We are Begoña & Diego and we directly rent our apartments to anyone who wants to visit León.
We have been renting apartments for tourist use since 2017 that is why we can guarantee the maximum professionalism in the treatment and attend to all your demands.
Our goal is that you have the best stay in León and repeat!
If you still have any questions, you can call us at +34 636 14 42 86 or send us a Whatsapp to the same number.
Top 12 things to see in Leon.
León is located at the foot of the Cantabrian mountain range, in the middle of the Camino de Santiago. The city has a large number of historical monuments of high tourist value. Here is a list of the 12 important places to visit in León in one or two days. Its pedestrian historic centre, culture, gastronomy and local people will surprise you!
León Cathedral - The Pulchra Leonina.
The Cathedral of Santa María de Regla de León, colloquially known as the Pulchra Leonina (La Bella Leonesa), is a 13th-century Gothic cathedral. Built on some ancient Roman baths, it is considered as the most important monument in León. It has a stunning facade and impressive colorful stained glass windows. In 1844 it was the first construction in Spain declared National Heritage.
Price: €6 - adults, €5 - students.
Working hours: Mon-Fri: 9.30am-1.30pm and 4pm-7pm / Sat: 9.30am-12pm and Sat: 4pm-6pm / Sun: 9.30am-11am
Note: León Cathedral is visible from all our apartments!
The Convent of San Marcos
The convent of San Marcos is a work of the Renaissance. It has an impressive Plateresque facade of more than 100 meters. Today it is a national hotel, but over the centuries it has been used for numerous uses for exemple as a pilgrim hospital, a convent or a prison, where Francisco de Quevedo was captivated. The church of San Marcos and a part of the León Museum are attached to the convent from which you can visit the cloister. On the opposite side there is the Bernesga River, which is crossed by a picturesque stone bridge.
The entrance: free of charge
Working hours: Mon - closed / Tue-Sat: 10-14h and 16-19h / Sun: 10-14h
The Casa Botines
The Casa Botines The Casa Botines is a work of the Catalan master Antoni Gaudí. It blends the neogothic and modernist style. It was built just in two years, between 1981 and 1983, and was initially designed to be used as a residential building. It is one of the important monuments, it is located at the end of Calle Ancha, the main pedestrian street of the city and next to it there is the Palacio de los Guzmanes. Together with "El Capricho" in Comillas, and the Episcopal Palace of Astorga, it is one of the 3 monuments that Gaudí built outside of Catalonia.
Price: €5
Working hours: Mon–Sat 11 a.m.–2 p.m. and 4 p.m.–8 p.m. / Sun 11 a.m.–2 p.m. / (Wednesday morning closed)
The Basilica of San Isidoro
It is one of the important places to see in León. It is in Romanesque style and dates the 11th century. On the side, there is the San Isidoro museum, one of the most important in the city. It houses the chalice of Doña Urraca, queen of León. There is a theory that this chalice could be the Holy Grail. With the entrance to the museum you can also visit the Royal pantheon and the oldest Romanesque cloister in all of Spain.
The entrance: free of charge
Plaza Mayor
Plaza Mayor de León is located in the old town in the heart of the Barrio Húmedo. The main building on the square is the old baroque town hall. The arcades of the square are full of bars and cafes. The traditional morning market is still held twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Nightlife revolves on this square and the main concert stages are usually placed there during León's festivities.
Note: It is located just 100 meters from our quiet apartment located on Calle Caño Badillo
The Palacio de los Guzmanes
The Palacio de los Guzmanes is a Renaissance-style palace with Plateresque touches from the 16th century. It is located in Plaza de San Marcelo, at the foot of Calle Ancha and next to Casa Botines. Today it is the seat of the provincial government of Leon and can be visited by tourists. It is a Site of Cultural Interest since May 16, 1963.
Plaza del Grano
Plaza del Grano is one of the most charming and unique squares in the city. Known by everyone as "Plaza del Grano", few ones know that its real name is "Plaza de Santa María del Camino" and this is how you should look for on Google Maps to get there. This square is surrounded by arcades with bars and terraces and its cobblestone floor gives it a unique touch. In the center of the square stands the Church of Santa María del Camino, from the 12th century, and on one of its sides is the Carbajalas convent, which today serves as a hostel for pilgrims. The square is located in the Barrio Húmedo and is a highly recommended visit.
The Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y Leon (MUSAC)
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Castilla y León stands out for its colorful façade, inspired by the stained glass windows of León Cathedral. It is located in the Eras de Renueva neighborhood and it is worth visiting the building if only to admire its exterior. Inside it houses different exhibitions of contemporary art which change over time.
Price: adults €3, reduced €2, Sunday afternoons - free.
Working Hours: Mon-Fri: 11-14h and 17-20h / Sat-Sun 11-15h and 17-21h / Monday closed
The Royal Pantheon of San Isidoro de León
The pantheon of the Kings houses some 30 tombs, including kings, queens and children from former the Kingdom of León. Besides what is really impressive are its 12th-century frescoes, preserved naturally. They represent a pagan agricultural calendar, and different passages from the Bible and the life of Jesus. Due to their majesty, these frescoes are considered the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art. Your visit is included with the entrance to the museum of the collegiate church of San Isidoro, as well as the visit to the cloister, and to the chalice of Doña Urraca.
Price: €5
Walls of the town
The León Wall originates in the 1st century BC. At that time the wall protected an ancient Roman settlement and it was wooden until the middle of the 1st century AD. The first stone wall was built in the Claudio-imperial era. The wall with the shape of cubes that protrude from it was built around the 3rd century AD. Today you can walk over it in certain sections of the city.
Note: Our apartment on Avenida los Cubos has beautiful views of the 3rd century wall.
Barrio Húmedo y Barrio Romántico
El Húmedo is the most popular neighborhood in León. Famous for the many bars that house its streets and its bustling nightlife. There you can taste typical tapas from León totally free with each drink. The Barrio Húmedo is separated from the Barrio Romantico by Calle Ancha. This second one is also popular for its tapas and is mostly visited by the leonese who are looking for a slightly less noisy environment than the first one. The typical drink is "el corto" ( literelly translated short beer), equivalent to something less "una caña" (beer) or a good wine "prieto picudo". For people who don't want to drink alcohol, the most common alternative is a must or a "butano", a small glass of orange soda.
Plaza de San Marcelo
San Marcelo Square is located in the old town of León, in the Barrio Húmedo. It houses the old town hall of the city and the church of San Marcelo given its name to the square. The square is separated from the Casa de Botines by Calle Ancha. It is also known by locals as the "square of the pigeons". In the surrounding gardens, just behind the church, you can see a bronze model of the city center of León. Plaza de San Marcelo hosts numerous events during all the year.
Where to eat?
In León you can eat very well in any downtown restaurant, but if we have to recommend one, it would be "Restaurante Ezequiel" located on Calle Ancha nº20. The typical gastronomy of León is sausages, the most popular ones are cecina, cocido maragato, botillo del bierzo, tripe, cured tongue, garlic soup, frog legs or cod prepared with garlic, olive oil, pepper and eggs. León also has two restaurants with a Michelin star, one is "Restaurante Cocinandos" located in the old pilgrims' hostel in Plaza de San Marcos and the restaurant "Casa Pablo" located behind the cathedral. Resaurant "El Capricho" deserves a special mention, where, according to "Time" magazine, you can taste the best beef steak in the world. This restaurant is located 50km from León, in Jiménez de Jamuz and raises its own oxen, which you can see on a farm near the restaurant. The restaurant is located in a cave dug into the clay, where wine was once made. Not everyone can afford this restaurant, and as its name suggests, it is to pamper yourself.
Where to go for tapas?
The most popular neighborhoods for tapas are Barrio Húmedo and Barrio Romantico, which are separated by Calle Ancha, which starts from the León Cathedral and divides the old town. The usual consumption is el "corto" (short) beer, a measure that varies from bar to bar but is always something smaller than "una caña" (a small portion of beer). You can also taste typical leonese wine "prieto picudo" for those who like red wine or "albarín" for those who enjoy white wine. For people who do not want to have alcohol, you can ask for must, which is equivalent in volume to a short beer or a "butano", the same amount but orange soda.
Each bar usually makes the same tapas and people can go from one to another looking for the tapas they want at any time. The typical tapas that you can find are sausages, black pudding, croquettes, potatoes, garlic soup, mini-hamburgers, fried eggs, tripe, chorizo, sweetbreads, stuffed mushrooms, pizza, etc
As an example of bars in Barrio Húmedo we recommend "el jamón jamón", "el flechazo", "el insitu", "el Llibla", "el rebote", "la bacanal", "la competencia", "la calea"... . In barrio romántico we recommend visiting "la trébede", "las tapas", "el camarote Madrid" y "el patio".
