Has anyone stayed at this parador? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also, can someone please advise on how to get there from Madrid w/o a rental car?

Thanks!

I've never been there, so beware that this is just some generic info (until someone else jumps in with more personal experience):

From Madrid to León you can take the train (3-4hrs).
For trains and tickets: www.renfe.es

The Parador seems to be very close to the station (1km says the website), so a taxi should not cost much.

Hi rhw29,

I stayed at the Parador in Leon in 2004. I loved it!!! I liked it more than the Parador in Santiago , which is supposed to be the crown jewel of the Paradores. We stayed there for 2 nights.

Unless you are planning to get a superior room in the old/original section , I would advise that you request to be placed in the annex/new section. It is connected to the old section. I found the standard rooms very comfortble. My understanding is that the standard rooms in the old section can be cramped and dark.

I traveled to Leon from Zamora by bus.
From Madrid you have these options:

Bus- check schedules at www.alsa.es
They have a Supra class bus that is nonstop and takes 3.5 hrs
Buses in Spain are very comfortable. They are great , specially if you ahve a lot of lugagge.

train- from Chamartin train station. The Alvia train takes less that 3 hours.

plane- I believe Iberia flies to an airport near Leon. Not quite sure where it is.

It is one of the best paradors in Spain, one of the gems of the chain. You won´t regret staying there. And León is a beautiful town to see and to enjoy (great cathedral, also don´t miss the "barrio húmedo" for great tapas and wines, you must visit also the basement of the San Isidoro church and its painting on the wall, then also the Médulas in the province of León,..., and so many things...)

We've also stayed several times at the León Parador, whose public rooms have recently been redecorated.

I've loved our stays there, and I would say that among the historic paradors, it's the second jewel in the Parador crown, and in several aspects (hospitality and dining) it even surpasses the Parador in Santiago. Because it is an historic monument, a national treasure, I highly recommend two nights there rather than just an overnight.

I don't know if the recent renovation included all the guest rooms-I think not-so if you don't plan to book a superior room, suite or one of the "special rooms", I would request a standard room in the annex rather than in the "parte noble". Our original room there was, as cruiseluv says, rather small and dark with worn bedspreads (our friends' room equally disappointing), so we all switched to the modern annex where the rooms are quite spacious. On our most recent stay (prior to redecorating), we stayed on the five night plan.

And we found the dining experience to be one of the best of all the many paradors that we've visited in the past 38 years.

Yes we stayed there it is a most fascinating Parador. The old part includes a chapel. One of the doormen gave us an impromtu tour which was fascinating.
I agree with Cruiseluv we stayed in the "new" wing and it was very nice.

Hi,

We stayed there about 9 days ago. Obviously, it is one of the most imposing buildings in Spain, and a very large 5-star hotel. There are two distinct sections, the old section on the new, which I thought looked like a typical American motel from the outside (our room in this section). It was very nice, I must say, and overlooked a garden. Frankly, this parador is too big for me. It has about 200 rooms, and had 5 or 6 business meetings going on (Citroen, Saab, etc), which made it less than quaint. While the courtyard is indeed spectacular, you can't get to it, merely see it through glass portals. Personally, I prefer the smaller paradors, in less known places (Santillana del Mar, Congas de Onis, Lerma). Just my thoughts.

Yes. We enjoyed our stay at this lovely parador in 2007. The city of Leon is beautiful and was one of our favorite places that we visited on our last trip to Spain.

For anyone contemplating a stay at the Parador de León, they have a special offer going on from April through July:
a limited number of standard double rooms are available, Monday through Saturday for €100 per night, and on Sunday for €110.

Since the '08 rack rate is €197.95, this represents a great deal, especially for those who don't qualify for the 30% Golden Age discount (those 60 and older) or who can't make use of the Parador 5 night plan, which in '08 costs €102.72 a night.

See all the offers, from €60-100 at
www.parador.es
(They've revamped their website)

And let's not forget to mention the fabulous breakfast. When we were there a year ago, it had the most fabulous buffet breakfast we ever had. It took four photographs just to show all of the selections. Because we were over 60 yrs. old, the breakfast came with the room. Absolutely fabulous Parador in other ways, too.

I've only stayed in about five paradors, but Leon is clearly my favorite. We loved it, and had perhaps one of the best meals anywhere in Spain in their dining room. Yes, I too liked it much better than the one in Santiago.

We drove, so can't comment on the transportation issue.

Ditto to the breakfasts! I've had breakfasts at more Paradors (in 36 years) that I want to count, and León's tops them all.

We stayed there and I loved it so much I could hardly sleep. Really, it's an incredible place and an amazing experience!

I don't know that I'd advise renting a car for this, as you might be much better off taking trains and buses. This is what we did (also went to the paradores in Salamanca, Segovia, and Avila on this trip).