Leuven Hotels

Leuven Town Hall

The most striking sight in this city is the Leuven Town Hall, a fine example of the Brabantine Gothic architectural style that emerged in the Low Countries in the late Middle Ages. The building, which dates back to the mid 15th century, contains well over 200 statues, built several centuries later, and houses a fascinating collection of work from eminent Belgian art figures.

Park Abbey

Just to the south of the city, Park Abbey was established in the early 12th century and was founded by Godfrey the Bearded, who became the landgrave of this area by the year 1095. The Norbertine landmark surrounds beautifully landscaped grounds and several fine buildings dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, and, at the height of its power, controlled more than 20 farms in the area.

Day trip idea: Brussels

Only a 28km journey from Leuven, the Belgian capital is a truly world-class city overlooked by the spectacular medieval Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudula. Music lovers should spend some time at the Musical Instruments Museum, which opened its doors in the 1870s and now consists of thousands of instruments related to the country's musical past. Many people also come to Brussels to visit Mini-Europe, a miniature park that has models of hundreds of buildings and dozens of cities of Europe on 24, 000 square metres of land.

Another very popular attraction in Brussels is the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, which houses more than 20, 000 art-related objects representing more than half a millennium of artistic developments. The Atomium building, meanwhile, is widely considered to be the most unusual building in Belgium, if not Europe, and comprises stainless-steel-interlinked-spheres, almost appearing as it if has just landed from another planet.

Where to eat out in Leuven

One of the most popular restaurants in the city is the Arenberg restaurant in Heverlee, which offers delightful French cuisine. The Bistro Tribunal also provides divine French, seafood and steak dishes, while the Tokio Sushibar is an ideal choice for lovers of Japanese cuisine. Other great places to eat in Leuven include the Nepalese-inspired Nepali House Restaurant, Italian-styled Castello Lucano, and the local-themed Faculty Club.

Recommendations on where to stay

If you're looking for charming, historic surroundings, you could book a stay at the very hospitable Martin's Klooster Hotel, or choose the chic and immaculately presented Pentahotel Lueven. A few other reputed Leuven hotels include the highly sophisticated Begijnhof Hotel, the deluxe Park Inn by Radisson Leuven, and the stylish and affordable Novotel Leuven Centrum.