Culture and Landmarks

• Visit the historic centre, the University buildings and the St. Peters Church on the Grand Place. Information and guided tours can be found at the Tourist Information Desk.

• Visit the Grand Béguinage, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Easily reachable by bus.

• You can go to the new city Museum with a combination of modern art and work from the past centuries. Close to the Ladeuzeplein, in the Vanderkelenstraat. Artworks can also be seen in the St. Peter's Church and City Hall.

• Leuven has a cultural organization called 30CC that organizes all kinds of cultural activities around the year, for example in the City Theater on the Bondgenotenlaan. Less frequent during Summer.

• A City Tour Bus leaves for sightseeing around the city from the Fochplein, situated right next to the Grand Place and City Hall.

Summer Events

• Visit the summer events Beleuvenissen (Every Friday in July), Hapje Tapje (First Sunday of August) and Leuven Kermis (Leuven Carnival) (September).
  • Beleuvenissen is a musical and cultural festival on the squares in the city centre.
  • Hapje Tapje is the one day in the year all bars and restaurants put stalls outside to promote their goods.
  • Leuven Kermis is a carnival situated on the Ladeuzeplein and the Hooverplein (just next to it).

• Visit the Jaarmarkt (Year Market) the first Monday of September: The entire city centre is transformed into one big market. Cattle is also sold in the streets surrounding the Sint-Jacobsplein, 500m from the Grand Place, which is quite the spectacle. Schools in Leuven are closed for this occasion, so expect a lot of visitors.

Green

• Have a pick-nick in the Sint-Donatuspark in the city centre, 50m from the Ladeuzeplein.

• Visit the Kruidtuin [3] or botanical garden on the Kapucijnenvoer, a side-street of the Brusselsestraat. The garden was founded in 1738 and is the oldest in Belgium.

• Make a walk or have a bike ride in Meerdaalwoud or Heverleebos, the green lungs of the city in the suburbs Heverlee and Oud-Heverlee easily reachable by bike or bus (15 minutes). Many good walking paths. Some parts of the forest are still untouched. A good starting point are the "Zoete Waters" - a series of small lakes in Oud-Heverlee. Take bus line 337 at the Train Station and ask the driver to tell you when you've reached your destination.

• Take a boat trip down the Vaart, the Leuven-Mechelen channel. Step aboard in the small port in Northern Leuven, 500m from the railway station.

Markets

• Visit the market every Friday on the Ladeuze- and Hooverplein, flea market every Saturday in the vicinity of the Grand Place (Mechelsestraat), and flower market in the pedestrian-only part of the Brusselsestraat (the street leading away from the Grand Place), every Saturday as well.

• Visit the Christmas market [4] and shop for Christmas gifts, taste local specialties and drink a glass of Glühwein or brandy. Annually in December (2009: 11-20 December) on the Ladeuze- and Hooverplein.

Other

• Visit Inbev's main Belgian beer factory (Vaartstraat 94, ph 0032 (0)16 247 111, fax 0032 (0)16 247 497), which produces such famous names as Stella Artois, Vieux Temps and Leffe Radieuse.

• Sports can be practiced in the city Sports Centre [5], with a swimming pool (including small subtropic part with slides, sauna, steambaths and jacuzzi), fitness centre, squash courts and more.

• Cheer on the Leuven teams:
  • Oud-Heverlee Leuven Football Club [6]
  • Spotter Leuven Basketball Club [7]
  • Leuven Chiefs Icehockey Team [8]

You can get more information about these sites and more at the Tourist Information Desk, situated on the Grand Place, near City Hall.

• Gothic City Hall (Stadhuis) on the Grote Markt
• The small port of Leuven (Jachthaven)
• University Library (Universiteitsbibliotheek) on the Ladeuzeplein
• Fonske, the "fountain of wisdom", on the Fochplein.
• Lakenhal, administrative centre of the K.U.Leuven.
• Beguinage, UNESCO world heritage. (Begijnhof)
• Park abbey [2] (Parkabdij); 3km east of the city by the Geldenaaksebaan
• Collegium Trilingue, near the Vismarkt
• The Law Court, in the Rijschoolstraat. (Gerechtshof)
• St.Peter's Church, UNESCO world heritage on the Grote Markt (Sint-Pieterskerk)
• Castle of Arenberg, in the suburb of Heverlee (Kasteel van Arenberg)
• British Military Cemetery De Jacht (Engels Militair Kerkhof); 5km east of the city
• Old Market, filled with bars and restaurants (Oude Markt)
• Botanical Garden (Kruidtuin)
• War Monument for those who have fallen in WWI and WWII, on the Martelarenplein.
• M, the new city museum, opened on 20 September 2009. It is located in the Vanderkelenstraat, close to the Ladeuzeplein and the Bondgenotenlaan. The first exhibition will be about the painter Rogier Van der Weyden.

