Leuven is a small city less than thirty minutes from Brussels. It is a college town like Cambridge or Oxford in the UK or Cambridge in the USA. Life in Leuven swirls around the oldest university in Belgium, the Katholiek Universiteit Leuven. KU Leuven is not only the oldest and the biggest university in Belgium but also one of the best academic institutions in the world. In my opinion, Leuven is a masterpiece, that combines many architectural styles, being the Brabantine Gothic the most remarkable.
The journey to discover Leuven starts at the newly renovated Leuven railway station. It is one of the rare cases where modern and old architecture fit harmoniously. You can take a direct train towards the airport from this station. Outside the station there is one of the most important streets in Leuven, the Bondgenontenlaan. The street is filled with boutiques, cinemas, restaurant and of course beautiful buildings. If you continue walking straight, you will get to the Grote Mark, Leuven's core.
I consider the Grote Markt an open air museum. The jewel of the crown is the town hall (in the picture above). This beautiful building is breathtaking and it is a good example of Brabantine Gothic. To visit the town hall interior you need to book a tour at the tourist information center that is in the street next to the town hall (Naamsestraat). They only offer one tour per day at 3:00 p.m. but this might change, check this link for more details.
St. Peter's Church is another magnificent example of Brabantine Gothic. The church is located in front of the town hall although the main entrance is in the rear side of the Grote Markt. The interior reminds me of churches in Belgium such as the Antwerp Cathedral or the Cathedral of Brussels. The Grote Markt is the meeting point of the city, with many expensive cafes and restaurants.
Next to the Grote Marktis the Oude Markt, a student area filled with bars. Locals call this place "the biggest bar of the world." Well..., certainly there are plenty of bars to choose from. Another important square is Ladeuzeplein where you find KU Leuven main library. It reminds me of the Palace of Peace of the Hague. Unfortunately, I believe that this building can only be seen from outside unless you are a student. There is a weird monument in front of the library: an insect on a needle. It is called "Totem" and it should have a "deep meaning" that I am still unable to grasp.
Leuven has an excellent Art museum, it is called M. The permanent collection of the M museum is eclectic and includes painting, sculpture and applied arts. Temporary exhibitions focus mainly on Comtemporary Art. It takes about two hours to visit the museum if you go at normal pace. Sometimes they organize activities inside the Museum, so I suggest to check their website for details.
One of the most charming places of Leuven is the Groot Begijnhof, in French the word is béguinage. A béguinage was a closed community of religious women that lived together in order to offer mutual support. A friend explained me that these women were mainly widows and unmarried females that did not want to pursue a pure monastic life. Today, the Groot Begijnhof of Leuven belongs to KU Leuven and it is part of the housing system of the university. The place is open to the public but it is a little bit far away from the city center. To reach the béguinage you need to go straight on Parijstraat which becomes Shapenstraat. You need to remember that people live in this place, this is not a pure "touristic attraction."
Another cultural venue that is worth to check out is STUK. They have a nice cultural program that includes almost all the arts. The best time to visit STUK is during Docville, one of the most important documentary film festivals in Europe. If you like insightful documentaries about current issues this festival is a must.
There are plenty places for eating at Leuven. Unfortunately for most of them, I would give a miss. There are three kinds of restaurants, bad ones, expensive ones and bad and expensive ones. Their target is the rich parents that visit their kids once in a while. However, if you go outside the Grote Markt ant the obvious tourist traps, you could eat very well. My personal favorite place is Mangia e via. The best pizza outside Liège.
Leuven makes a great day trip. It is fun, young and it feels real, it does not seem like an amusement park. Definitively it is worthy.
St. Peter's Church is another magnificent example of Brabantine Gothic. The church is located in front of the town hall although the main entrance is in the rear side of the Grote Markt. The interior reminds me of churches in Belgium such as the Antwerp Cathedral or the Cathedral of Brussels. The Grote Markt is the meeting point of the city, with many expensive cafes and restaurants.
Next to the Grote Marktis the Oude Markt, a student area filled with bars. Locals call this place "the biggest bar of the world." Well..., certainly there are plenty of bars to choose from. Another important square is Ladeuzeplein where you find KU Leuven main library. It reminds me of the Palace of Peace of the Hague. Unfortunately, I believe that this building can only be seen from outside unless you are a student. There is a weird monument in front of the library: an insect on a needle. It is called "Totem" and it should have a "deep meaning" that I am still unable to grasp.
Leuven has an excellent Art museum, it is called M. The permanent collection of the M museum is eclectic and includes painting, sculpture and applied arts. Temporary exhibitions focus mainly on Comtemporary Art. It takes about two hours to visit the museum if you go at normal pace. Sometimes they organize activities inside the Museum, so I suggest to check their website for details.
One of the most charming places of Leuven is the Groot Begijnhof, in French the word is béguinage. A béguinage was a closed community of religious women that lived together in order to offer mutual support. A friend explained me that these women were mainly widows and unmarried females that did not want to pursue a pure monastic life. Today, the Groot Begijnhof of Leuven belongs to KU Leuven and it is part of the housing system of the university. The place is open to the public but it is a little bit far away from the city center. To reach the béguinage you need to go straight on Parijstraat which becomes Shapenstraat. You need to remember that people live in this place, this is not a pure "touristic attraction."
Another cultural venue that is worth to check out is STUK. They have a nice cultural program that includes almost all the arts. The best time to visit STUK is during Docville, one of the most important documentary film festivals in Europe. If you like insightful documentaries about current issues this festival is a must.
There are plenty places for eating at Leuven. Unfortunately for most of them, I would give a miss. There are three kinds of restaurants, bad ones, expensive ones and bad and expensive ones. Their target is the rich parents that visit their kids once in a while. However, if you go outside the Grote Markt ant the obvious tourist traps, you could eat very well. My personal favorite place is Mangia e via. The best pizza outside Liège.
Leuven makes a great day trip. It is fun, young and it feels real, it does not seem like an amusement park. Definitively it is worthy.
