Parador de Leon

This is your chance to sleep in one of Spain’s finest Renaissance buildings, famous for its lavishly sculpted Plateresque façade. Founded in the 12th century to house pilgrims, and rebuilt in the 16th century for the knights of Santiago, the parador reopened in December 2020 after a lengthy restoration.

Today it deftly combines contemporary furnishings and art with original, traditional and antique pieces. There’s a superb restaurant, gorgeous cloister and grand staircase. It’s atmospheric, arty and cosy and the place to stay in Leon if your budget stretches this far.

The parador is very peaceful, set back on a large square next to a church, overlooking the river Bernesga. Modern low-rise buildings around the Plaza San Marcos house a mix of residential, offices and shops with a fair amount of traffic, although you won’t hear it in the hotel. It’s a five-minute walk from the train station; Leon’s spectacular cathedral is an 18-minute walk away.