for knowing it.

Stop Being Too Nice

Say no to anything that makes you uncomfortable. I read once that men who want to do harm prey on the societal expectation that women are polite and accommodating—many of us were taught to give indirect and polite nos, or help someone when asked.

Reading that changed how I approach interactions that make me uncomfortable. Because I did that, all the time. In my early travels, I would politely listen past my point of comfort, or try to gently ditch to an over-eager tout, cautious of being perceived as too aggressive or mean.

Now, I just don’t care if I’m rude, and you shouldn’t either. I would never be rude in the general course of life, but if it’s something unsolicited and I feel uncomfortable, I go for blunt and immediate. You don’t owe them your kindness, you owe your instincts and gut your attention.

Carry Travel Insurance

Since we’ve honestly looked at the safety issues, the biggest threat is actual bodily harm from traffic accidents. I carry travel insurance every time I leave the U.S. I didn’t use it for many years on the road—I paid for my Laos hospital visit out of pocket since it was only $80—but I always felt safer knowing I can call on medevac or a hospital visit if I am in a serious accident or very sick.

Since then, I had a chest infection in Spain (twice) and those hospital expenses, which were covered, easily covered the cost of my many years of buying coverage. This post thoroughly reviews options and gives a detailed breakdown of how to pick a good company; or just head to IMG if you’re looking for the best policy my research has found, with decent rates to boot.

Carry a Doorstop and Safety Whistle

My travel friend Jodi highly recommends both, so although I carry only the whistle, I know several solo females who feel a lot safer with both.

Pay for Your Safety

Take a cab. Spring for the closer hotel. Plan enough of your day that you’re not left risky areas after dark and you’re not riding on an overnight bus. Traveling on a budget often puts us in a mind-frame of penny-pinching and it’s easy to get caught up in the notion of saving every dime possible.

Before I left, I vowed to myself that if I caught myself in a moment when I was about to make a decision that valued my money over my safety that I would reconsider the choice.

I take the cab when I’m lost, unsure, or have far to go, even though a cab is surely not very “backpackery” of me. I schedule my flights to arrive in a new city during the day, if possible, and I book easy transport to the hotel if not.

Uber is now in most major cities around the world—download it, set it up, and be ready to use it in a pinch (and of course, buy a local SIM card when you land so you can summon said Uber).

If you’re going longer distances, look into private transfers and shuttles that feature reviews from other women traveling alone—this is something that Bookaway offers, for example.

Have enough fear to keep you present and cautious, never enough to keep you home. That’s the whole philosophy behind this list—not eliminating risk, which isn’t possible, but stacking enough small, deliberate habits that you’re making informed choices instead of lucky ones.

Related Reading:

• On the Safety of Traveling Alone as a Woman
• Why I Decided to Travel the World
• Yes, Sometimes Travel is Lonely
• On Health and Travel Sickness

If there is ever anything that I can do to help, please do reach out on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and let’s talk about how we can make your travel dream a reality.

This travel story (11 Practical Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers ) first appeared on the A Little Adrift Travel
Blog, thank you for following the journey. :)

When my nieces and nephews reach middle school, they know it’s time to start planning an adventure—I promised them each that I would take them somewhere in the world they find intriguing.

My oldest niece backpacked across Southeast Asia with me in 2008, and my nephews and I took a month-long road trip of the Yucatan Peninsula in 2014.

It surprised me when the last one announced that she wanted to hike the Camino with me—the Camino de Santiago Frances is a 500 mile (800 kilometer) pilgrimage in Spain. She wasn’t an avid hiker, but with high school just around the corner, the Camino promised us both the opportunity to go on a technology detox and take a close look at our lives.

Undertaking this long walk meant not only time for self-reflection, but five weeks of daily mileage counts that topped 15 miles (25 kilometers) a day on the regular. Neither of us knew quite what to expect from the Camino de Santiago Frances—the route we chose among the handful of popular paths snaking across southern Europe. Our route would start in the south of France, cross the Pyrenees mountains, and steadily make its way to Santiago de Compostela, the town in northwestern Spain where all pilgrims finish.