By plane

Land at Brussels International Airport, which services Europe, America, Africa and Asia. The airport is quite busy and also has a lot of low-cost carriers.

There is a train and bus station on the Airport itself - follow the signs! The Airport Express Train to Brussels leaves every 30 minutes, but there are direct trains to Leuven as well, every half hour on weekdays and every hour in the weekend. Taxis wait at the arrivals area.

Travel time to Leuven is about 20' by car (with little traffic) and 13' by train.

More low-cost carriers arrive at Brussels South Charleroi Airport but travel time to Leuven is considerably longer (1,5h). You can purchase a special train ticket for € 20 that will enable you to take the bus from Charleroi airport to Charleroi railway station, and from there on to every Belgian train station. There is no direct train link between Leuven and Charleroi; you have to change trains in Brussels. More information on the airport's website.

By car

Leuven can be conveniently reached by car. The E40 highway runs from Brussels via Leuven to Liège, whereas the E314 highway links Leuven with the province of Limburg and with Maastricht and Aachen, at about 1 hour distance. The city has recently installed a Parking Guidance System that guides you to the larger parkings in the city centre. Look for the electronic signs on the city ring road.

It is advised not to start looking for a free parking spot on the street, since it's expensive and the many one-way streets can be a real maze when you're driving.

Note that the speed limit in and around the city is 50 km/h, or 30 km/h in certain areas. Your chances of getting a ticket when crossing the speed limit even slightly, are close to 100%, especially on the ring road.

By train

Leuven's railway station is one of the busiest of Belgium. There are frequent direct trains to and from:

• Brussels International Airport (13 minutes)
• Brussels (Brussels North: 18 minutes; Brussels Central: 24 minutes; Brussels Zuid/Midi: 30 minutes)
• Mechelen (20 minutes), Lier and Antwerp (50 minutes)
• Ghent (1 hour) and Bruges (1 hour 20 minutes)
• The Flemish coast, with trains to Ostend, Knokke and Blankenberge (1 hour 30 minutes) and De Panne (2 hours and 30 minutes)
• Aalst, Sint-Niklaas and Kortrijk to the West
• Tienen, Sint-Truiden, Hasselt, Genk and Tongeren to the East
• Eupen (1 hour 30 minutes) in the eastern part of Wallonia
• Nivelles and Soignies in the western part of Wallonia
• Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, where there is an assured connection with the train to Namur and Luxembourg

Almost all cities can be reached by train through the Brussels North or Brussels Zuid/Midi hub. Thalys and Eurostar trains depart from Brussels Zuid/Midi.

By bus

There are bus lines from the cities around Leuven (Brussels, Tienen, Aarschot, Mechelen, Diest and Wavre), but connections by train are usually faster and cost about the same. Buses are sometimes faster if you want to go to Campine region.

By taxi

Licensed taxi's have yellow-and-blue (or the older red-and-white) colors on top. They can be found mostly at the airport. One-way to Leuven usually takes 20' (if traffic isn't dense) and costs about €55.

The city has recently installed several new touristic road signs and city maps at several locations, which make getting around in the city a lot easier. Don't be afraid to ask people on the street for information, as they are usually very open and helpful towards tourists - some will even walk you to your destination.

Public transportation

The public transport company De Lijn has a number of bus lines through Leuven. Centre of their network is the Train Station and the stop at the Fochplein. Since distances are not that big, you won't really need public transport unless you're going to Meerdaalwoud, Heverleebos, Campus Arenberg' or the hospital Gasthuisberg. There is no subway or tram line.

On foot

When arriving in Leuven by train, walk to the Martelarenplein in front of the Station and walk down the Bondgenotenlaan in order to get to the city centre: the Grote Markt (Grand Place) where the tourist information desk is situated. Discover the rest of the historic city centre from there. Note that you can also take the Diestsestraat, which is a pedestrian-only street.

By bike

The city has many special areas for cyclers and most - but not all (beware of police controls) - 1-way roads can be accessed in both ways for cycles. It's very easy and comfortable. Make sure to lock your bike to a fixed object or the bike will be stolen, it's sort of a sport among students.You can also rent bicycles. More information at the Tourist Information Desk (near City Hall).

