Leuven has everything I look for in a weekend destination. Two UNESCO heritage sites. Cute streets. Enticing cafes. Most importantly it is easy to get to from London by Train. Read on for my guide to a weekend in Leuven.
Disclosure: I visited Leuven as a guest of Visit Leuven.
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Why visit Leuven?
Planning a weekend escape from London? Just a short train ride away, Leuven is a hidden gem in Belgium that offers medieval charm, delicious food and world-class art. Here’s your perfect 3-day itinerary for a weekend in Leuven, with everything from university towers to botanical gardens — and yes, plenty of beer. S tella Artois , is after all, brewed here.
Ideal Three Day Itinerary for a Weekend in Leuven
When planning my perfect weekend in Leuven, I assume that the first morning and last evening will be spent travelling. Soon after arrival I like to take in a birds eye view and then start meandering.
Day One in Leuven
To get our bearings we started with a visit to the University Library. Then we headed off to explore a city for women. Strolled in the Botanical Garden and sat in a bar.
Climb the University Library and Tower
Start a bird’s eye view of Leuven from the tower of the University Library. Clamber up 300 steps, don’t worry you don’t do it all in one go. Every 60 or so steps you can look at displays about the history of the building, gaze at the carillon or marvel at the enormous bells. Once at the top you are rewarded with an incredible view across that city. On the way down take a look at the beautiful reading room. It will make you want to enrol at the University.
Discover the Great Beguinage
Leuven has two beguinages, great and little, at opposite end of the town. We headed to the Great Beguinage. Nowadays it is a collection of impossibly cute cobbled streets lined with medieval buildings. Most of which are owned by the university and used for accommodation. At the centre of it all is the church of St John the Baptist. A beautiful, peaceful place to wander.
What is a Beguinage?
Good question. A Beguinage is a collection of buildings lived in by lay religious women. They were usually on the edges of communities. Sometimes just one house and usually a several. Almost always there is a church. There are several Beguinage’s across Flanders and The Netherlands, together they are a UNESCO heritage site.
Stroll in the Botanical Garden
Small but perfect. Leuven’s Botanical Garden or Kruidtuin is the oldest in Belgium, founded in 1738. Today is it a green oasis in the heart of the city with shady spots on hot days. What I especially loved is that quite a lot of the planting is still as it would have been when the plants were grown for medical use. Beds are divided into squares and then filled with one particular plant.
- Leuven Botanical Garden, Kapucijnenvoer 30
- Open: March-April 8am – 6pm, May-September
- 8am -8pm, October
- 8am – 6pm, November-February
- 8am – 5pm From 9am on Sundays
- Admission: Free
Day Two Leuven itinerary
Our second day in Leuven started with a stroll down to the Grove Markt and a visit to St Peter’s Church. Next we had coffee and shopped before lunch and tour of the University colleges.
Marvel at the Grote Markt
Right in the centre of Leuven is the Grote Markt lined with magnificent buildings. This was the central market place of Leuven. Streets radiate out lined with shops, restaurants and University colleges.
Count the statues on the Town Hall
One side of the Grote Markt is taken up with the town hall. First stone laid in 1448. Most all done by 1469. Except the 236 niches were not filled with statues as planned. In the 15th century Five statues were ordered, but the boat carrying them sank. Five more were ordered, but they were stolen. The next five took their places on the roof niches … only to fall a few years later. In the 19th century Victor Hugo visited Leuven. He wrote a letter suggesting that the niches be filled. The City Fathers took note and duly began filling the nines with Biblical figures and famous Belgians. At present the town hall is being renovated and so not open to visitors.
How many statues? 236
Marvel at the art in St Peter’s Church
If you are only going to visit one place in Leuven make it St Peter’s Church. From the outside it is magnificent from all sides except the West. This is where the tallest church tower in the Low Countries was meant to be, unfortunately it fell down. Not that has stopped it being UNESCO listed. Step inside for two masterpiece by Dieric Bouts, the Last Supper and the Martyrdom of St Erasmus. What makes these truly special is that they are hanging in the building they were painted for. Make sure not to miss the humungous rococco pulpit. Entry to the church is free. To put every thing in context you can hire an excellent hologram guide that tells you the history of the building and paintings.
Browse the shops and drink coffee
All the streets leading off the Grote Markt are lined with shops. Many selling excellent Belgian fashion. My eye was taken by Pauli, an excellent haberdasher and Essential Antwerp.
University Hall for history and coffee
At the heart of KU Leuven is the medieval university hall. Older than the University itself. Built in 1317 as the Leuven’s Cloth Hall. All graduates visit here at the start of their university career and as they graduate. Any one can walk in and there is an excellent cafe inside. If you need a space to sit and work there are tables with speedy wifi too.
Tour the University Colleges
Leuven University was founded in 1425. It is the oldest Catholic university in the world. Its colleges and libraries twine themselves around the centre of Leuven. There are fifteen colleges in and around the centre. You can take yourself on self guided walking tour but to get inside the buildings it is best to take a tour. Tours run a the weekend and cost €15 per person.
