The Ultimate Guide to Studying in Leuven, Belgium
In case you are living under a rock or haven't been following along with me for the past year, I recently got back from studying abroad in Leuven, Belgium for the past 10 months. I was studying abroad through a program at my university that allowed me to study through the PECS program at KU Leuven.
Leuven is a small-ish student city about 20 minutes outside of Brussels. KU Leuven has over 40,000 students with about 15,000 of those being international students! SO I thought this debrief of basically everything I wish I knew when first coming to Leuven would be helpful.
BELGIUM GENERAL TIPS
- Brussels Zuid = Brussels Midi
- Leuven = Louvain NOT Louvain La Nouve
- If you have to be somewhere at 8, find a train that gets you there at 7:30…train delays are very common and it’s always better to be early and waiting than late and rushing
- Brussels Charleroi Airport is not in Brussels. You have to take an hour long bus from Brussels Midi to get to this (the super cheap flights usually always fly out of Charleroi. Tip: book the bus in advance flibco.com) DON’T BOOK SUPER EARLY/LATE FLIGHTS TO/FROM CHARLEROI you won’t be able to get transportation to/from the airport
- Always have coins if you’re planning on taking a bus/tram in a city
- Go-Pass is 55 euro and has 10 trips : good for day trips throughout Belgium
- There’s a separate train ticket if you want to go to Brussels Zaventem airport (its 9.20 euro)
- SNCB national app is good for Belgian trains (looking up train times)
- The water here is VERY harsh and it’ll make your skin/hair REALLY dry (especially in the winter). My hair got so dry and brittle, I had to get two haircuts within three months just because it was that dead. I brought hair/skin products from home but that only lasted me so long. I suggest bringing hydrating products or getting them once you get here. Be proactive with the conditioner and lotion, your hair/skin will thank you
MUST SEE IN BELGIUM
- Ghent (my favorite city)
- Brussels (go more than once…no one loves it their first time)
- Antwerp (good concerts! And shopping)
- Brugge (must see but I think it’s overrated)
- Hasselt (small and quaint town)
- Namur (in Wallonia aka French speaking part of Belgium)
-Knokke or Oostende (the beach!)
DAY TRIPS FROM BELGIUM
- Amsterdam
- Rotterdam
- Luxembourg
- Cologne, Germany
- Lille, France
Paris, Amsterdam, and London all have direct trains from Brussels (about 1.5-2 hours)
THINGS TO DO
- Weekend Markets: Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (Heverlee) morning
- M museum
- Arenburg Kastle (bike ride or run through the trails)
- Stella Artois Tour
- STUK
- Kinopolis: Book tickets ahead of time but make sure the movie is in English not dubbed with Dutch/French
- Events on FB to find weekly random events!
- Groot Begijnhof
- De Blauwe Kater – good for a chill night, a date, live music
-Bike ride to Meer Van Rotselaar (a lake which is a 40 min bike ride away and SO beautiful)
-Hang out in Pangaea (specifically for international students) or look for groups on Meetup or Couchsurfing to meet new friends :)
SHOPPING
GROCERY STORES
A note on grocery shopping, typically people stop by the grocery store every couple of days (or even every day) I usually buy enough to get me through 2 or 3 days and then I’ll go back. Mostly because the fresh produce will go back but also because I have limited space in the fridge
- Carrefour, DelHaize: main grocery store close around 6pm, closed on Sunday
- Carrefour Express (multiple locations): small but has everything you need, open till 8pm every day of the week
- Circle: Asian supermarket. Good prices on things like rice, noodles, soy sauce, beans, etc.
- Biotoop, O’Origin: organic stores, the closest thing to Whole Foods but still doesn’t come close
- NachtWinkel – for alcohol if you don’t buy it before the grocery stores close or if you want more before you go out. Also good snacks but defooo overpriced
OTHER
- Pharmacys have good skincare products and basically everything you’d need medicine wise (the one near the train station is my favorite for skincare)
- Harvest Moon, Sway: pricy but cute sustainable fashion
- Bondgenotenlaan & Dietsestraat both shopping streets
- HEMA : decorations, school supplies, kitchen stuff
- Flying Tiger: knick knacks and cute decorations
PLACES I GO
- For a haircut: De Kapbar
- For a wax: Floxx
- Doctor: KU Leuven general practioner
- Gym: JIMS Leuven
- Yoga: Flowing Yoga
LEUVEN FOOD RECS
HEALTHY
LifeBar (vegan)
LovingHut (vegan)
Greenway (great sandwiches and veggie burgers)
Noordover (vegan)
Lettuce (great salads)
BREAKFAST
Le Pain Quotidien
Nosh (pancakes and bagel sandwiches)
Leo’s Pancakes
Bar Leuv
LUNCH
Alfalfa falafel bar
Sticks x Bowls (poké)
Exki
Sara’s
De Werf (affordable student cafe)
XL noodles (ramen)
Optimist
Boccone (pasta in a cup)
De Maekerij (cute cozy spot, good for lunch or to study or to meet someone for a coffee; they do workshops but all in Dutch)
Avocado Bar
Het Strand (all vegetarian)
Würst
BiaMara (BEST fish and chips)
Hawaiian Poke Bowl
COFFEE
Madmum (get the ginger latte)
Koffie Onan (really good selection of tea)
Zwartehond (great chai latte)
Mok
Anna’s
Chocolate Company Cafe (great hot chocolate)
Koffie en Staal
Café Noir (doesn’t charge for nondairy milk)
Pinto Café
DINNER
Baracca (pizza)
Wabi Sabi (sushi)
Medina (Moroccan)
Huis dur Burgers
Ellis Burger
Bavet (pasta)
Palmyra (Lebanese)
New Mexico
Sakura Sushi
Hal5 food hall(Indian option and good pizza)
Masalatop Indian
Otomat (pizza)
El Sombrero (mexican)
OTHER
Zoff (drinks and apps)
‘t Galetje (gelato!!)
Pinocchio Waffles
Now, I'm sure there are things that I've forgotten on here but I tried to include just about everything. If you have a specific question, feel free to message me on Instagram (@naturallynicoletta) or email me – I had the most incredible time and have fallen in love with Belgium. Living abroad comes with lots of ups and downs but overall I wouldn't have wanted to "study" anywhere else ;) I hope you leuv Leuven just as much as I did!
