The Grote Markt and the Gothic town hall
30 minAll agesDog-friendlyAll year
Square · 30 min · free · Gothic facade with 236 statues · interior closed for works until 2029
From BrusselsTrain · about 25 min
From the airportTrain · about 15 min
Library tower€10 · free up to 12
Minimum timeHalf a day
Best timeApr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
What to do
What to do in Leuven
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
The University Library and its tower
1 hAll agesAll year
Tower and exhibition · 1 h · €10 · €5 students · free under 12 · carillon
From €10
How to do it
The Great Beguinage (Groot Begijnhof)
1 hAll agesDog-friendlyAll year
Walk · 1 h · free · a whole district of brick houses beside the Dijle · World Heritage
Itineraries
Itineraries that pass through
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Leuven, step by step
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
When to go to Leuven
During term time, from September to June, the city is full of students and life. In July and August it is quieter and the Oude Markt belongs to visitors. Spring and early autumn are the best months for walking around.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
How you travel
Leuven your way
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Flight to Brussels and train to Leuven
Leuven is a quarter of an hour by train from Brussels-Zaventem airport, which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and other Spanish cities. It is a good first or last night of the trip: quiet, cheaper than the capital and with direct trains to the terminal. From Charleroi, bus to Brussels and train.
- Getting thereBrussels-Zaventem (BRU): direct train to…
- Getting aroundOn foot from the station…
- Where to sleepMartin's Klooster, four stars beside…
- ServicesLeuven station
Getting there
- Brussels-Zaventem (BRU): direct train to Leuven, about 15 minutes
- Charleroi (CRL): shuttle to Bruxelles-Midi and train to Leuven
Getting around
- On foot from the station along the Bondgenotenlaan
- By bike, like the students
Where to sleep
- Martin's Klooster, four stars beside the Dijle
- Leuven City Hostel, next to the Ladeuze square
Services
- Leuven station
- Visit Leuven tourist office
Leuven by train and on foot
Leuven is the shortest day trip from Brussels and the easiest without a car: about 25 minutes by train and a compact centre that can be walked from the station.
80–170 €per person per day, approximate
- Where to sleepMartin's Klooster, in a convent…
- Getting aroundTrain from Brussels or the…
- Where to eatDomus, open all day Friday…
- ServicesLeuven station
Where to sleep
- Martin's Klooster, in a convent beside the river
- Leuven City Hostel, beds from €22
Getting around
- Train from Brussels or the airport
- On foot: station, Grote Markt, Oude Markt and beguinage
Where to eat
- Domus, open all day Friday to Sunday
Services
- Leuven station
- Visit Leuven tourist office
How much does it cost?
People2
Nights3
Who you're with
Leuven for whoever you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Leuven with children
Leuven is small, flat and quiet, and works well with children in half a day. The best for them is the library tower, free up to age 12, and running through the streets of the Great Beguinage.
- What works bestThe University Library tower, with…
- Where to sleepFamily room for four at…
- Where to eatDomus, with a kitchen all…
- Bear in mindThe Oude Markt at night…
What works best
- The University Library tower, with a family visit at weekends
- The Great Beguinage, free of cars
- The Grote Markt and its town hall full of statues
Where to sleep
- Family room for four at the Leuven City Hostel
Where to eat
- Domus, with a kitchen all afternoon at the weekend
Bear in mind
- The Oude Markt at night belongs to students
- The town hall is closed inside until 2029
What to do as a family
Leuven with teenagers
Leuven is one of the oldest university cities in Europe and is full of young people: for teenagers it helps them imagine studying abroad.
- What works bestThe library tower, with its…
- Where to sleepLeuven City Hostel
- Where to eatDomus
- Bear in mindThe Stella Artois tour is…
What works best
- The library tower, with its story of two fires
- M Leuven, on Thursday evening
- A stroll around the Oude Markt by day
Where to sleep
- Leuven City Hostel
Where to eat
- Domus
Bear in mind
- The Stella Artois tour is for adults
What to do with teenagers
Where to stay
Where to stay if you're flyingwithout a car
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Hotel
Martin's Klooster
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in a historic building about 500 years old beside the river Dijle, with 135 rooms, a bar, an orangery and a restaurant.
