Like so many great cities in Europe, León was founded by the Romans. With a history going back to antiquity, León has a large amount of richly cultural things to see, and delicious nourishment to eat and drink. Here is the must-have travel guide for the Spanish city of León.

AEGEE-León

1. Get Your Private Tour Guide… Sort of

Before you visit the city, try contacting AEGEE-León’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/aegeeleon/. Depending on availability, our members might be able to give you some tips or (digital) assistance for booking your trip or for when you are discovering León.

2. Meet Isidore and Marc

Two of the main attractions in Leon are the Basilica of San Isidoro de León and Convento de San Marcos. The former is built on the site of an ancient Roman temple during the early tenth century as part of the monastery of Saint John the Baptist. In 1063, the church was rededicated to Saint Isidore of Seville. The San Marcos also used to be a monastery, before becoming an actual dungeon during the Spanish Civil War. Nowadays the building has become a hotel.

3. Get Ready to Walk (and Party)

The Barrio Húmedo, or ‘wet district’, is the nickname for both the ancient centre of León, surrounded by the still largely intact roman walls, and the relatively large number of bars and clubs that are packed closely together between these same walls. The Barrio Húmedo; visit it during the day, and during the night; visit the Barrio Húmedo.

León Cathedral

4. History? I Prefer the Present

The Museum of Modern Art; or, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MusAC), is one of the most recognisable buildings in all of León because of its avant-garde architecture. The building is covered in brightly coloured, rectangular panels and only hosts art from the latest generation of artists, meaning art from the last twenty to thirty years.

5. But Wait, There Are More… Churches

If you are in the mood for seeing another church, then this one will blow your mind. The Santa Maria de León, also known as ‘the House of Light’, is the city’s gothic cathedral. It looks like they built a tall building on a bridge that is adjacent by two towers, and, unlike the San Isidoro, this one is built on the site of a Roman bath house.

La Candamia

6. Mucho Mosto

When you are in León you have to try ‘mosto’, a sweet, non-alcoholic kind of grape juice. It is made from pressed grapes before they are converted into wine, but, depending on the grape, it might taste a bit like apple juice. It can be served chilled with a slice of orange and an olive, or bought in a store. Enjoy.

7. Nature

You should try to visit ‘La Candamia’, a park next to the Torío river on the outskirts of León. It is possibly the best location in the city for recreation, relaxation, and, if you climb all the way up the mountain, for the best views of León.

8. Barter Much?

If you are in León on a Saturday, it is really worthwhile to go to Plaza Mayor and visit some of our local markets, surrounding the square.

Tapas

It is a relaxing way to spend (part of) your day, strolling down the streets, browsing or maybe buying some products.

9. Spare Some Cheese?

Would you like try some good food? Have you, however, only ordered a drink? Do you like free stuff? Then why not try some of our world famous ‘tapas’. It comes free with every drink you order; every drink… it is literally FREE food. What are you waiting for, come to León.

Written by Laura Pérez, AEGEE-León

If you want to tell 10 things to do, eat and visit in your city (even where there is no AEGEE), you can fill in this form or contact us at aegeean@aegee.org. Let’s create a small travel guide for AEGEE people!

Mark your calendar! From the 7th to the 11th of September you should really be in Leon for the AEGEE Idea Factory/Planning Meeting. The Spanish Local, in fact, will host this strategic event for our organisation. What is an AEGEE Idea Factory/Planning Meeting? It’s the moment when the Strategic Plan 2017-2020 will be drafted and new topics, those the association will be working on for the next three years, will be discussed. If you are already intrigued by the idea, read the interview with AEGEE-Leon and wait for the Open Call, which is coming soon. 

The AEGEEan: Why did you decide to apply?

We are one of the strongest antennas in this moment, with members in European level, huge knowledge of Action Agenda and in organising big events. And what can be better than a Planning Meeting to show that to the entire Network? Moreover, this is a great opportunity for us to open León to the whole Europe! Since we’ve already opened Europe to León, we’re sending at least ten members to the last statutory events.

What were you doing when the Comité Directeur delivered you the news?

In May, we were attending the LTC 2 when Álvaro noticed that we received an email from the Comité Directeur. We ran to read it, and we celebrated the positive result! But we had to be quiet so that members of other antennae that attended it could not discover the news… it was a secret until Agora Bergamo!

Present your local.

AEGEE-León is one of the most active antennae. Yes, that’s a cliche, BUT WE REALLY ARE! Imagine, we have been participating in the EVS program for five years now, hosting two volunteers per year and sending an average of three people from Leon to Europe per year. We were the last best SU before the “tirany” of Catania and we had organised a SUPS, NWM, and big and important events for our region, (for more than 100 hundred people!) we focused in the AA last year, with a lot of activities and workshops that fulfil it. We work a lot with the Erasmus + programme, sending each year more members to youth exchanges and training courses than to summer universities. We have around 130 members, among which there are some who have positions in the European level. We weekly organise activities for international students and for local members, both “social” and “serious” events.