And so Change Comes in Waves
To celebrate 600 years of the University in 2025 an art and science route has been devised, And So Change Comes in Waves. Art works and poems dot the route. Following the route is an excellent way to discover the colleges. You can either pick up a leaflet at the University Hall or Tourist Office or download onto your phone.
Have a drink on Oude Markt
Dubbed the longest bar in Europe the Oude Markt is lined with bars. Just the best place to while away an hour with cool drink.
Day Three Leuven itinerary
Sunday was our third day. We started with a good walk under flowering lime trees to the Park Abbey. Then we built up an appetite for lunch with a walk back into town followed by a visit to M Leuven. Late afternoon we caught a train back to London that go us back home at about 9pm.
Walk to the Park Abbey
Just on the outskirts of Leuven, surrounded by fields and fish ponds is the Park Abbey. As you approach the Abbey it is easy to imagine yourself in a different time. Church and Abbey are surrounded by high walls and impressive gates. Monks still live here. Beer is still brewed here. We could have easily spent all day here exploring the buildings and wider park with lunch at the cafe in the gate house.
PARCUM
Parcum is the name given to the old abbey buildings and museum. Your visit inside begins with the serene cloisters hung with stained glass. Hold your breath for the Refectory and Library. Look up in both rooms for incredible 3D plaster ceilings. Mr CW and I see a lot of impressive things and we spent our entire visit saying, Wow! I’ve never seen anything like that before!
Park Abbey Church
On Sunday mornings entry to the magnificent rococco church is only for members of the congregation. Everyone else must wait until after 1.30pm. Make sure to listen out for the Peace Carillon which plays on the quarter hour.
- Park Abbey, Abdij van Park 7
- Open: Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
- Admission: €12
M Leuven
M Leuven has everything that I love in a city museum. It has an excellent permanent collection that tells the story of Leuven. Also it has really good special exhibitions. In the lobby is a well stocked shop and laid back cafe. Add to that the building is really cool too, modern but behind a curtain wall of old stone. Exhibitions and exhibits change but it has been excellent every time that I have visited.
- M Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28
- Open: Thursday – Tuesday 11am – 6pm (until 10pm on Thursday)
- Admission: €12
Where to Eat In Leuven
Gloria, A Nobelstraat 50 – not in the main restaurant area but a short walk from our hotel and excellent. We visited on hot summers day and ate outside in the courtyard but in the winter cosy fires beckon.
Baracca, Tiensestraat 34 – on a restaurant lined street leading off the Grove Markt. We shared an excellent pizza for lunch.
De Optimist, Vismarkt – in a quite square just off the Oude Markt. We ate outside in a courtyard. Bookings are not taken here but we strolled up on a Saturday night, ordered a drink at the bar and a table was ready by the time our beer was served.
Het land aan de Overkant, Leon Schreursvest 85 – a little bit of walk down an uninspiring main road from the centre but don’t let that put you off. Also pricey. If your are looking from somewhere truly special this is one of the best meals I have ever eaten.
Eclèktic, Hogeschoolplein 9, – one a quiet square opposite the Pope’s College.
Brasserie De Abdijmolen, Park Abbey – I didn’t try this but would love to return and visit. It is in the gatehouse of the Park Abbey and offers everything from morning coffee to dinner.
Cafes and Bars in Leuven
I have visited Leuven both on wet winter days and sunny summer days. On winter days cosy bars and cafes twinkle away luring you in from the weather. On summer days all the chairs are outside and the streets a bubble with chatter. These are places that I have visited and loved.
Barbóék, Schrijnmakersstraat 17 – books, coffee and cake … how could we resist? This was our coffee pitstop when shopping.
Kup KULeuven – drink coffee in one of the oldest buildings in Leuven the University Hall. Irreistable.
MLeuven cafe – run by the same people as Barbóék with added museum
Oude Markt – every single one of the buildings on the Oude Markt is occupied by a bar. They do serve food but I prefer to visit either for a pre or post dinner drink. The perfect place to drink a glass of Stella Artois in the city where it is brewed. I have visited several Oude Markt bars and all have been convivial.
Where to Stay in Leuven
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Park Inn by Radisson, Martelenlaan 36 – not pretty but extremely convenient. You get off your train, take the lift, turn left and walk for 200 metres (I didn’t measure not far!) and you in the lobby. Comfortable rooms and a great breakfast. We left our bags here on our last day and collected them just before catching the train.
Martin’s Klooster , Onze Lieve Vrouwstraat 18, hotel in a former convent right in the centre. I haven’t stayed here but have stayed in another of Martin’s hotels in Mons and loved it.
How to get to Leuven
Leuven is about half an hour away from Brussels by train. We caught a mid morning Eurostar from St Pancras and arrived just after 2pm. Sadly Eurostar have stopped selling tickets to any Belgian station and so you will need to book your Brussels to Leuven ticket which can all be done online via the SNCB website
My top tip for visiting Leuven
Pack comfortable shoes. You will be walking a long way on cobbled streets. This is not the place for high heels.
Finally Leuven or Louvain?
Both! It depends on whether you are a French speaker or not. Louvain is the French way and Leuven the Dutch. Leuven is in Flanders and so I’ve gone for Leuven.
