Our Leonese guide will make you discover the most Monumental Lion, a guided tour that combines two of our most important monuments, such as the Convent of San Marcos de León and the Basilica of San Isidoro.
In the first part, you will know its history, the artists who built and decorated them, the famous people who inhabited it, the multiple uses it had after the expulsion of the friars in the 19th century, its curiosities and legends, as well as the treasures that he still keeps this convent. Being today, the National Tourism Parador, its façade is a majestic work of the Spanish Renaissance.
And in a second part, the Basilica of San Isidoro, awaits us after a beautiful walk to the historic center. It was chosen as a place of eternal rest by a good number of members of the Leonese royal family whose bodies rest in the Royal Pantheon where the best set of Romanesque paintings in Spain is preserved, known as the “Sistine Chapel of the Romanesque”.
In addition, you will be able to discover ancient stories and legends linked to this monastery, as well as why the one known as the Chalice of Doña Urraca is considered by some researchers as the “Holy Grail”.
Book this tour now and live a unique and unrepeatable experience!
Under the watchful eye of our pilgrim, we will begin the visit to the outside where a spectacular facade will tell us about the most important characters that were related to this convent. Walk through the same rooms that Fernando el Católico, Quevedo or Arias Montano did, among others.
A few meters away, is the entrance to the Museum of León, which houses this building, where we will see several inscriptions, tombstones and tombs of Roman or medieval origin mainly; the old chapter house, one of the largest spaces in the convent; the spectacular cloister, a space conceived with a double function, and the Treasury Room, where several highly valuable pictorial pieces belonging to the San Marcos convent are preserved.
We will walk through the Ensanche de León, a neighborhood with wide streets and avenues that emerged at the end of the 19th century and developed well into the 50s of the 20th century. During this tour we will stop at some of the most interesting buildings, such as The Trade Union Building, The Ceremonies House, the Monument to the Immaculate and the Julio del Campo Schools.
We will continue the visit in the Plaza de San Isidoro, next to the source of the Lion. First we will explain the famous Façade of the Lamb, built in the 12th century and from which we will access the interior of the church. We will walk through the temple to discover some of the curiosities and treasures that it keeps, such as the great altarpiece from the 16th century, the Santo Martino chapel or the relics of San Isidoro de Sevilla. Once again outside, we will see the interesting cover of the Forgiveness that only opens in the Jacobean years and the great late-Gothic chevet built in the 16th century.
We will continue our journey discovering the baroque façade of the Palace of the Viscounts of Quintanilla or the monument to Las Cabezadas and the reason for such an interesting festival of medieval origin. We will cross Calle del Sacramento to access the carriage yard of the Monastery of San Isidoro, where we will be able to see, among other elements, the monumental façade of the disappeared Palacio de los Quirós, executed in the seventeenth century and which was rebuilt stone by stone on the spot. that it occupies today. We will continue our walk through the Plaza de Santo Martino, where the monumental statue of King Alfonso IX of León is located, under whose auspices the courts of 1188 were held, or the baroque church of Los Descalzos.
Then, after seeing the remains of the canal that supplied water and fish to the inhabitants of the monastery, we will walk along Ramón y Cajal street next to the cubes of the Roman wall, on which the monastery sits and the famous Torre del Gallo, point where we will conclude the visit after learning about the curious vicissitudes and legends that surround the enigmatic figure, a large metal rooster that crowns the tower.
Visits start on time, if you are late or cannot come, please call us in advance so as not to make other people wait or for others to occupy your place.
From LEONESA TOURS we want to convey the great passion and respect that we have for our CITY, and for this reason we are committed to having excellent TOURISM QUALITY and RESPONSIBLE TOURISM in all our guided tours, by the hand of OFFICIAL TOURISM GUIDES, perfectly accredited, authorized and identified according to the current legislation of our country.
It is suitable for all audiences, since it is carried out in perfectly conditioned areas.
The reservation is on our website and the payment is through the REDSYS online payment platform, so you will receive a confirmation email when making the purchase.
Cancellation free of charge can be made by email up to 24 hours before the activity. If you cancel with less time, arrive late or do not show up, no refund will be offered (you can consult our purchase conditions if you have any questions or you can call us).rnrnThe visit requires a minimum of 6 adults for its completion. If not, we propose a change of dates, schedule or cancellation.
The start of the visit is in the Plaza de San Marcos, at the height of the statue of El Peregrino. Our guides will go with a RED umbrella / jacket with our company name, Leonesa Tours (Guided Tours).
In the green tab, to book a route now, you must select the date and the time set for that day will appear. For other languages, dates and times, you will need to book a private tour.
The visit is in SPANISH, if you want to do it in ENGLISH OR ITALIAN, check rates through our form.
The visit does not include the entrance to the Museum of San Isidoro, which will be free for customers, since guided tours of the interior are not allowed. We recommend the use of headphones to listen to the radio guide with a QR code that is provided with the purchase of the ticket.
On the day of the visit, you will receive an invoice as proof of the payment made, in which all our tax data will come. All our visits include VAT.
The visit is carried out with a system of individual radio guides throughout the tour, completely disinfected before use with specific products following the recommendations of the Ministry of Health.
The use of the mask is mandatory to be able to do the guided tour in the places that require it.
The interpersonal safety distance will be maintained throughout the tour.
We will facilitate payment by other means (through our website with credit card and mobile devices with Bizum).
