Getting to Leuven
Important remark : Leuven is about 25 km east of Brussels. Do not confuse Leuven with Louvain-La-Neuve, where thefrancophone university UCL is situated. Louvain-la-Neuve is about 30km away from Leuven!The information on this page is according to our best knowledge. If you find any errors, please notify us (sending an email topets08@esat.kuleuven.be) so we can correct them.
Brussels International Airport (Zaventem)
You can fly to Brussels Airport (code 'BRU', and also called "Zaventem") from all over the world. This airport is less than 20 km from Leuven. You can go to Leuven:- By train: Very good news here, as there are two direct trains an hour between Zaventem and Leuven, and the trip takes less than 15 minutes, as well as indirect trains via Brussels that take 35 minutes. Note that there may be less service on July 21, which is a national holiday in Belgium, and on the weekend (26th and 27th). On sundays there is even only one direct train per hour. In such cases it may be better to take an indirect train passing by Brussel North station Here you can check the train timetables (fill in: From 'Brussels Airport', To 'Leuven', on your date and hour of arrival). You can buy and print tickets online,or just get them at the airport's train station counter. A one-way ticket costs around €3. The ticket machines do not accept credit cards or maestro cards; only Belgian cards. However, tickets can be obtained from the individuals at the counters.
- By taxi: this will take about 20 minutes (much more in early eveningrush hours) and costs about €60.
- By bus: the DeLijn number 616 will take you from Zaventem to Leuven. This will take about 1 hour and costs about €2. You can find here the schedule for weekdays, saturdays, and sundays and holidays. Unfortunately, the information is only available in Dutch. The airport is the stop marked as 'Zaventem Luchthaven' and you want to stop at 'Leuven Station'.
Charleroi Airport (Brussels South)
You can fly to Charleroi Airport (code 'CRL' and also known as "Brussels South"). This is a low-cost airport where Ryanair, Wizzair, Jet4you and Onair fly.There are two options to get to Leuven from Charleroi:- By train: you take a bus from the airport to the Charleroi South train station, and then a train to Brussels and a second train to Leuven. The estimated duration of the trip is 3 hours depending on the schedule of the connections. The price is about €10, see here for the schedule and buying tickets (they can also be bought at the station).
- By shuttle-bus: there is a shuttle from the airport to Brussels South (aka Brussel Zuid - Bruxelles Midi) train station, where you can take a train to Leuven. The estimated time is 2 hours depending on the schedule of the connections. The price is about €11 for one-way. See here for the schedule and to buy tickets (they can also be bought directly on the shuttle).
Regular train
Leuven is well connected by rail. There are at least two trains per hour that travel from Bruxelles Midi via Bruxelles Central and Bruxelles North (the three main stations in Brussels) to Leuven; there are also direct trains from Liege, Antwerp and Brussels International Airport.High speed train
From Paris (Charles de Gaulle)
You can fly to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, and take the Thalys directly at the airport station (some companies, as Air France, may even make the connection for you) to Brussels South (aka Brussel Zuid - Bruxelles Midi) train station. You can find one-way tickets starting at around €50, and the journey takes about 1:30 hours. Here you can buy and print Thalys tickets online.From Brussels South, you can take adirect train to Leuven. A one-way ticket costs about €5, and the journey takesabout 30 minutes. Here you can buy and print tickets online,or just get them at the train station's ticketing office. The ticket machines do not accept credit cards or maestro cards; only Belgian cards. However, tickets can be obtained from the individuals at the counters.
From London
If you fly to London, it is possible to reach Leuven using the Eurostar train. This train departs from the London St Pancras train station and arrives in BrusselsSouth (aka Brussel Zuid - Bruxelles Midi) train station. You can find one-way tickets starting at around £44, and the journey takesabout 2 hours. Here you can buy and print Eurostar tickets online.From Brussels South, you can take a direct train to Leuven. A one-way ticket costs about €5, and the journey takesabout 30 minutes. Here you can buy and print tickets online,or just get them at the train station's ticketing office. The ticket machines do not accept credit cards or maestro cards; only Belgian cards. However, tickets can be obtained from the individuals at the counters.
By car
- Take the highway E40 (Brussel-Luik).
- From E40 take the exit E314/A2 Leuven-Hasselt-Genk between exit 22 (Bertem) and exit 23 (Haasrode).
- From E314 take the exit 15 and follow directions to Leuven.
Gettting around in Leuven
The best way to get around the centre of Leuven is on foot or by bike, as thecentre is very small and driving is a nightmare. If you come by train, you arrive at Leuven trainstation, which is on the Martelarenplein. From there you can either walk, take a bus or a taxi to your hotel. In order to get to the centrum, you have to walk along the street in front of you (Bondgenotenlaan) until you reach a pietonal market in the end, the Grote Market the center of Leuven. Most hotels are within walking distance (less than 25 minutes on foot), although Begijnhof Congreshotel might be a bit far if you got heavy luggage. There is also a bus service from the station (stop 'Leuven Station') to the center (stops 'Leuven Fochplein' or 'Leuven Naamsestraat'). Examples of these buses are 1,2,284,285,... You may ask the driver if you have any doubt, most of them speak enough English to be able to help.If you need a map, werecommend to use map24. Below is amap of a part of the city centre. The blue flag is the train station, the orangeflag is the conference venue, and the orange '5' marks the City Hall at the very center of town.
The big picture
Leuven is not far away from Brussels:
