León is undoubtedly one of the most interesting towns to visit in Spain, because of its historical architecture, its cuisine and atmosphere (great for tapas lovers). Surprisingly, León is not such a popular destination. Few foreigners have ever heard of this historical city, and even less know its wonders.
León is a beautiful city overall, but, above all, two amazing and unique monuments – the Cathedral, which hosts one of the largest collection of mediaeval stained glass windows in the world, and the Royal Pantheon of the Collegiate of San Isidoro, one of the finest examples of romanesque frescoes in Europe.
The Monastery of San Marcos is the third great gem of León, one of the grandest works of Spanish renaissance. Three wonderful works from three art periods.
At night, the atmosphere in barrio húmedo and barrio romántico neighbourhoods in the old town, could be the best you can find in a city of 120.000 population – its tapas and wine taverns are always bustling and a treat for food lovers. León’s version of morcilla (a Spanish blood sausage) is its most famous specialty, but there is a lot more.
Here we tell you all about it so you can enjoy your stay in León to the maximum!
Some history of León, cradle of parliamentarism
León’s origins are traced back to the establishment of a Roman military camp. It was home to Legio VII Gemina, the only permanent legion in Hispania, until the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 – the name of León is directly derived from Castra Legionis, meaning “legion camp”.
As “león” means “lion” in Spanish, the symbol of the city and its former kingdom is a purple lion, though.
Many sections of León’s roman walls still exist, althought they were reconstructed during the Middle Ages. The ruins of the legion’s baths can be visited below the famed cathedral.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the importance of León declined, although the settlement was not abandoned. In 853, King Ordoño I of Asturias conquered León to the Caliphate of Córdoba. Some 50 years later, Ordoño II established the capital of the Kingdom of Asturias in León, and thereafter it was known as Kingdom of León.
The Kingdom of León became one of the main christian states in the Iberian Peninsula until it was incorporated to Castile in 1230. Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James) was key to its development, and specifically the city of León is an important milestone in the French Way.
León has been declared as cradle of parliamentarism by UNESCO – in 1188 King Alfonso IX held Cortes in the Collegiate of San Isidoro for which he summoned the “three estates”. It is the oldest documented example of a parliament with representatives of the plain urban class in Europe (except for remote Iceland).
Under Castile, León was no longer a royal capital, but it remained an important city. Remarkable constructions embellished the city, such as the Cathedral, the finest example of French flamboyant Gothic style in Spain and the imposing Convento de San Marcos.
León features in the coat of arms of Spain, as one of the four constituent Kingdoms (plus Granada) that made up the country. In the 19th century, the railway arrived in León, spurring the development of an industrial and merchant bourgeosie. The elegant Ensanche (Expansion area) was developed and Gaudí built his Casa Botines.
León is now a provincial capital with a population of 120.000, dynamic and with new investment and modern buildings like the Museum of Contemporary Art (Musac). It is also a perfect destination for a full weekend, or even longer.
How to arrive in León
León is well connected by road and rail, and has a small airport with domestic flights only.
By car: from Madrid, take motorway A-6 and then A-66 in Benavente (which goes to Oviedo, capital of Asturias). León is also served by motorway A-231 from Burgos, where it connects with A-1 to the Basque Country and France.
Parking is free outside of the old city and the Ensanche, but still in central areas. You can find plenty of free parking just behind the Plaza Mayor.
By train: now you can travel from Madrid to León using the high-speed train AVE. It takes 2 hours from Madrid (and stops in Segovia, Valladolid and Palencia). Alvia is a near high-speed service, which takes 2h20 from Madrid, while regular regional trains take more than 4 hours from Madrid, but can be handy if travelling in the area.
By air: León airport (LEN) has services to Barcelona, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Gran Canaria. Flights to the islands are seasonal.
Moving around León
León is a very walkable city. It is just a 20 minute walk from Plaza Mayor to Convento de San Marcos, basically the two most distant points of interest in the city. If you want to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, it is just minutes further. Obviously, there are modern urban buses too, but we have never used them.
