Leuven (Lovaine in French), is Europe's oldest Catholic university city. It attracts some 40,000 students, along with it's indigenous population.
Not to be confused with Lovaine a Nauf, the Walloon 'equivalent' university town, it is situated just outside of Brussels, in Vlaams Brabant (Flemish Brabant). It is also the administrative capitol of that region, and is due to become the capitol city of all of Flanders.
Once arriving in the city (By train in my case), you are presented with a very clean, open square - intersected by a main road that is often quite busy with buses and cars. To the centre is the main shopping road, that leads to the city centre, and the main Grote Markt (The great market). Here you will find the iconic City Hall, with its many peaked top and medieval styling. It has stood here for several centuries, although I believe was rebuilt after bombing during the 2nd world war. Opposite is the Sint Pieterskerk , - grandiose with it's flying buttresses, and housing fantastic religious artworks.
From here you can explore the various market squares with their multitude of cafes, bars and restaurants, and fantastic medievil architecture.
There are plenty of great places to stay, too - from Hotel Industrie with it's basic B&B, to large American and continental chains like Hotel Ibiz or the Holiday Inn, with plenty of choice at both ends of the scale. My recommendation is to stay somewhere central, unless it's during festival time (Markt Rock fills out pretty much everywhere early, and a lot of the B&Bs are in the midst of the action). Geoff's guest house is good value with great décor, and a friendly, warm atmosphere, although the Ibis Leuven Centraal is also very good value for money.
I recommend finding a patisserie/bakery for your breakfast, as for under £4 you can get a substantial selection of pastries and very good coffee.
In terms of sightseeing, ensure you get a look inside Sint Pieterskerk , for it has some amazing religious artwork and carvings. Then there's the town hall, which is occasionally open to visitors.
I would also strongly recommend taking a look at the Baginauge (a village within the city, for nuns to live their frugal life, instead of a Monestry). This is a cobblestoned area that conjures feelings of a different time. Now it is used as student dwellings.
For the night life, head to the Oude Markt - or the Old Market - which has the biggest variety of bars and restaurants - a whole night out for not very much!
As is the tradition with all brits staying in Belgium, try a few of the local beers - Domer being OTHER local brew. (Leuven is famous for being the home of Stella Artois!).
Talking of beer, if you go with a group and book in advance, tours of the Stella Artois brewery are recommended, and the price includes a cold glass of fresh lager!
With journey times less than half an hour from Brussels, and direct links to a good proportion of Belgium in general, Leuven also makes for a good base to stay if you wish to tour the country by rail, offering cheaper accommodation and dining than Brussels.
In the future, there are plans afoot to open up the river that runs under the City, allowing for a more Brugge or Ghent like feel to the city, Get in before it gets too popular!
Oh, and ensure you go to the Time Out, the 'English Pub'. They offer some fantastic food, and their burgers are to die for!
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Advantages: Beautiful old town, lots of good, inexpensive, restaurants, near to Brussels, university ambience Disadvantages: Parking not easy, windy in winter
lobourse 22.03.2005 (22.03.2005)
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Review of Louvain (Belgium)
Advantages: Beautiful old town, lots of good, inexpensive, restaurants, near to Brussels, university ambience Disadvantages: Parking not easy, windy in winter
lobourse 22.03.2005 (22.03.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Louvain (Belgium)
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