Walking Our Own Camino

A core tenet of the Camino is that you should “walk your own Camino.” The word camino means way or path in Spanish, and hikers mean it literally and figuratively. There is no “right way” to do it, and walking the Camino with a kid meant we were already on a different path than others.

That took adjustment from us both.

Neither of us are hikers, and online forums claimed anyone can walk the Camino, given enough time and motivation. We took that to heart, and found that, while true, it also put a shine on the very real physical and mental blocks it takes to stare at 33 days of long-distance hiking with a backpack strapped to your person.

I’d love to say that I was the paragon of strength for my niece—that the Camino never broke me and it was all roses and sunshine, that I got her there as the fearless adult leading her forward. The truth is, we both traded our moments of reckoning—our moments of feeling defeated, sad, and confused.

One morning as we strapped on our gear at the crack of dawn, she laid down the law with me: she would carry my daypack and hers and she wouldn’t take no for an answer. I had twinged my hip the day before and tried to push through like a martyr. She realized before I did that we had to rely on each other if we hoped to reach the end.

Over the never-ending march of days, we traded and shared joys, too. If you want true insight into the mind of a teenager in your life, turn off data on their cell phone and listen to them stream their fears, dreams, and hopes. We learned how to cope with what seemed like impossible mountains looming ahead—it’s easy to say we did it one step at a time (which we did), but we manifested our own joy as we chugged up those Spanish mountains.

The song I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers became our theme song while we photographed an endless parade of historic churches, and while we laughed with new friends as we walked ever onward toward Santiago.

Weeks later, with dust and grime baked into every crevice of our hiking shoes, we arrived at the final seashell—the symbol leading pilgrims along the way—and stood in the towering shade of the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.

When we both took our first steps all those weeks before, we had no idea what would await on the other side of 500 miles. Arriving together, exhausted, overwhelmed, and feeling accomplished, we looked back to realize no amount of online advice or preparation could have prepared us for what it would be like to walk the path to Santiago.

This piece originally appeared on Eagle Creek’s travel blog in 2018, about a Camino I walked with my niece in 2017. It’s one of the few narratives that I’ve offered to other outlets, and since that page will never be updated again, it deserves a permanent home here too.

If you’re planning your own walk, I wrote up everything practical I learned in my complete Camino de Santiago Frances guide.

This travel story (A Little Journey… Finding Our Way on Spain’s Camino de Santiago ) first appeared on the A Little Adrift Travel
Blog, thank you for following the journey. :)

Golden hour hit Ronda’s gorge, El Tajo, hard that first evening—all ochre and burnt orange washing out the green countryside. Birds circled below us riding the wind, pinpricks dancing across all that open space. My son pressed his face into the viewpoint’s curved safety bars, leaning out over the gorge as far as the railing allowed—which, to be clear, is not very far, though my heart hiccuped every time.

We’d eaten dinner back at the apartment, and by the time we wandered outside, the last of the day-trippers had already cleared out. Only the regular Friday evening buzz remained in Ronda. After my city-kid had been strapped into a car seat for hours, he scurried between the bridge’s viewpoints, thrilled by the freedom.

I hadn’t been sure if we needed more than a day in Ronda. But watching him, I already knew slow travel was the right choice.

Sure, Ronda works as a day trip—but I’d spend the night if you have the time.

Not so you can tick off two days of museums and monuments—we skipped most of those and there weren’t that many to begin with. Instead, staying overnight uncovered the unhurried side of Ronda, where locals were relaxed enough for conversation, the air was cool enough for a hike, and there was ample space for a free-spirited kid to careen around empty streets on a race to the bottom of the gorge.

