Discover Leuven

Leuven is located 26 kilometers (16 miles) east of Brussels. By international standards it is a relatively small city with a population of 104,009 (begin 2024). Leuven is an historic long established Flemish city, with impressive buildings, Belgium's largest university (founded in 1425), and home to Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewing group. The Stella Artois brewery is still very visible, located close to Leuven's railway station.

The Catholic University of Leuven is ranked 63th in the world at QS Top Universities Rankings (mid 2024 published), higher than any other university in Belgium. Founded in 1425 by Pope Martin V, the University is considered the oldest catholic university in the world, though its services were temporarily interrupted during French occupation at the end of the 18th century. For a long time, both a Dutch- (Flemish) and French-speaking section coexisted in Leuven, but the university was split in 1968, and Louvain-la-Neuve was established in the French speaking region of Belgium, south of Brussels.
Leuven can be called a student city during the academic year, when the number of inhabitants increases by more than 20,000 students. This is reflected in the number of student cafes (bars), cheaper restaurants and eateries, the number of bicycles on the streets, bookshops etc.

Famous inhabitants of Leuven include : Quentin Matsys(1466-1530, painter), Dirk Bouts (1410/20-1475, painter), pope Adrian VI (1459-1523), Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564, anatomist), Emiel Puttemans (long-distance runner), Kim Gevaert (sprint athlete), Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536, humanist), Justus Lipsius (1547-1606, humanist).

Of particular interest to visitors is that the town of Leuven is very well connected with the other main cities of interest in Flandres and the Belgian capital Brussels.
By train Bruges can be reached in 90 minutes, Ghent in 60 minutes, Antwerp in 45 minutes, Mechelen and Brussels in about 30 minutes.
As such Leuven is a good place to explore the other historical cities of Flanders. You will not find 5-star hotels in the city, but there are about 20 smaller sized well suited (and cheaper) hotels available.