León

León is where the Camino pauses to catch its breath.

Roughly halfway along the Francés, some 300 kilometres from Santiago, this is the first true city many pilgrims reach on foot — and it feels like one. The Gothic cathedral of Santa María rises over the old town, its walls holding one of the finest collections of medieval stained glass in Europe. Step inside at midday, when the light comes through, and you understand why pilgrims have stopped here for a thousand years.

León is also where many walkers take their first rest day. The legs that carried you over the Pyrenees and across the Meseta have earned it. Spend the afternoon wandering the Barrio Húmedo, where the tapas bars spill onto narrow streets, or sit quietly in the Royal Pantheon of San Isidoro, its Romanesque frescoes still vivid after nine centuries.

Staying in León means choosing between the pilgrim albergues near the route and the small hotels and pensions of the old town — 61 places to stay are listed below, with addresses, prices, seasons and booking. In summer the city fills with both pilgrims and tourists, so booking ahead is wise.

From here the Way climbs toward the mountains of León and Galicia — Astorga, Rabanal, the Cruz de Ferro, Ponferrada — and the second half of the journey begins. Buen Camino.