What to see in León in two days
León Cathedral
León’s mediaeval Cathedral (Catedral de Santa María de Regla) is the most famous of the city’s landmarks. León Cathedral is one of the greatest works of gothic style in Europe and the “most French” of Spanish cathedrals.
Known as pulcha leonina (beautiful Leonese), it is renowned for its impressive collection of original mediaeval stained-glass windows, the largest in Europe, along with that in the Chartres Cathedral in France.
This is why, along with the Cathedral of Burgos, the Cathedral of León is the most representative of Spanish mediaeval architecture and and absolute must in León – a must to visit its interior, don’t just look at it outside.
León Cathedral was built in barely 50 years from 1253, so it has an exceptionally consistent style, heavily influenced by the flamboyant gothic style from Northern France. León was then a city of 5000 population – small, but with a great historical and political importante and a main spot in the Camino de Santiago.
The Cathedral of León was erected on top of a primitive romanesque cathedral, on the site where the Roman legionaries built their baths (the ruins can be visited).
Before entering, take your time to enjoy the main façade and its portal. The triple gate, following the model of Reims Cathedral, has one of the best sculpture ensembles in Spanish mediaeval art. The statue of the virgin, between both doors is magnificient for its time (the original was replaced by a copy and is now inside the cathedral).
Antes de visitar el interior, admira la portada de la fachada principal. El triple pórtico, que sigue el modelo de la catedral de Reims, posee uno de los mejores conjuntos escultóricos del arte medieval español, en especial la virgen del tímpano (hoy sustituida por una copia, la original se encuentra dentro de la catedral).
León Cathedral is best known for taking the principle of dematerialization of gothic architecture to the maximum. This means seeking lighter buildings, with less stone, thinner walls and large windows to let more natural light pass through.
This can certainly be seen outside, but it is more obvious inside, and what allowed these exceptionally large windows and a mediaeval cathedral full of light.
This audacious technique bore its risks, even more when in the next centuries other architects introduced additions following the baroque taste of their times, without understanding well the building structure or miscalculating, especially a huge dome built in 1631.
The light structure of the cathedral could barely hold these extra weight and suffered much in the coming years – in the mid-19th century the Cathedral was in the brink of collapse. In 1857 some stones started to fall and restoration works started swiftly. But removing the dome was not enough.
Juan de Madrazo, the best restoration expert in Spain who knew well French gothic architecture, saved the cathedral. After studying thoroughly the cathedral’s structure, he built an ingenious wooden structure to support it during the difficult restoration works.
Madrazo removed all non-gothic elements and rebuilt the transept, which was the most damaged area. Ten years after the start of the works it was time for the final test – the wooden structure was removed and the cathedral could stand on its own.
The Cathedral of León contains 1800 m2 of stained-glass windows arranged on 3 heights, following the model of French cathedrals. The vast majority of them are genuinely mediaeval, although there are few from the 16th c. and from the 19th and 20th c. restorations. Its arrangement and representations follow planned design full of religious symbolism.
As most gothic churches, the Cathedral’s apse faces East. Thus, at dawn the first sun rays light the apse windows, which represent Jesus’ family tree. In mediaeval Christianity, there was a strong association between Jesus Christ and the Sun, reminiscent of old solar religions.
Then, the Sun directs its rays to the windows in the Southern section, bringing them to life one by one. Here are the representations of apostles, virgins, martyrs, bishops, etc. enlightened by Jesus.
On the contrary, the windows facing North, on the left of the main altar, never received direct sunlight. These represent characters of the Old Testament, who never met Christ. This lack of sunlight is stressed by the predominance of blue tones in the windows.
On the other hand, the arrangement in three levels symbolises the ascent from the Earth to Heaven. In the lateral naves, there are first stone arcades that symbolise the mineral kingdom. On top of them, the first stained-glass windows follow vegetable designs.
On the second level, the windows represent human activities – arts and sciences, vices and virtues, as well as heraldic symbols. Finally, the top windows contain divine scenes and church characters.
The cathedral also has some interesting mediaeval sculptures, especially in the ambulatory. You can’t miss the renaissance choir wall. Even thought it blocks the vision of the cathedral’s naves, the beauty of its arches and marble panels cannot be denied.
