León is a Spanish municipality and city located in the North-west of the Iberian Peninsula, capital of the homonymous province, in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. In 2018, León had 142,439 inhabitants scattered across an area of 39,03 km2 , and an metropolitan area with 463,746 inhabitants according to the map of functional areas of the Castile-León (other projects has different results), distributed in fifteen municipalities, thus being the second more populated in this community.
León has a privileged location as centre of communications due to its localization in the Spanish Peninsula, since it is an indispensable point in the way to Galicia and Asturias.
Moreover, León, as a part of the route of the Camino de Santiago, recieves its pilgrims who enjoy this city during their way to Santiago. Everyone, either foreigner or native, is welcome.
León has landmarks of its history scattered through the entire city, especially in its historic downtown, formed by narrow streets that are designated with names of antique occupations: Platerías (silversmiths), Azabachería (smiths working with jet)… In these streets, every foreigner or native is invited to taste the local gastronomy in the form of “tapeo” (tasting several “tapas”, aperitifs that are usually served together with the drink), o something more formal such as a restaurant in the “barrio húmedo”, famously known as a place specialised in this type of gastronomy.
This city does not only show us its interesting past but also its modern side. It is formed by residential and commercial complexes and buildings realised following either modern or avant-garde style. Some of its worth-visiting monuments are: the Auditorium of Ciudad de León, the new Civic Centre of El Crucero, the headquarters of the Castile-León Council, and the Contemporary Art Museum of Castile-León (MUSAC).
León has been the birthplace of several celebrated characters in the Spanish history. The following ones are just some of them:
First, there is Antonio Gamoneda, a nationally recognized poet and winner of the Cervantes Price in 2006. Following the literary branch, there is the journalist and Antonio García Ferrreras, who is also the host of the Spanish TV show “Al Rojo Vivo”, emitted in La Sexta channel.
Secondly, in the branch concerning sports, there is the player of handball Juanín García, who played in the Ademar León team and retired by the end of the 2019 season. Carolina Rodríguez, the champion of rhythmic gymnastics of Spain and two-time Olympic athlete, is also another significant instance of a great athlete who was born in León.
Lastly, several politicians were also born in León’s province. Some of them are the former Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who presided from 2004 to 2011; and José Antonio Alonso Suárez, Minister of Defence and speaker of the Grupo Socialista partyin the Congress of Deputies.
Before travelling to León, we recommend checking the meteorological situation in the city. No matter if it is on rainy, snowy, or sunny days, León is a beautiful city for sightseeing; but it is more convenient to be prepared with the adequate clothing depending on the weather.
Normally, the business hours of the shops and services of León are from 10:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00. On Saturday afternoon, only a small number of shops are open. On Sundays and public holidays, in most of the cases, the shops in León are closed.
The shopping malls are open from Monday to Saturday and from 10:00 to 22:00. On Sundays and public holidays, they are usually closed. However, by clicking on the following link you can check the business hours in 2019 (in Spanish).
The award called “Estrella del Camino de Santiago” has been given to the city of León in the year 2018. The major of León, Antonio Silva, was the one in charge of receiving the award in the name of the city, award conceded by the oldest magazine related to the topic of tourism of Spain.
Since 2015, this award has as objective the recognition of the labour, compromise, and impact of the awarded city on the tourism sector, involving administrations, businesses, or individuals.
Urgency Services: 112
National Police: 091
Guardia Civil (Spanish military police): 062
Information of León’s City Hall: 983 89 55 00
León’s code: 987