My 2-Day Ronda Itinerary

We had a free weekend—one of several we’re finally taking this last summer as residents of Spain. No Instagram-optimized itinerary, just a rough plan to explore before stopping in Setenil de las Bodegas on the way home.

Our first morning did not go as planned. The kiddo woke at 5 a.m., breakfast at a nearby café went sideways, and most of our morning disappeared into a failed nap attempt back at our Airbnb. By lunchtime, I feared that I’d traveled all this way just to sit in a dark apartment.

Instead, we had lunch, reset, and started again. That’s the whole advantage of going slower when traveling with kids.

Start With Puente Nuevo

It’s impossible to miss Puente Nuevo. Staying four minutes away meant it was our first stop, and our last stop, each day. We walked across it, looked down from it, caught it from every neighboring viewpoint and in every kind of light—and that’s honestly the best way to experience it. Once we had it documented, we left it behind and descended into the old city.

The bridge is clearly noteworthy. But by the time we left, El Tajo gorge had impressed me the most—Puente Nuevo was just the structure that helped show the sheer scale of the gorge and the engineering it took to span it.

Walk Down Through Old Ronda to Puente Viejo

Descending from Puente Nuevo through Ronda is one of the most remarkable parts of visiting this city. The towering city-and-gorge walls crowd out more of the sun the closer you get to the Guadalevín River below.

My kiddo followed Ronda’s streets and stairs downward at an unsafe speed, careening past old gates, darting under arches, and running his hand along stone walls as he flew over the cobbles and watched the city drop away.

Puente Viejo was more interesting than I expected. It sits far lower than Puente Nuevo, and few people were jockeying for the same photo. Standing on it, you can easily see the entire city wrapping upwards around the gorge.

Visit the Arab Baths

The Baños Árabes de Ronda sit in this lower part of the city, close to Puente Viejo.

They’re atmospheric, and honestly better preserved than I expected. Entry was just €3.50 a head when we visited, and it was an easy way to pass 25 minutes inside. While there wasn’t a ton to captivate—the looping video barely caught his eye—he was intrigued enough by the air vents to ascend and descend multiple times so he could verify the holes we saw from above were the same ones he could see dappling light inside the baths.

And during that back and forth, I caught enough of the video to be intrigued by the process of how the water entered the baths and its progression through the bathing rooms.

It’s also where we first heard water—an unseen trickle audible from the gardens outside the Baths—and he decided, with the total conviction only a four-year-old can manage, that we were close enough to just find it and get in. There was a boardwalk nearby that looked, for one very hopeful minute, like it might lead down toward the river. It didn’t. Someone had gated it shut. The idea of visiting the river had lodged itself in his head anyway, and it stuck there for the rest of the trip—more on that later.

Puente Viejo, the old gates, and the Arab Baths were basically one experience for us, not three separate stops, and filled a good hour—longer with our unsuccessful detour to find nearby river access.

The Arab Baths also have clean bathrooms—hit those before you leave!

Stop for Wood-Fired Pizza at Il Forno a Legna

Pizza Friday is a weekly tradition in our house—one my son was acutely aware I’d broken the night before. Eight years into living here in Spain, I knew better than to expect much open before 8 p.m., his bedtime. Many of Ronda’s restaurants close between the Spanish late-lunch and dinner, so Friday night we’d solved it with a homemade quiche in the cooler instead—no negotiating restaurant hours with a hungry kid after the drive, but no pizza, either.

So pizza became lunch instead at Il Forno a Legna, a cozy spot just a couple of minutes from Puente Nuevo. The brick oven is right at the front, so we watched his pizza go in the oven. A hit. He got his mushroom pizza. I savored handmade pesto ravioli. We both left happy.

We ordered extra food, hauled the leftovers back to our Airbnb two streets over, and dinner was handled before we’d even headed back out.

Wake Up Early for a Completely Different Ronda

This is the part I’d most want to preserve if I planned the trip again.

Our second morning started early, because, well, life with a preschooler tends to start early whether a Spanish town is ready for us or not.