The visit to León Cathedral ends in the cloister, which measures 30 x 30 metres. Its 16th-century plateresque vaults are the highlight.
Visiting León Cathedral costs 7 €, including an audioguide with great explanations.
León Cathedral is open every day: Mon-Sat 9:30 am – 1:30 pm and 4-7 pm (4-8 pm from May to September). On Sundays and bank holidays it opens 9:30-11:30 am and 1-3 pm (3-8 pm from May to September). Anyway, we recommend you to check the opening hours before visiting León in the Cathedral’s official website (Spanish only), because these change on some special days.
Real Colegiata de San Isidoro
The Royal Collegiate of Saint Isidore (Real Colegiata de San Isidoro) is another places you must visit in León – its Royal Pantheon is known as the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque. It is striking that such a spectacular place is barely known in Europe, and not even so famous in Spain.
Here we really recommend you to take a guided tour (available in Spanish, English and French). It takes 1h15′ approximately and it is really worth it. There is no audioguide and information panels are fine but not great.
Before or after visiting the Collegiate, you can enter the Basilica of San Isidoro, a romanesque church that follows a latin cross design and has the privilege to be open day and night.
The most remarkable work on the basilica are the carvings on the two entrance doors, especially the one on the right (Puerta del Perdón). It is attributed to maestro Mateo, who worked in the fame Pórtico de la Gloria in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
The Collegiate of San Isidoro was established in the 10th century and became one of the most important romanesque architecture ensembles in Europe. In the beginning, it was a monastery for woman related to the Leonese royal family.
You can imagine that this was a very important place, when in 1063, the remains of Saint Isidore of Seville where brought here as a tribute from the Muslim king of Seville to Fernando I of León. This King of León ordered the construction of the Royal Pantheon but his daughter Doña Sancha commissioned the amazing paintings.
The visit to San Isidoro starts in the cloister. Not much remains from the primitive romanesque cloister in which the famous Cortes of 1188 were held – just the portico and the side adjacent to the basilica. The rest was reconstructed in plateresque style in the 16th century, or even later.
One of the rooms in the cloister exhibits the Treasure of the Kings of León. They are especially proud of the ivory casket made in 1059 to transport the relics of Saint Isidore from Seville to León. There are also objects that arrived in León from places afar like Scandinavia and Persia, which show the cultural exchange along the Way of St. James.
Then, you will access the Royal Pantheon, where 11 kings and 12 queens of León were buried, as well as princes and noblemen. Its frescoes are arguably the most impressive romanesque work in Europe still preserved.
These frescoes were painted by the end of the 11th c., so they are over 900 years old. The frescoes have been preserved so well thanks to a mixture of fantastic technique, ideal atmospheric conditions – with no direct sunlight, except for a section which is burnt, and low humidity – some luck and little restoration work.
Photographs are strictly forbidden. Please respect this rule so these frescoes can be preserved at least another 1000 years. Such heritage is much more important than any tourist’s photos.
Some of the most representative frescoes are the Christ with the Evangelists, each bearing his animal symbol, the Annunciation of the shepherds, and the Last Supper, featuring Marcial, who served the wine according to a French legend (but who is not in the Bible).
The painters wrote the names of the scenes and characters, so they are quite easily understandable. Don’t miss the calendar on one of the arches, depicting each month’s typical activity.
The Royal Pantheon is the highlight of the visit to San Isidoro, but there is still more to see!
Then they show you the Chalice of Doña Urraca, a unique piece. It is made of two Roman onyx cups. Princess Urraca donated her gold, emerald and sapphire jewels to make this chalice.
Why were these two cups so important for Urraca? It has been discovered that these cups arrived in León from Jerusalem, where people believed since the 4th c. that they were the cups used by Jesus during the Last Supper.
Al-Mutansir, Caliph of Cairo, gave them to the Emir of Denia, on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, South of Valencia. The Emir gave them as tribute to Fernando I of León, when his troops were attacking Valencia – and he left Denia alone.
