When you go to Leuven you should also visit the botanical garden (kruidtuin). The Arenberg castle and Abdij van park are both also really nice, the are located just outside the circle (ring) of Leuven.
If you came by train, you have to check out the station building, especially the interior. The station was closed for a couple of years, but it has reopened, beautifully restored,
You are missing one of the most beautiful places in Leuven... a must go place is the "Begijnhof" (beginage) and if you have time and a bike or a car, also the Castle of Arenberg (2 km south Leuven, in Heverlee area), this castle in the middle of a park/forest is nowadays the faculty of Engineering it also houses lecture rooms for the Department of Architecture.
Oh Mark! You've been everywhere! I'm gonna travel to Belgium in mid July to attend to the Queen + Lambert concert and I said I want to visit as many cities as possible (well... reasonably, considering I'll be there for only 3 days), so I saw Leuven, and here I'm. Great advice as always!!!! A big hug to you and your wonderful family!
I always like going to the theatre, grew up going there with my grandparrents and its a really nice looking building also from the inside there are also alot of cool things just outside of the town or just behind the ring, in heverlee ect. like the castle of arendberg wich is also owned by the university and is easy to do by bike. , and what i personally really like the landscape in and has a cemetary for the english soldiers who died, + a smaller cementary for people of the monastery its quiet and there arent any people there for sightseeing, but its beautifull and enchanting in my opinion. Also consider walking through the begijnhof, these are medival streets that are kept in the original condition, there are almost no people there but the university kept it nice, and the old houses serve as housing for people who work at the university, it really gives you the feeling of walking through a medival street at night and no noisy tourists to bother you. there are alot of cultural things to do in leuven but you have to look the right direction. as a child it was a nice city to grow up in and it still is today although the students can get a little bit loud at night. its true that its extremely safe,
Also pay a visite to the beguinage (begijnhof) There are 2 of them. The big one (at the schapenstraat) and the little one wich is at the St-Geertrui kerk.
A few more suggestions. The Vesalius' anatomical theatre, also doubled as the atelier of Constantin Meunier. Our different abbey's (you should have tried one of these bicycles ;-) Only 1,15 euros a day at the train station) The beguinages, several microbreweries, the botanical garden (the oldest in Belgium),...
It was a gift from the university to the town for the university's 575th birthday, about 10 years ago, made by a famous Belgian artist, Jan Fabre. As often, it wasn't liked much in the beginning, but people have grown to like it.
If you can't choose out of all those bars: The prize for best beer-drafter in the world went to someone from a bar called 't Archief twice in a row (2013 ,2014), it's in a small street that ends on the Oude Markt, so if you want the most perfect Stella you can possibly get, place to be. Other bar I'd visit is called The Capital, it has the largest beer-selection in the world (some of them are pricey though). If you want something special, the café from Museum M serves the best beer-cocktails (yes that's a thing).
@@jeroendeclercq7580 only flanders since the state reforms of the 80s, when the province of Brabant, the southern part of the old duchy of Brabant, was split on linguistic grounds. Aint nothing flemish about Leuven, or Antwerp for that matter.
I went yesterday and the Oude Markt, Grand Market, City Hall, the University Library, the various churches and the Grand and Small Beguinages were really nice.... but there was also a few parts where I was like ''what on Earth am I doing here''