Ronda largely wasn’t.

Amaranta Café was one of the rare places serving breakfast early enough for us. For a while, we were the only visitors, so my son charmed the waitstaff with his extroverted litany of personal questions. As our food arrived, locals joined us at the bar for coffee and conversation while we lingered over our avocado-and-eggs-on-toast breakfast.

Outside, the tour buses had yet to descend on Ronda, so we headed for the playground and the Paseo de los Ingleses, which traces the edge of El Tajo.

Near the playground, I spotted an intricate colored alfombra already laid out across the pavement, no one around yet to explain why. Seeing the patterned carpet pulled me straight back to Semana Santa in Guatemala many years back.

Otherwise it was just locals—dog walkers, a few early runners. My kiddo, meanwhile, decided he needed to jump from every.single.bench we passed.

So, what could have been a quick walk took us a solid 20-plus minutes.

I didn’t mind.

The pathway follows the edge of the gorge, opening repeatedly onto views across the landscape. From the playground, we followed another walkway leading away from Puente Nuevo. It narrowed and curved farther around the gorge until the views back toward Ronda disappeared and the landscape opened in front of us.

Eventually we’d wandered far enough. We turned around and slowly made our way back.

The whole walk, my kiddo pointed at every path and staircase visible across the gorge, convinced that each one would finally get him to the water’s edge. I kept pointing out that whatever path we walked down, we’d also have to walk back up. He was unmoved. He informed me—repeatedly—that this was going to be the best part of the trip. That we simply had to walk down into the gorge.

This is what staying overnight gave us that I wouldn’t have known to put on an itinerary beforehand. We weren’t seeing another attraction. We were just walking along the edge of the gorge while Ronda woke up.

Eventually we reached Puente Nuevo again. It was decision time: Do I allow my nearly 50 pound (22 kilo) four-year-old to hike down into the gorge, knowing there’s no way I could carry him back up—he’d have to walk?

He had been lobbying for this since the Arab Baths. Once he spotted the actual paths down from the opposite side of the gorge, that was it—he talked about nothing else all morning, and I’d run out of ways to say maybe.

So we crossed the bridge and finally did it.

Hiking Down Into El Tajo Gorge

If your knees and shoes can handle it, getting below Puente Nuevo is the one thing I’d add to almost any Ronda day trip.

We went while the morning air was still cool, which mattered more than I expected going in. This stretch gets brutal, unshaded sun by afternoon, and I wouldn’t attempt it with a small kid at peak heat—steep, uneven, and blazing hot is a rough combination for little legs, no matter how badly they want the water.

We passed the entrance to Ronda’s official Tajo gorge walk and kept going on the free path down. With only the first section of the official walk open when we visited, we didn’t find it compelling enough to choose over the route down toward Mirador La Hoya del Tajo and the lower Puente Nuevo viewpoints.

Parts of the walk were straightforward. Then we followed a much steeper rocky section that was one of those technically we’re still on a path, but this doesn’t feel much like a path anymore situations.

I had to pay close attention with a four-year-old. This was not remotely stroller territory, and it’s not a route I’d casually recommend for every young child.

Mine, however, loved it.

The farther we descended, the more the perspective changed. Puente Nuevo rose above and across from us, with vegetation and a waterfall adding to the spectacle. Mirador La Hoya del Tajo also gives you distance that Puente Viejo doesn’t. The old bridge sits close to Puente Nuevo, on the opposite side of the gorge, so from there you’re looking up at Puente Nuevo rather than across at it.

We never reached the river.

He didn’t care nearly as much as I’d expected. We’d gone on a big adventure, and that was enough.

The Grandmother We Adopted Along the Way

Somewhere on the descent we met Anna, a local grandmother originally from Valencia.

My son took to her almost immediately.

They spoke mostly in Spanish, but when we learned she spoke Valenciano, she even pulled out bits of long-dormant Catalan that he’d learned during his nursery-school years in Barcelona.