The next stop is the Chamber of Doña Sancha. In the 16th c., when there were no kings in León any mire, this royal hall was used as meeting hall by the monks. They decorated the hall with beautiful wall paintings. They were strapped in the 1960s but recently restored and put back on its original place.
On the other side of the corridor is the Renaissance Library, built in the 16th c. too. Unfortunately, you cannot see any open book, but it contains 150 codices, 300 incunabula over 1000 rare books.
Finally, you can walk on the roman wall, because San Isidoro was built adjacent to it.
The Collegiate of St. Isidore opens Tue-Sat 10 am – 2 pm & 4-7 pm (5-8 pm Apr-Sept) and Sundays 10 am – 2 pm. It is closed on Mondays and some religious holidays, we recommend you to check opening hours in the official website before visiting.
Tickets cost 5 €, but we recommend the guided tour which costs 7 €.
Roman and Mediaeval Walls
León still preserves part of the Roman wall built by Legio VII in the 1st c. CE. It was a rectangular enclosure with semicircular towers. It has been repaired many times after its construction, most notably by the end of the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages.
During the 14th c. León built a new wall to protect the new areas of the city on the South, where now is the Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Grano. Some sections of this mediaeval wall have also been preserved.
You can walk on the wall upon finishin the visit to the Collegiate of St. Isidore and also on a small section in Plaza del Cid.
Convento de San Marcos
Now we cross the wall and walk outside the old town to St. Mark’s Monastery (Convento de San Marcos). This impressive building is next to unimpressive river Bernesga, on the other side of the 19th c. Ensanche (Expansion area) of León.
Along with the Cathedral and San Isidoro, Convento de San Marcos is the third of León’s gems you definitely cannot miss.
During the 12th c. a hostel for pilgrims in the Camino de Santiago was built on this side. It was a humble building, demolished during the 16th c. to make way for the current monastery. The works were quite slow, and the section left of the main entrance is from the 18th c. – though indistinguishable as it kept the original style.
This building has had many functions, apart from being a monastery, it worked as prison, where great poet Quevedo was held for a few years, and then it was a Francoist concentration camp during the Spanish Civil War. Now it is one of the most luxurious Paradores (state-owned hotels in historical buildings) in Spain.
The main façade of Convento de San Marcos is one of the wonders of Spanish renaissance, known as plateresque.
The monastery is certainly imposing from far, but it is also beautiful from close, which its intricate decoration.
The medallions show some characters of Greek and Latin Antiquity an of Spanish history, including legendary hero El Cid and King Felipe II.
On top of the main entrance, an exquisite carving that represents Santiago (St. James) on horseback fighting Muslims reminds us of the connection between this monastery and the Camino de Santiago.
The church is located on the right side of the monastery. It’s style is slightly different, less modern – Late Gothic, finished in 1541. Its façade is decorated with shells, which was a very common feature of this style, from Isabella’s times.
Entering the church, you can visit the renaissance cloister, now part of the Provincial Archaeological Museum of León. Tickets are just 0.60 € and it opens Tue-Sat 10 am – 2 pm & 4-7 pm (5-8 pm July-Sept) and Sundays 10 am – 2 pm. Mondays closed.
After visiting San Marcos we return to the old town, crossing the elegant Ensanche neighbourhood, lined around Plaza de la Inmaculada, until we reach Plaza de Santo Domingo, border between the old and new cities.
Casa Botines
Casa Botines is one of the three only buildings designed by Antoni Gaudí outside of Catalonia – along with the Episcopal Palace in neighbouring Astorga and the Capricho in Comillas, Cantabria.
Gaudí built Casa Botines in 1891-1892, as a fabrics warehouse, on the ground floor, and luxury dwellings on the next three floors. He had just worked on Palau Güell, and Botines was the first apartment building designed by Gaudí.
Although his style was still heavily neo-gothic, Gaudí experimented in Casa Botines new geometries and ingenious solutions he would later use in his best-known works like Barcelona’s Pedrera.
The building structure comprising seven floors was inspired by the dwellings for the high bourgeosie that were being built in Barcelona, and especially, in the iconic Haussamann expansion in Paris.
