León

No reviews yetCity Guanajuato, Mexico

The Plaza de los Mártires is framed by arcades on three sides and sits beside the Municipal Palace, León, Guanajuato

The Triumphal Arch of the Calzada de los Héroes dates from 1893 and carries a bronze lion, León, Guanajuato

The Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús is a neo-Gothic sanctuary begun in 1920, León, Guanajuato

The Templo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles was built at the end of the eighteenth century, León, Guanajuato

About León

León is the largest city in the state of Guanajuato and an industrial powerhouse of the Bajío region. Known throughout Mexico as the country's leather and footwear capital, it has a busy, practical character, with a compact colonial center surrounded by modern districts. Its location makes it a natural hub for exploring the nearby colonial towns of central Mexico.

The Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Luz anchors the historic center, and nearby Plaza de los Mártires faces the Palacio Municipal, surrounded by arcades and cafés. The Arco de la Calzada, a triumphal arch topped by a lion, marks the start of the Calzada de los Héroes, a long promenade. A towering neo-Gothic church that took generations to finish has catacombs open below its nave, and several older churches dot the historic center. Leather shoppers head to the shoe and leather districts around town. Families enjoy the Parque Metropolitano, home to an international hot-air balloon festival each November, the Explora Centro de Ciencias science museum, and the Zoológico de León. The Museo de Arte e Historia de Guanajuato covers regional culture.

León suits business travelers, shoppers, and families. Many use it as a base for Guanajuato City and San Miguel de Allende. The dry season is most pleasant.

Best seasonOctober to April for dry weather; November for the balloon festival, January for the city's annual fair.

Ideal stayTwo days covers the center and shopping, more if using it as a regional base.

ArrivingThe Bajío international airport between León and Silao is the main gateway; buses link to Mexico City.

WiserMap travel guideLeón Mexico Leather Shopping and the Balloon FestivalPlan León Guanajuato: Basilica Cathedral, Expiatorio, Parque Metropolitano, shoe and leather shopping, guacamayas, the balloon festival and easy bus links.Read the guide

What to See in León: 12 Favorites

Landmarks 3

Plaza de los Mártires de León

León's main square takes its full name, Plaza de los Mártires del 2 de Enero, from townspeople killed on 2 January 1946, when troo...

Palacio Municipal de León

Facing the main square, León's city hall occupies part of a former colonial-era seminary college; after serving as a barracks duri...

Arco de la Calzada de los Héroes

The triumphal arch at the head of the Calzada de los Héroes is León's best-known symbol, raised in the 1890s for the anniversary o...

Churches 3

Catedral Basílica de Nuestra Señora de la Luz

The Jesuits began this church in the mid-18th century, but after their expulsion from New Spain in 1767 work stalled for decades,...

Templo Expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús

Few churches in Mexico took longer to finish: work on this neo-Gothic temple began in 1921 and continued for roughly nine decades,...

Templo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles

Tucked into the streets of the historic centre, this modest-sized church rewards a close look at its facade, crowded with sculpted...

Parks 2

Parque Metropolitano de León

Spreading around the Presa El Palote reservoir on the northern edge of the city, the Parque Metropolitano is León's great green lu...

Zoológico de León

Opened in 1979 in the north of the city and run by the municipality, the zoo has a walk-through African safari zone, a large rapto...

Museums 2

Explora Centro de Ciencias

León's interactive science centre sits in a park on Boulevard Francisco Villa, with galleries where children and adults test the p...

Museo de Arte e Historia de Guanajuato

The anchor museum of the Forum Cultural Guanajuato, a modern arts complex that also holds the state library and the Teatro del Bic...

Shopping 1

Plaza del Zapato and Plaza Piel

León has been Mexico's footwear and leather capital for generations, and these two shopping centres are the easiest way into that...

Events 1

Festival Internacional del Globo

Every November since 2002, León has hosted one of Latin America's largest hot-air balloon festivals at the Parque Metropolitano be...

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Photo credits

Photo: Own work, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lin Mei from Los Angeles, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Germanpm, Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Photo: PabloBWV, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tomascastelazo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Unknown author, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5

Photo: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/annagrajales/, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Xiuhcoatl Xiuhuitl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Luisalvaz, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: PabloBWV, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Comisión Mexicana de Filmaciones from México D. F., México, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lin Mei from Los Angeles, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Own work, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lin Mei from Los Angeles, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Own work, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Lin Mei from Los Angeles, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Rakam0, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Nheyob, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Gabriela Merino Gutierrez, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: josma, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: Roberto Peña from León, Guanajuato., México, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: josma, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0

Photo: DUNCAN KIRK from Coeur d'Alene, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mizael Contreras, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: PabloBWV, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Xiuhcoatl Xiuhuitl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Tomascastelazo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Xiuhcoatl Xiuhuitl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0