Leuven City Hostel
Why we like it: Hostel a minute from the Ladeuze square, with beds from €22, doubles from €67 and family rooms for four from €93.
From €22
View details
Services for this trip
Where to eat
Where to eat in Leuven
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
Domus
What to order: a Flemish house dish with one of its beers, which arrive through a copper pipe from the brewery opposite
Tuesday to Sunday · closed Monday · no midday break on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Lukemieke
What to order: the vegetarian dish of the day, with soup
Monday to Friday, 12:00–14:00 and 18:00–20:00 · closed weekends and 18 July to 16 August
Map
Everything on the map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Nearby
Near Leuven
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Go on a term-time day
From September to June, with the students, the city has more life.
- 2The ILUVLeuven Ticket
Library with tower, a city walk and M Leuven or Park Abbey for €19.
- 3Last night before the flight
The train to the airport takes a quarter of an hour.
Expecting to see the town hall inside
It is closed for works until 2029.
Leuven is the shortest day trip from Brussels and the one that surprises most people who did not have it on the map. It is home to the oldest Catholic university in the world still in operation, founded in 1425, and you can tell: the city has a Gothic town hall of stone lacework, a library with a history of wars, a beguinage that is a whole district and a square that is a single terrace. Half a day is enough; a whole day is enjoyable.
How do you get there from Brussels?
By train, about 25 minutes from the central Brussels stations, on the line towards Liège; from Zaventem airport, about fifteen minutes on a direct train. The station is a fifteen-minute walk from the Grote Markt, in a straight line along the Bondgenotenlaan.
By car it is about 25 km on the E40, but the centre of Leuven is closed to through traffic and parking is expensive. The train is quicker and more comfortable.
What to see in a day?
Start at the Grote Markt, in front of the Gothic town hall, with 236 statues on its facade; the interior is closed for works until 2029. Walk to Ladeuze Square to climb the University Library tower, burned in 1914 and in 1940 and rebuilt both times. Have lunch near the square and walk down the Naamsestraat to the Great Beguinage, a red-brick district crossed by the river Dijle. On the way back, finish at the Oude Markt with a beer on a terrace.
If you have time left, M Leuven has early Flemish painting and contemporary art, and is closed on Wednesdays. On a Saturday you can book the Stella Artois brewery tour, as it was born here. If you are going to enter the library and M Leuven, the ILUVLeuven Ticket at €19 saves you money.
Where to eat?
Domus, two minutes from the Grote Markt, is a brasserie with Flemish cooking and its own brewery since 1985; it is open Tuesday to Sunday, without a break at the weekend. On the Oude Markt and around it there are dozens of bars and cheap places to eat, designed for students.
Where to stay?
Leuven is a quiet base for seeing Belgium by train and is fifteen minutes from the airport, which makes it good for a first or last night. Martin's Klooster is a four-star in a building about 500 years old beside the river. The Leuven City Hostel, next to Ladeuze Square, has family rooms for four from €93.
How to combine it?
Leuven combines well with Brussels: morning here and afternoon in the capital, or the other way round. Also with Mechelen, half an hour away by train, or as a last stop before your flight, with your suitcase in the station left-luggage.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take from Brussels to Leuven?
About 25 minutes by train from the centre and about 15 from the airport.
What is there to see in Leuven in half a day?
The Grote Markt with the town hall, the library tower, the Great Beguinage and the Oude Markt.
Can you visit Leuven town hall?
Not inside, until 2029. The facade can be seen from the square.
Can you visit the Stella Artois brewery?
Yes, on set dates, with a booking on the Visit Leuven website.
Is it worth staying overnight in Leuven?
If you are flying from Zaventem, yes: the airport is fifteen minutes away by train.