One of the most important symbols in Casa Botines is the dragon. The main gate fence displays sharp teeth. On top, a dragon’s mouth devours a lion (león, in Spanish).
The roof also reminds of a dragon’s scales. The dragon would later become a common symbol in Gaudí’s work.
Later, Casa Botines was taken over by a local banking institution, and remained so until a few years ago. In 2017 it opened as a museum.
During the visit, you can admire Gaudí’s design for the warehouse, with narrow columns and stained-glass windows to achieve an open space with lots of light. In the upper floors, there are exhibits about Gaudí’s work, including furniture he designed, a typical dwelling of the high bourgeosie and a painting exhibition.
Visiting Casa Botines costs 8 €, or 12 € if you prefer a guided tour, which also includes access to the tower. It opens every day from 10 am to 9 pm.
Honestly, the museum is not bad, but the Episcopal Palace of Astorga is much more interesting – it is a more impressive building where you can see a lot more of Gaudí’s interior design. If you are not a fanatic of Gaudí, it is a visit you can skip in León, and frankly a bit expensive compared to other monuments.
Palacio de los Guzmanes
On the right of Casa Botines stands Palacio de los Guzmanes, a renaissance palace from the 16th century. Even if it cannot be compared with San Marcos, it became the most important palace in the city, with its four towers and gallery. In order to build it, a section of the city walls had to be demolished.
Now it is the seat of the provincial administration of León (Diputación Provincial).
If you find the door open, don’t miss the chance to enjoy its beautiful plateresque courtyard.
Plaza de San Marcelo
Casa Botines and Palacio de los Guzmanes are located in Plaza de San Marcelo, on the border of old León.
This square has another two historical buildings, in front of the fountain – the Church of San Marcelo (17th c.) and Casa de la Poridad, now the main building of the Municipality of León. This palace was built in 1584, but was heavily renovated and enlarged in the 1960s, keeping its sober renaissance style.
Calle Ancha
Calle Ancha (literally “Wide Street“) is the wider and main shopping street in León old town, full of shops both for locals and tourists, bars and restaurants.
Calle Ancha basically follows the old main street of the Roman legion camp. Nowadays, it runs from the Cathedral to Plaza de San Marcelo, dividing the old town: to its North lies the Romantic quarter (Barrio Romántico), while the Humid Quarter (Barrio Húmedo) is South.
Its architecture provides a contrast to the narrow mediaeval streets on each side, with colourful neoclassical buildings and historical cafés.
Plaza Mayor
The origins of Plaza Mayor in León can be traced to a market built in the Middle Ages next to the 11th-century Church of St. Martin.
In the 17th century, this market caught fire. Then, the current Plaza Mayor was built. Its architecture has been largely unchanged since then, so even if it is not as big as other plazas mayores in Spain, it is indeed very elegant and harmonious in style.
In a prominent place in the Plaza Mayor stands the Old City Hall, which was built attached to the apse of the old church. The square continued holding a market and social and political centre of the city.
Still now, there is a open market all Wednesdays and Saturdays, including farmers selling their produce, as well as local charcuterie and cheese.
On weekend evenings, it is one of the favourite spots for bachelor parties, for which León has become incredibly popular, because many taverns in the barrio húmedo don’t let them enter any more.
Plaza del Grano
Plaza del Grano (Grain Square) is one of the most picturesque in León. It still has a real mediaeval flair, despite some new constructions. Many visitors overlook it, as it is away from the main tourist circuit in León, in the neighbourhood of San Martín, even if it’s less than 5 minutes walking from the Plaza Mayor.
Since the Middle Ages, the grain market was celebrated here – hence the square’s name. On a side of this irregular square stands the Church of Santa María del Mercado (lit. “St. Mary of the Market”), built in the 11th c. but very reconstructed. The baroque fountain in the square represents the two rivers of León: Bernesga and Torío.
Eating in León
What to eat: typical food in León
León is a great foody destination, especially for meat and tapas lovers. Here, most taverns offer a free tapa with your drink. Usually you can choose your tapa (3 or 4 options is common) and many bars write the tapas they offer on a board outside so you know what you can get.