By thumb

In the city centre, it will prove quite difficult to get around by thumb, since most streets and squares are car-free. If you want to thumb out of the city, pick a spot on the city ring road and hope for a quick pick-up. Be advised most traffic is local or headed for Brussels. The Koning Boudewijnlaan is a good spot as well, since it leads to the offramp to the E40 (Brussels-Liège) and the E314 (Limburg).

Remember to hold up a sign with your final destination, as most people will not 'just' pick up hitchhikers.

By taxi

Licensed taxi's can be identified by the blue-and-yellow/red-and-white symbol and can be found near the Fochplein and the Martelarenplein. Although you probably won't need one, given the perfect railway connection, they're probably the easiest way to get to the Airport, for example at night.

Shopping in Leuven is easy: you can pick one of the two main roads both starting at the Train Station and ending at the Grand Place, near City Hall and St. Peter's Church. Stores usually close around 6pm, and at 8pm on Thursday. Supermarkets are usually open until 8pm, 9pm on Friday.

• The Diestsestraat is the most important shopping street in Leuven. It has been recently changed to be for pedestrians only for the total length of the street (about 1km!). This street also has two small shopping malls, one of them housing the Kinepolis movie theatres.

• Look for smaller shops around the Brusselsestraat, Mechelsestraat and the Parijsstraat.

• The Bondgenotenlaan also features a lot of shops, but is also the main road between the railwaystation area and the centre.

• Leuven has a lot of clothing stores, jewellers, some fine bookshops and of course a few chocolatiers where you can buy genuine Belgian Chocolate.

• Seasonal sales provide discounts up to 70% in January and July. Expect the city to be extremely busy, especially on week-ends.

In general, you'd have to really make an effort to find a horrible meal in Leuven. Almost all restaurants are tasty and relatively cheap, given the student population.

• There are many good eateries and a great atmosphere (eating outside during the Summer is a can't-miss!) in the Muntstraat, very different styles from classical French Belgian cuisine to Mexican, Italian, Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese. Consult the brand new website for more information.

• More common, bigger restaurants can be found right next to City Hall on the Grand Place.

• The area around the Oude Markt (Old Market) and Parijsstraat has many smaller restaurants and bars, the Old Market is sometimes jokingly called the longest bar in Europe.

• The Martelarenplein houses a lot of restaurants and bars just a stone's throw away from the railway station.

• Look for cheaper restaurants on the Old Market, as that's where the student population mostly enjoys their meal.

• Try fresh North Sea Mussels, during their season (roughly August-March). Every year, you'll see the big signs announcing their arrival in front of many restaurants.

• Many Belgians enjoy french fries and snacks in a Frietkot if they're looking for a quick and cheap bite. Don't leave Belgium until you've tried it!

Smoking is not allowed in restaurants.

In Belgium, the legal drinking age in bars and cafe's is 16 for beers and 18 for spirits.

Festivals

Attend the nearby and world renowned Rock Werchter [12] music festival in late June/early July, or Marktrock [13] in the city centre, around August 15th.

Bars and Clubs

Leuven is truly a beer city, with the world's largest brewery Inbev being founded here. Try the many tasty beers, but beware, some have much higher alcohol levels than in the rest of the world! Bars are mostly entrance-free and prices are relatively low.

• You can visit the many bars around the Old Market every night, but expect a lot more ambiance on Wednesday and Thursday during the Academic Year, when the student population is in the city (late September - early December and early February - end of May).

• The area around the Tiensestraat, where there are bars owned by student organisations:

• Huis der Rechten [14] for law students
• Politika [15] for political scientists
• Pavlov [16] for psychology students
• Dulci for economics students,
• Fak Letteren for arts students
• Délibéré for the industrial engineers

Other bars filled with young people LaPaz, The Seven Oaks[17], Ron Blacks [18]. You can find drinks at very low rates here.

• Domus small homebrewery and tavern, the beer they brew is only sold there for consumption.

Most parties take place in clubs in the city centre (and require a small entrance fee, €2-€4):

• Der Machine (Naamsestraat, 100m from City Hall)
• Lido (Bogaardenstraat, right next to the Ladeuzeplein)
• Musicafé (Muntstraat)
• Albatros (Brusselsestraat, 100m from City Hall)

Larger venues are situated outside the city centre, and have a slightly higher entrance fee (€5-€9) and drinks cost a bit more.

• Club Silo, near the small port of Leuven, about 1,5km from the Station. Lively all year long on Friday and Saturday.

• Club Room, about 8km from the city centre in the suburb Herent. 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.