Before long, they were holding hands while they walked.

The climb back up was sweet—the two of them spent the whole climb alternating encouraging words when one would slow down. At least until his “tired” legs managed a manic burst of speed at the end, when Anna and I trudged side-by-side for the last five minutes.

Just as we arrived back in town, Ronda’s Corpus Christi procession was unexpectedly setting out from a nearby church. We watched it leave with Anna—then she peeled off as the procession headed toward the alfombra from that morning. Numbers exchanged, we went our separate ways.

Couldn’t have planned any of it—or the repeated stops my kiddo insisted on making along the gorge trail to rescue beetles before someone stepped on them.

After Anna left, we found a machine that pressed souvenir coins. We didn’t have a coin for it—had to duck into a shop nearby and beg for change—but we got it working, pressed the one coin, and then it was time to check out and go.

Plan Your Trip to Ronda

Ronda With Kids: What I’d Know Before You Go

Ronda worked surprisingly well with a preschooler, but not because it’s packed with conventional children’s attractions. It’s just inherently interesting stuff—cliffs, bridges, staircases, a gorge you can stare into for as long as you want. His favorite parts, unsurprisingly, weren’t the ones any guidebook would list.

The biggest complication is the terrain. Ronda looks deceptively compact on a map—Puente Nuevo, Puente Viejo and the Arab Baths all look a few minutes apart—but the city’s built around a 100-meter gorge, and getting between them means an awful lot of steps. We never simply walked from Puente Nuevo to Puente Viejo; we descended through Ronda to reach it, then faced the climb back up on tired legs. I passed more than one set of parents with a kid riding their shoulders while they hauled a stroller up the uneven stairs.

If you’re visiting with a baby or toddler, a stroller will work for portions of the upper town, but it won’t survive the full itinerary we followed—a carrier gives you way more flexibility.

With younger kids, I’d resist the urge to pack the day with museums. Ronda itself supplied more than enough entertainment for us.

Getting to Ronda From the Costa del Sol

From our home in Benalmádena, Ronda is about a 90-minute drive, which makes it an easy day trip from the Costa del Sol.

We rented through DiscoverCars for this one. After eight years in Spain, this is our last summer as residents, and we’re finally doing some of the Andalucía day trips and weekend detours we never quite got around to as locals living in the Málaga area without a car.

Three ways to actually get here:

• Drive yourself, if you can. It’s what let us stay the night, wander at our own pace, and keep things flexible with a four-year-old. If you’re staying overnight with a car, prioritize accommodation with its own parking—I specifically chose our apartment partly because a spot was included, which meant we could arrive, park, and basically forget about the car until checkout. (A wrong-way ticket could happen anyway—ask me how I know: one missed turn into one of Ronda’s restricted-access areas amid the maze of narrow one-way streets, and a €50 fine found its way to the rental agency weeks later.)
• Organized day tour. Handles the driving and parking for you, which is genuinely appealing if that’s your main hesitation. You’re just on someone else’s schedule all day.
• Public transport. Direct buses from Málaga make Ronda entirely feasible without a car. From my home in Benalmádena, however, driving made a lot more sense for the trip we actually wanted—staying over, keeping things loose with a four-year-old, and ending with a quick stop in Setenil de las Bodegas.

How Long Should You Spend in Ronda?

Ronda works perfectly well as a day trip. It really does. You hit Puente Nuevo, the old city, Puente Viejo, and the Arab Baths in a single full day—no problem. But you miss the quiet early morning hours before crowds show up, and the chance to hike the gorge without racing back to the car.

One night, if your schedule allows it? That’s my actual recommendation. You gain an evening—and, more importantly, that early morning before the day-trip buses roll in.

Two days work particularly well with younger kids or slower travel. We lost a significant chunk of our first day to my exhausted preschooler, yet we still caught the best of Ronda.