The good thing in León is that most places are authentic, and none for foreign tourists – no (pre-cooked) paella or other “typical Spanish food” that doesn’t belong here.
One of the most typical tapas in León are homemade crisps (patatas fritas) with a spicy sauce (spicy for Spain, so quite mild). But there are all kinds of tapas, traditional and modern, some taverns have their house specialty, and even stews served as tapa, like delicious sopas de ajo (literally “garlic soup” but actually a broth with bread previosly fried with garlic, and paprika) – also known as sopa castellana.
In Spain, when you talk of food in León, most people think first about morcilla (a blood sausage). Unlike morcilla from Burgos, made with rice, morcilla de León is made only with pig’s blood, a bit of fat, onion and a few spices. It is very soft, so it is fried (without any oil) outside of the skin.
We personally love Burgos-style morcilla, but that from León is also delicious, and it is not easy to find the real thing in other Spanish regions.
Later we will tell you where to eat the best morcilla in León and where to buy a great artisanal morcilla to cook it home when you miss it.
The Province of León is famous for its charcuterie, probably the best non-ibérico you can find (ibérico or Iberian pork is really another league, check out this post to learn more about it!). Chorizo is especially great, both fresh (should be fried, grilled or boiled) or cured. Picadillo, a signature tapa in León, is fried chorizo meat.
But the most special cold cut is certainly cecina de León (IGP). Cecina is usually cured beef, but it is also made with other animal’s meet (except pork, by definition). Cecina de chivo (goat cecina) is very appreciated and has its own IGP Cecina de Vegacervera.
Another typical product, barely known elsehwere in Spain is cured beef tongue. It is cut like a carpaccio and has the typical texture of beef tongue and a subtle flavour.
Beef sweetbreads (mollejas) are one of the most typical tapa in León, usually cooked in a stew with tomato – we prefer suckling lamb sweetbreads a la plancha, but these are certainly worth tasting too!
(Side note: actually, the best place to eat offal in Spain – and Europe, maybe the world – is Madrid, a city with a great tradition on this.)
The Province of León also grows high-quality chickpeas, lentils and beans. Neighbouring Astorga boasts its own local variety of chickpea – pico pardal – which is the base of their famous cocido maragato – a stew of chickpeas, cabbage and meat cooked together for several hours and served separately. You should know it if you’ve been to Madrid… but in León cocido is served in reverse order: first meat, then chickpeas and vegetables and finally soup.
Frog’s legs (ancas de rana) are relatively common in León (although seasonal) – the French got the fame, but they are also eating in Spain, and other countries.
We were pleasantly surprised by local wine D.O. Tierra de León, made with the local grape variety Prieto Picudo.
Red local wine is great, but in León it is very usual to order clarete – this is a wine that mixes red and white grapes, but macerated with the grape skins, like a red wine (and unlike a usual rosé). This kind of wine is sometimes unfairly considered as a low-quality wine, but we recommend you to try it!
Wine and Tapas in Barrio Húmedo
Barrio Húmedo (“Humid Quarter”) is an area of mediaeval narrow and irregular streets south of the León’s old town main street (Calle Ancha). These streets are around a square called Plaza de San Martín (usually known as “Plaza del Húmedo”), very close to Plaza Mayor.
There are many restaurants in “Plaza del Húmedo” but most of the best taverns are hidden in the narrow streets.
There are many great taverns in Barrio Húmedo but we could only try a few.
1. La Bicha (Plaza de San Martín, 5)
Our first stop is the best morcilla in León. You will eat good authentic local morcilla everywhere in León, but most locals say the best is in La Bicha, in Plaza de San Martín. If Netflix food documentaries ventured outside the large cities and came to places like León, La Bicha would be one of the stars.
In La Bicha they only serve morcilla with bread toasted on another pan with a bit of olive oil. There is also chorizo as free tapa. And it is always full.
The owner-cook-waiter is also part of the show. He is a real Leonese, and proud of it. Signs on the door make the visitor aware that here only local “km. 0” products are served (no Rioja), and while he cooks morcilla perfectly, he complains about everything he doesn’t like around (like bachelor parties or foreign music). You won’t understand a word if you are not a Spanish native speaker (and even if you are, it’s not so easy).
