The places that make Leuven: Town Hall, University Library and tower, Great Beguinage and more, with what is on there next.
The late Gothic town hall on the Grote Markt, built in the 15th century, with some 236 statues on its walls and turrets. It is being restored: scaffolding stays up until summer 2027 and the inside is closed until 2029.
The university library on the Ladeuzeplein, built in the 1920s with American money after the old library burned in 1914. Its tower is 80 metres high and has a carillon of 63 bells; you can climb it for a view over the whole city.
A quarter of small brick houses from the 13th century on, across about ten streets, with the Dijle running through it in two arms. It is UNESCO world heritage, and KU Leuven students and guest professors live there now.
A long square, 174 metres by 35, lined almost entirely with cafés: it is known as the longest bar in the world. Terraces by day, students until late, and the New Year countdown.
The big Gothic church on the Grote Markt, begun around 1400. Inside hangs Dieric Bouts' Last Supper, back in its original place since 2020; a tablet or HoloLens tour tells its story.
A new museum of care and science, by KU Leuven and UZ Leuven, on the Minderbroedersstraat, with its entrance in a 19th-century anatomy theatre. It opens with a weekend on 12 and 13 December 2026.
A Norbertine abbey from 1129 in Heverlee, on a 42-hectare estate with four ponds. The PARCUM museum in its west wing shows art and religion.
The oldest botanical garden in Belgium, laid out by the university in 1738 for its medical students, on the Kapucijnenvoer. Free, with an orangery and greenhouses. In December it becomes a light trail.