Ronda is absolutely worth visiting, even if you only have a day. But the best part wasn’t standing on Puente Nuevo or collecting viewpoints of it—it was walking down through old Ronda and eventually into El Tajo itself. The city clicked for me in those cool early morning hours when I absorbed the pace of life for those just going about their day. So, I’d happily take a day trip to Ronda—but, given the choice, I’d stay the night.

This travel story (A Little Adventure… Ronda With Kids on More Than a Day Trip ) first appeared on the A Little Adrift Travel
Blog, thank you for following the journey. :)

There’s something about crossing a border on foot that I’ve always loved—whether it’s a rickety bridge from Costa Rica into Panama or a frigid nighttime crossing between Thailand and Laos. For a place as compact as Gibraltar, my day trip felt unexpectedly big—views of Africa, wild macaques, and the strange delight of walking across an active airport runway. From Málaga or the Costa del Sol, it’s an easy, quirky, genuinely fun day trip.

Quick Take: Gibraltar in One Day

Gibraltar is a strange blend of red phone booths and Spanish cafés, views into Africa, monkeys, caves, and cliffside lookouts. It’s a British Overseas Territory on Spain’s southern tip—tiny (just 2.6 square miles), historically layered, and visually dramatic thanks to the Rock of Gibraltar.

• Drive: best flexibility from Málaga
• Cross on foot: often faster than driving
• Runway walk: unique highlight
• Monkeys: fun but bold—secure bags
• With kids: town is easy; the Rock is not stroller-friendly
• Pay by card: typically better value than cash euros

How to Get from Málaga to Gibraltar (Car, Bus, or Guided Tour)

There are three main ways to do a Gibraltar day trip from Málaga: drive, take the bus, or join a guided tour. We drove, since I live along the Costa del Sol, and for our group (toddler + grandparents), it was the right call.

Driving from Málaga

We drove from Benalmádena in a rental booked through Discover Cars (they provided credit so I could try out the service). It gave us the flexibility I wanted with a toddler and grandparents—especially on a day when everyone’s energy runs on a different clock. If my son had been older, we likely would’ve added a stop in the charming town of Estepona on the way back.

From Málaga, it’s roughly 1 hr 45 min to the border at La Línea. The drive from Málaga was straightforward and smooth most of the way, mostly on modern highways with no tolls on our route. The only real slowdown was a predictable bottleneck near the final town—traffic crawls there most days.

We parked on the Spanish side at Parking Público Parque del Ayuntamiento in La Línea de la Concepción. From there, it was an easy walk to the pedestrian border crossing—and it avoided the vehicle queue that can build up entering Gibraltar and (even worse) leaving in the late afternoon.

Taking the Bus from Málaga

If you don’t want to drive, ALSA and Avanza buses (check the bus timetable on Omio.com) run from Málaga to La Línea de la Concepción (near the Gibraltar border).

It’s affordable and simple, and you skip the parking stress entirely—but you’re locked into a fixed schedule with more stops, which can stretch the ride to nearly 3 hours one way. That’s less ideal if you’re working around naps, or traveling with older relatives who’d rather move at their own pace.

Travel Tip: If you’re visiting with kids (or mixing ages in a group), a car makes Gibraltar easier. You can arrive earlier, leave when you want, and avoid being locked into a bus schedule. If you’re set on taking the bus, the Malaga bus station offers luggage lockers for about €4.

Joining an Organized Tour

If you prefer a structured day—or you want a guide to handle the Rock logistics—an organized tour is worth it. This is often the easiest option for travelers without a car, or anyone who wants to maximize sites like the caves and tunnels without navigating transit on their own.

Crossing the Border & Getting Around Gibraltar

From the Ayuntamiento parking lot, it was about a 10-minute walk to the border. We crossed mid-week in May around 10:30 a.m. and breezed through with no crowds—weekends and summer can be slower, especially for cars. Bring your passport—you’ll go through border control and then walk across Gibraltar’s airport runway to enter.