2. Rincón del Gaucho (Azabachería, 6): In this classic tavern they serve fantastic chips with picadillo or morcilla, but they are more famous for their sopas de ajo tapa, served in a miniature earthen pot.
3. Bar Flechazo (Platerías x Escalerilla) is known for one of the best patatas fritas (crisps) tapa in León.
4. La Rinconada (Conde Rebolledo, 1, next to Conde Luna market): if you want to taste goat cecina, you should come here. They also have a large outdoor area, not usual in Barrio Húmedo.
5. El Besugo (Azabachería, 10): this restaurant also serves tapas in the evening. Their menu includes frog’s legs, as well as many dishes to share.
Finding a free table for evening wine and tapas is really difficult on weekends! The good thing is many people drink a wine and move to the next place. Looking for a free table we ended up in…
6. Pecado Devino (Plaza de San Martín, 12): restaurant with a wide selection of wines, great food and good tapas.
Barrio Romántico
Romantic Quarter (Barrio Romántico), North of Calle Ancha, is a newer bar area, but that has already become a classic. It is also full of wine taverns and restaurants, and more space to sit outside.
The usual wine and tapas trail starts in calle Cervantes, where you can find a classic like Camarote Madrid and reaches Plaza Torres de Omaña, which is shared by the outdoor tables of several bars, and usually full. There we drank a wine in Taberna Pajarín, with a morcilla. They have free tapas, but they don’t let you choose.
La Trébede is famous for its picadillo and chips tapa. On the other side of the square, Al otro lado de la plaza, continuando hacia la muralla, se encuentra La Ribera (Fernando, G. Regueral, 8), one of the favourite bars of the Leonese in the area – here they serve classic tapas like croquetas, pork ear (oreja) or mussels.
For a coffee or a beer, El Patio is a very pleasant place, with a large garden.
Kamín
For a change, one day we decided to have lunch Kamín, a fine dining restaurant with set menus. It is located in Calle Regidores, between Calle Ancha and Conde Luna market.
As we decided shortly, it was fully booked, but we could eat à la carte on the counter, with a great view of the kitchen. It’s also a great experience!
Everything we ate was fantastic. We started with a morcilla paté, with pickled pepper and potato meringue; oyster with leche de tigre; tomato cream with tuna belly (ventresca); and one of the stars in the menu: egg bomb with piquillo pepper ketchup.
The main dishes didn’t disappoint us neither: aubergine and beef sweetbread, foie gras with plum and smoked tea infusion and squid with crispy pork ear. The dessert of raisinised strawberries, lemon and yoghourt was our favourite.
With this menu, you won’t end with a really full stomach like if you go to a traditional local meat restaurant, but it was not more expensive and we ate something very special, innovative but with a local soul.
Where to buy the best morcilla in León
It’s very difficult indeed to find artisanal authentic morcillas from León in other regions of Spain. This is why we wanted to buy real morcillas de León to bring back home, like when we went to Burgos.
You can find morcilla in many shops, but a local friend recommended us to buy Suárez morcillas. In their shop in the Conde Luna municipal market, in the city centre, they sell their own artisanal products – they also make great chorizo!
Around León
There are many interesting places to visit near León, but we really recommend you to go to Astorga, 50 km West of León (around 35 minutes driving on motorway AP-71).
Astorga is famous for its cecina, its sweets (mantecados and hojaldres) and is the home of cocido maragato – so you should certainly get some of this and eat a cocido, if it’s not too hot.
But Astorga is not only about food, it has stunning architecture – the Episcopal Palace of Antoni Gaudí (more interesting than Casa Botines in León) and the impressive Cathedral of Astorga, that displays the evolution from gothic, to renaissance to baroque (on its beautifully intricate main façade).
Palace and Cathdral are located side by side, very close to the roman city wall, heavily reconstructed during the Middle Ages.
Another popular place to visit is the beautiful Valporquero Cave, 50 km North of León.
