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Capital of Flemish Brabant province, Belgium
Photo: Mjansen at Dutch Wikipedia (Original text: Maarten Jansen), CC BY 2.0 be via Wikimedia Commons
Leuven (French: Louvain) is a flourishing and lively city of about 100,000 inhabitants (2018). It is the capital of the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It's a genuine university city which reflects in the streets. During the academic year (end of September until end of June) the city is full of young people, especially on weekdays. Sometimes it may seem that there are no other people living in the city. Summer in Leuven in general is calmer, although a lot of summer events are organised. The university that was founded in 1425 and has more than 40,000 students is the oldest Catholic university in the world. The historic centre is one of the most beautiful in Belgium.
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Stadhuis
A richly decorated Gothic building on the Grote Markt. The belfry is a .
Jachthaven
A port at the end of the canal connecting Leuven and Mechelen. In this area a lot of industrial sites are being transformed in expensive apartments. It is the home of Stella Artois beer.
Universiteitsbibliotheek
A beautiful building, a valuable collection. Also has an interesting, huge sculpture of a dead beetle (Totem, by Jan Fabre) on a needle in front of it.
St Peter’s Church is a historic parish church in Leven with origins dating back to the medieval period. The church suffered serious damage in both WW1 and WW2 and much of the current structure reflects later rebuilding. But it remains an important local landmark with connections to the area’s early Christian heritage.
The "fountain of wisdom"
The administrative centre of the K.U. Leuven.
Grand Béguinage
This beguinage, the larger of the two in the town, is a .
Sint-Geertruikerk
Sint-Geertruiabdij
The small beguinage.
Abdij van Park
1 km south of the city. On Geldenaaksebaan pass under the railroad bridge, then to the left.
Kasteel van Arenberg
A château in the suburb of Heverlee, now a campus of the University of Leuven.
Engels Militair Kerkhof
5 km south of the city
M - Museum
The city museum, at the Vanderkelenstraat, close to the Ladeuzeplein and the Bondgenotenlaan. It has a permanent collection of medieval and modern art, and regularly hosts temporary exhibitions. Tickets give you access to the museum in the cellars of the St. Peter's Church.
It has Leuven's own "statue of Liberty", a 15-metre-high statue of the Virgin Mary overlooking the city from the park surrounding the abbey.
International Documentary Film Festival scheduled for March 2027, with national and international competition in the city of Leuven. Selected films have a focus on cinematography.
End of June, beginning of July, in Werchter.
International Short Film Festival with many foreign guests and directors. Focus on the best Flemish and European short films. 27 November through 5 December 2026.
Can be practised in the city Sports Centre, with a swimming pool (including small subtropic part with slides, sauna, steambaths and jacuzzi), fitness centre, squash courts and more.
They play soccer in Pro League, Belgium's top tier. Their home ground Den Dreef (or Kingpower) (capacity 10,000) is by the ring road 1 km south of town centre.
Basketball club.
Ice hockey team.
American football team.
A nice and cheap pizza & kebab place. This place is students' mecca for its delicious and cheap pizzas!
Good food and as you would expect excellent selection of beers.
Good Belgian food (menu also in English) with tables inside and outside on the square opposite the main train station
Classic Belgian.
Very good Italian.
In an old abbey you will find a modern furnished restaurant serving excellent Belgian dishes.
for law students
for social science students
for psychology students
for economics students
for linguistics and literature students.
for the industrial engineers
Has a wide variety of Trappists, abbey beers and special beers. In the day it is a normal cosy bar, during nighttime the bar is more filled with a younger and more progressive crowd.
If you are a fan of shots, this is one of the places to be. With over hundreds of kinds of shots going from classics like a B52 to dared combinations like a Chilly Willy (drink at your own risk!), this is a perfect place to get a little buzz going. De Giraf has been mistakenly associated with a left-wing crowd but when you enter you will immediately notice that this is a sad cause of prejudice.
Very popular with college kids and high school students alike.
small home brewery and tavern, the beer they brew is only sold there for consumption.
Open on Friday and Saturday, offering theme evenings such as a gay-friendly evening every first Friday of the month. Take a taxi or a nightbus.
The Hostelling International youth hostel in Leuven. It's very modern and new, with a bar, a lounge, a terrace during the summer.
Independent backpackers hostel in the centre. Nice and cosy, small hostel. Including breakfast and free coffee/hot chocolate all day. Free Wifi Internet available. Shared and private rooms available.
Cosy hotel with relatively cheap rooms, in front of the station.
Luxurious business hotel near the Grand Béguinage. More suitable for business people.
Modern hotel about 250 m from the station. Easily accessible by car.
Cheaper hotel about 100 m from the Grand Place.
Cosy, somewhat business-like hotel about 100 m from the Oude Markt in a quiet street.
Primarily a business hotel connected to Leuven Central Station via a pedestrian bridge. Modern well furnished, reasonable breakfast. Public parking under the hotel.
Small and somewhat luxurious hotel, 100m from City Hall and the Stadsschouwburg (Theatre Hall).
Modern high quality hotel just outside the city centre, near the old market, within an old cloister.
A small, independent chocolate shop that specializes in truffles in both conventional and unconventional flavours. Cash only.
Brussels Airport in Zaventem is the main international airport in Belgium and has many direct international connections from North America, Asia and especially Africa.
Read in the guideThe city has installed several new touristic road signs and city maps at several locations, which make getting around in the city a lot easier.
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Zaventem · International · BRU
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