Traveling with a child and one parent? Read this.
Because our day felt so casual, I didn’t bring my son’s travel authorization papers (I only had scans on my phone). Border staff asked for them and made it clear digital copies weren’t sufficient. Since my son was born and lives in Spain but travels on a U.S. passport, they were attentive about a child crossing with one parent. I was ultimately waved through—but next time I’ll bring printed copies.

After crossing, we took a bus to the cable car base. If you book your cable car ticket ahead, there’s a free shuttle bus in most seasons (about every 30 minutes) just past passport control—cross the street and you’ll see it. The municipal bus is another option (about €2.50 per adult), but it winds through town with many stops before ending near the cable car.

Either way, taking the bus saves your energy for later. On the way back, we walked from the base of the Rock to the border—mostly downhill and manageable.

Things to Do in One Day in Gibraltar

Gibraltar can be done in a tight day—but how much you’ll cover depends on mobility, weather, and whether you’re wrangling a stroller.

We bought the full Nature Reserve combo tickets online (be sure you’re booking from the official site), assuming we’d make use of everything included. In hindsight, with a toddler and grandparents, it was overkill—we used only a fraction of what was included.

Ride the Cable Car to the Rock Summit

We went up straight away, partly because the cable car stops running earlier than most people expect. We’d bought tickets online, and the queue moved quickly—about 20 minutes. The ride is short (around 6 minutes) and a bit crowded, but the views open up dramatically once you’re at the top.

We squeezed in with a lightweight travel stroller, but I wouldn’t attempt this with anything larger—there are stairs at both stations.

Enjoy Coffee with a View at the Top of the World Café

The Top of the World Café was calmer and more pleasant than we expected for such a busy viewpoint. The wide terrace over it gives you one of the best 360° views in Gibraltar—sea cliffs, the town below, and Morocco across the water. My parents settled in with pastries, my toddler ran laps around the tables once he finished his cinnamon-dusted babyccino, and I sat near the glass watching ferries move across the Strait. The café sits outside the ticketed Nature Reserve area, so it’s an easy stop even if you skip the full pass.

Wander the Old Fortifications

From the cable car station, take the higher path to the left for a quick wander through the derelict fortifications—this stretch doesn’t require entering the ticketed Nature Reserve.. The concrete bunkers and lookout positions feel rugged and cinematic, and it’s a fun place to scramble around.

This is also where we met our monkey.

We’d parked the stroller for just a moment… and came back to find a macaque sitting inside it, having tossed our jackets out and bitten clean through our 1.5-liter water bottle. Water was spraying everywhere, a small crowd had gathered to film it, and I didn’t even see the monkey at first until I was almost face-to-face with him. My mom shrieked. The monkey scattered.

Lesson learned: secure more than snacks. Gibraltar enforces steep fines for feeding the monkeys—posted signage warns of penalties running into the thousands of euros—and they’ll happily unzip bags, grab bottles, and rummage through anything that’s left unattended. Our food was sealed in my backpack—I just didn’t expect a water bottle to be the target.

We saw monkeys clustered around the cable car station and fortifications, not tucked away on remote trails.

Wonder at the Skywalk Glass Platform

The Skywalk glass platform hangs over the cliffs with sweeping views. My toddler and I loved it; my parents refused to step onto the glass. The elevator access is a big plus—it’s one of the easiest “wow” viewpoints on the Rock (Nature Reserve ticket required).

Walk Main Street & Shop for Souvenirs

After descending by cable car, we wandered Main Street. My toddler napped in the stroller, which was perfect—the town is flat and stroller-friendly.

Souvenirs were much cheaper here than at the summit. We bought a little snow globe and a long-armed hugging monkey that became the mascot of the day. The shopping streets are pleasant, but more of a wind-down than a must-do.