Who will be in the core team? Have you already decided?

In our fantastic Core Team there are the following lions: team of coordinators, Sergio Nistal and Álvaro Nieto. Then, we also count on the big experience of members such as Alejandro M. Moya and Marcos Mato, and the great motivation of other members such as Cristina de la Parte, Genoveva García, Andrés Diez, Mario González and Enric Baltasar. Maybe we will include some more good people.

Tell us three things that make your local special.

– We work a lot with the Erasmus + programme. We currently have two Italian EVS volunteers that work for us to make events, manage the daily tasks and find and write Erasmus + projects.

– We are probably the most active antenna in the region even though our city is the smallest one!

– We have a special link with international students who let us be in contact with people of other cultures, be able to help them and know other points of view.

And now three things that make your city special.

– For sure the awesome architecture of the city! It has a lot of history, having been a Roman installment, capital of a medieval kingdom and now capital of a province.

– Tapas!! In León they put food with your drink for FREE, and really huge tapas! You cannot miss it, (is NOT like any city you have ever been, here we have real big tapas for free) for five euros we can have dinner and even get drunk! 

-The campus of the University of León is very good for this event because we will be able to go everywhere on foot. Everything is near!!

Can you give us already some sneak peaks of what we will see once there?

Even though the whole city is amazing, the most famous monument is the gothic Santa María de León Cathedral, probably the most beautiful one! It is really impressive when you see it for the first time, the second time, the third time… even old Leonese people still say so. You will also visit San Marcos and San Isidoro, which are two incredible monuments of the city you will fall in love with!

Stay tuned for the Open Call!

Written by Erika Bettin, AEGEE-Verona

Geographically, León is one of the most diverse provinces in the whole of Spain. On one hand, it is filled with high mountains (covered in snow during winter), steep cliffs and valleys sheltering lakes and gorges. On the other hand, it is blessed with flat plains watered by León’s rivers and streams which provide herds with pastures, and farmers with land to plant cereal crops.

Towards the north-east, nearby the border with Galicia, the province of León is characterized by its rolling countryside where round mountains covered in forests and picturesque villages can be easily found. I strongly believe that tiny cities provide certain amounts of magic and mystery everywhere. I like León; I like what it offers for those who come from outside its frontiers. Let yourself be conquered by an old university town retaining its past whilst looking to the future. Leon has Roman origins. It’s standing as an encampment city, which was consolidated with the definitive settlement of the Legio VII Gemina from 74 AD. The historical relevance of León is evident from 910 due to its active fighting in the Reconquista. Since then, centuries of history have been paraded through its streets.

Its status as a main town in the way of Saint James makes it a receptive point of tourism, both national and international. From almost any point in the city you can contemplate our French Gothic style cathedral. Its stained glasses are the most beautiful I have ever seen. There are many legends lying behind its walls.

Next to it, we have the Basilica of San Isidoro, tomb of medieval kings, and considered worldwide as the Sistine Chapel of Romanesque. You ought to visit the monastery of San Marcos. It was built thanks to an altruist financial donation by Ferdinand the Catholic. Nowadays, it is used as a hotel and as a museum. Its uses have varied throughout history. Francisco de Quevedo suffered imprisonment and wrote some of his most famous novels at this monastery.

Their bows are inspired by the shapes of the cathedral. Another most interesting fact about León is that among all the museums it has, the MUSCA holds with contemporary art expositions.

León is not only famous for its art, but also for its Eastern festivity, during which the city is full of people from all over the world. There’s the tradition named “killing jews”, also known as going to drink lemonade with friends. If you come to León just be sure to taste our “tapas”. If you are fond of eating, you’ll fall in love with León and its gastronomy. ‘Morcilla’, Valdeón cheese or trout soup are some of its delicatessen … And of course, we can’t not mention our stunning local wines: Prieto Picudo, Impresiones… Apart from everything mentioned above, León is more than a city full of amazing art during the day, and crazy parties at nights. It’s a different plan every weekend. It is a paradise to rediscover each morning. You should get yourself lost in ‘Picos de Europa’. Discover Boñar and the best wildlife museum in the world; Oseja Sajambre, Posada de Valdeón and their traditions and people. Enjoy the flora and fauna of this north-west land. Take a trip to Astorga. Be impressed by Gaudí Palace and share with your friends a ‘maragato stew’. Scrumptious.

Visit Ponferrada. Go to Babia. Check first hand why it was the heaven rest of the Catholic Kings.

And the most important thing: Enjoy every second you spend in our city. A visit of a lifetime.

Written by Ruth San José Blasco, AEGEE-León