León, Spain: a cultural city guide Such traditions are preserved, to judge by such delightful shops as the Tripicallería Pimenton, purveyor of the kit required to make paprika-flavoured tripe sausage, which I find at 19 Azabachería Street. I honour these continuities with the dish of delicious pigs" blood stew called morcilla, which comes free in the León way with my glass of rioja at the nearby La Rinconada tapas bar. I spend the hours of siesta exploring the magnificent parador, as much a museum as a hotel, and especially the elegant cloisters and richly carved façade - all skulls and scallops - of this 16th-century monastery-hostel. Then it's back into town for the Sierra-Pambley Museum, rich in 19th-century furnishings. By now the low sun is flooding through the cathedral's great rose window. And the next lot of pilgrims are arriving to mingle with the crowds in the expanses of Plaza Mayor, and rest their blistered feet at the tables fronting its bars. It's time for more wine, and perhaps a plate of lengua curada. León essentials Brittany Ferries (0871 244 1400; brittanyferries.com) has year-round sailings from Portsmouth and Plymouth to Santander, a three-hour drive from León, from £209 per person return based on a car plus two passengers. The company also has sailings to Bilbao, where daily train services serve León. Journey time on the train is five hours. The nearest airports with direct flights from the UK (Stansted) are Asturias-Oviedo (easyjet.com) and Valladolid (ryanair.com). Both are about two hours by road from León. Many of León's attractions are free at particular times, especially weekends. Ask at either of the main tourist offices (by Plaza San Marcelo or opposite the cathedral) whether any coincide with your visit. Fees are always payable for access to the cathedral. Ask at the cathedral museum for tickets for the platform tour. There are small-group guided tours in Spanish to the excellent Sierra-Pambley Museum (Plaza de Regla, 4; sierrapambley.org) on the hour during the museum's opening hours. Go at 11am, however, when the place may well be deserted and you'll get the tour in English. An excellent local guide is Blanca Lobete (0034 669 276335; guiaslegio@hotmail.com), who offers group tours from £75. Check out the extraordinary MUSAC (musac.es), León's contemporary art museum, all blocks of stained glass and interconnected exhibition spaces. MUSAC, León's contemporary art museum The Leónese eat late, but the fact that tired and hungry pilgrims want meals earlier means it's possible for visitors to eat from 7pm at places like Taberna La Piconera. Hotel Boccalino £ Simple but pleasant and central accommodation located directly across the square from the Basilica of San Isidoro in Plaza de San Isidoro (0034 987 223060; hotelboccalino.es; doubles from £50). Parador Hostal San Marcos ££ This magnificent "museum hotel" is arranged around 16th-century cloisters and fronted by a glorious square, Plaza de San Marcos (237300; parador.es; double b & b from £112 at keytel.co.uk - search "Parador de Leon"). NH Plaza Mayor ££ A brilliantly located and boutique-cool hotel with a contemporary and excellent-value restaurant (Plaza Mayor 15-17; 344357; nh-hotels.com; doubles from £75). Taberna La Piconera £ A delightfully sited restaurant on a charmingly low-key cobbled square. It serves a pilgrims" menu - three courses and wine for £8 per head - from 7pm. Cool canteen-style interior (Sta Maria del Camino 2; 263456; piconera.com). Latino Bar £ Buzzing locals" tapas bar and restaurant in the heart of the boozy Barrio Húmedo, or Wet Quarter (Plaza San Martin 10; 261109). Has a fine setting adjacent to a riverside terrace and a menu specialising in meaty Leónese cuisine. Tasting menu £32 (bookings on 237300). Opening hours can seem short in León where everything, including the tourist offices, shuts between 2pm and 5pm; keep Spanish hours and hole up in the afternoons. Many attractions, including the León Museum and the Sierra-Pambley Museum, close on Mondays. León may be a bastion of old-style free tapas but in touristy Plaza Mayor free tapas with your drinks can mean a disappointing square of tortilla or even a bowl of crisps. Search out low-key places like La Rinconada (Conde Rebolledo 1; 987 211956) to experience authentic Leonese tapas. León has a distinct language, but one that UNESCO has warned is virtually extinct