Fish & Chips (and an easy kid reset)

My parents grabbed fish and chips, and my toddler and I shared the chips (we’re vegetarian)—simple, comforting, and exactly what everyone needed after a big day.

From there, we walked slowly back toward the border, warming up in the afternoon light. Around 5 p.m., the vehicle queue was enormous—another reason I’d park in Spain and walk.

Even without rushing, these stops filled most of our day—trying to add more would have felt crowded.

If You Have More Time in Gibraltar

(Or you’re visiting without a stroller)

Note: Most attractions on the Upper Rock—including caves, tunnels, and suspension bridges—require a Nature Reserve ticket. Lower Gibraltar sights like Europa Point, Catalan Bay, and Main Street can be visited without one.

• St. Michael’s Cave — dramatic limestone formations and a colorful light show inside the Rock.
• Great Siege Tunnels — hand-carved tunnels with panoramic viewpoints and deep military history.
• Moorish Castle — remnants of Gibraltar’s early fortifications, with portions accessible inside the Upper Rock.
• Windsor Suspension Bridge — a short, scenic bridge walk high above the cliffs.
• Mediterranean Steps Hike — a strenuous but iconic route for fit adults or older teens.
• Europa Point Lighthouse — the southernmost point, with calm views across the Strait.
• Catalan Bay — a colorful beach village, best in warm weather.

We skipped these this time to keep the day relaxed with a toddler and grandparents.

Practical Tips for a Smooth Málaga → Gibraltar Day Trip

These are the details I wish I’d known before going—especially helpful for families and day-trippers. A few of these caught us off guard, even after planning.

My Toddler’s Favorite Things

• Walking across the airport runway
• Riding the cable car
• Running around the Top of the World Café terrace
• Standing on the Skywalk glass floor
• Watching the monkeys (from a safe distance)
• The long-armed, blue monkey toy we brought home

Currency & Payments

• The local currency is the Gibraltar Pound (GBP), pegged 1:1 to British sterling
• Euros work almost everywhere, but the exchange rate you’re handed at the register rarely favors you
• Skip the math entirely and pay by card—it settles in GBP automatically
• There’s no reason to pre-exchange cash before you go

Stroller & Accessibility Notes

• Stroller-friendly: town center, Main Street, buses, border crossing
• Not stroller-friendly: most of the Rock, fort paths, cable car station stairs
• A baby carrier is significantly easier at the summit
• A lightweight travel stroller is doable, but inconvenient

Parking & Border Notes

• Leave the car on the Spanish side, in La Línea de la Concepción
• It’s a quick 5–10 minute walk from there to the pedestrian crossing
• Come 5 p.m., the car line can back up well into town
• On foot, you’ll beat every car waiting in that line

Cable Car Logistics

• Tickets bought online let you skip the line entirely
• High winds can ground the cable car, so check the forecast before you count on it
• The ride itself takes about 6 minutes
• Budget roughly 20 minutes for the bus connecting the border to the cable car base

Best Time to Visit

• Mid-week and shoulder seasons are ideal
• The summit is cooler and windier than the coast—bring a light layer
• Cruise-ship days bring heavier crowds

Is Gibraltar Worth Visiting?

We dragged ourselves back across the runway—tired, but pretty pleased with how the day had gone.

My dad had wanted to see Gibraltar for years, and he’d finally checked it off his list. None of us were particularly chatty on the walk back—just tired in the good way, satisfied it had all worked out.

My son still cackles telling the monkey story, acting out my mom’s face when she came eye-to-eye with him in the stroller. That’s how I measure a good trip: not whether we hit every sight, but if there are moments that we keep telling for years. For families or mixed-age groups, the key is pacing—skip the full-access tickets, prioritize the views, watch the monkeys from a respectful distance, and leave room for whatever becomes your version of that story.

Frequently Asked Questions

This travel story (A Little Border Crossing… A Day Trip to Gibraltar from Málaga ) first appeared on the A Little Adrift Travel
Blog, thank you for following the journey. :)