These two neighborhoods are the most famous, but they are not the only ones. In any bar in the city a tapa is served with your drink. Other lively areas are those near the building of the Junta de Castilla y León or the university area of La Palomera.
By the way, if you don´t know, tapas in León are FREE!
Where to have a party?
The party area in León is concentrated in Barrio Húmedo, and within the neighborhood the Rock bars are concentrated in the lower area and the bars with more "commercial" music are concentrated in the upper area.
The main party days are Friday and Saturday, but they are not the only ones. On Thursdays university students usually go out and on Tuesdays the foreign students from Erasmus do it.
Closing time is around 4:30 in the morning. Late-nighters can continue the party in Barrio Húmedo that has a license to close later, as is the case with "Nox". The rest of such bars in León are very close to Barrio Húmedo and you can get there walking, they are Caramelo, located near the Plaza del caño de Santa Ana, the Vanity, in the Plaza de las cortes or the Supernova near San Isidoro.
What to see around León?
The most outstanding places of interest in the province, ideal for day trips and easily to get from León capital, are:
Activities for groups in León.
In León there are different agencies that organize activities for groups, mainly for bachelor parties or company teambuilding. An example of the activities that can be different kinds of escape rooms, indoor paintball, gymkhanas of yellow humor. In the surroundings of León you can find activities in nature such as rafting, canoeing, canyoning, wine tourism, karting, via ferrata, horse riding, capeas...
Festivities and celebrations in León.
The main festivities in León are: Holy Week, considered a festival of International Tourist Interest. The most important festivity is on the eve of Good Friday. Holy Thursday is famous for bringing together one of the largest pagan processions in all of Spain, the Genarín procession. Festivities of San Juan and San Pedro are held from June 24 to June 29. San Froilán is during the first week of October.
Gastronomy
The province of León has a wide variety of dishes that will surprise you, but if we have to do a top 7 traditional dishes of Leonese gastronomy, we choose the following: "Cecina de León" that is a sausage that is made from smoking and curing meat of cattle or other animals such as goats. "Morcilla de León" (blood sausage from León) is one of the most typical food of our gastronomy, and it is made from pig blood and onion. "Cocido maragato" is a typical dish from the Maragatería area, near Astorga. It is noted for the peculiarity of eating, first you eat meat, then chickpeas and finally soup. "Botillo" is a typical product of the Bierzo area. It consists of pig intestine and different marinated meats are put inside, for example nose, rib, tail etc. "Bacalao (cod) al ajoarriero" is traditional dish consists of desalted cod, and cooked with olive oil, garlic and paprika. Garlic soup is made from stale bread, garlic and paprika, you can also add other ingredients such as eggs or trout. Finishing this list "Mantecadas de Astorga", what is better than a sweet, made from egg, sugar, wheat flour, yeast, butter and cinnamon. Other dishes that can comlete the list are cured tongue, picadillo, tripe, frog legs, Bañeza beans, chorizo or Astorga puff pastry.
Interesting facts about Leon
These are interesting facts about León: the name "León" is from the ancient Roman legion that settled where the city is located nowadays to control the territories of the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, the "Legio VI". We, the Leonese, like to go out and "kill Jews". Far from any anti-Semitic feeling, this expression is usually used during Holy Week and refers to going out to drink lemonades, a typical drink from León which is made from wine, sugar, cinnamon and different fruits, and then left to macerate for a few days. We, Leonese, are known by the nickname "cazurros", referring to pride and obstinacy. Legend says that León's cathedral took almost a century to build due to a giant mole that destroyed it at night. Today you can see the skin of the mole inside the cathedral. León is the city in Spain with the most bars per inhabitant, one bar for every 200 inhabitants approximately. León has one of the most popular pagan Holy Week processions in all of Spain "The Genarín procession" which takes place on the night of Holy Thursday. León is recognized by UNESCO for being the "Cradle of Parliamentarism". In 1188 the king of León, Alfonso IX, summoned members of the nobility, the clergy and the people to make state decisions.
Where to stay?
In our wonderful apartments located in the centre:
Non-fulfillment of these prohibitions will entitle the hosts to require the abandonment of the apartment.
Cancellation policy and change of date
