Getting to Leuven

BY TRAIN

The train is a fast, relaxing and environmentally friendly way to travel. From neighbouring countries, comfortable high-speed trains (Thalys, Eurostar, ICE and TGV) or night trains (europeansleeper or nightjet) get you to Belgium and Leuven in no time.

International trains arrive in Brussels South railway station (Bruxelles Midi in French or Brussel Zuid in Dutch). From there, you take the local train to Leuven which takes about half an hour. Be sure that you take a train to Leuven (Louvain in French or Leuven in Dutch). Do not take a train to Louvain-la-neuve which is a different town and university in Wallonia.

For more information on the Belgian railways: www.belgianrail.be

For more information on the European train connections and ticket purchase:
https://www.b-europe.com/EN
https://int.bahn.de/en
https://www.seat61.com/index.html 
https://www.thetrainline.com/

The Leuven railway station is directly connected to the city centre via the Bondgenotenlaan (Allies Avenue), one of Leuven’s main streets. The walk from the station to the city centre is approximately 10 minutes.

BY BUS

Several international bus services make a stop at one of the Brussels railway stations. For more information, see https://global.flixbus.com/  or  https://www.blablacar.co.uk/bus

An extensive bus network provides extra mobility within the boundaries of Flanders or Wallonia. More information can be found on the official bus company websites:

• Flanders (Brussels National Airport): delijn.be
• Wallonia (Brussels South Airport): www.letec.be

BY AIRPLANE

Brussels Airport (BRU) (28km from Leuven)

This is Belgium’s main international airport served by flagship carriers and low cost airlines. Leuven is only 15 minutes by train from Brussels airport. The train station is located underneath the airport and is accessible through elevators and escalators in the arrival hall. Tickets can be bought at the counter or at vending machines (accepting credit cards) near the station’s entrance.

www.brusselsairport.be

There are two direct trains every hour from Brussels Airport – Zaventem to Leuven:

xx:21 – xx:33 (every 12 minutes)

xx:38 – xx:52 (every 14 minutes)

There are two direct trains every hour from Leuven to Brussels Airport – Zaventem:

xx:08 – xx:21 (every 13 minutes)

xx:24 – xx:39 (every 15 minutes)

A taxi from Brussels airport to Leuven costs about 70€ and takes about 30 minutes depending on traffic conditions.

Brussels South Charleroi Airport (90 km from Leuven)

Brussels South Charleroi is a low cost airline hub located 45km south of Brussels. Leuven is about a two-hour train ride from Brussels South Charleroi Airport. There are busses from the airport to Charleroi railway station (Bus A) and trains from Charleroi to Brussels and then onto Leuven. There are also bus services from Brussels South Charleroi airport to Brussels South railway station in Brussels where you can catch trains to Leuven. More details can be found on https://www.brussels-charleroi-airport.com/en

A taxi from Brussels South Charleroi airport to Leuven costs about 170€ and takes about one hour depending on traffic conditions.

BY CAR

Leuven is located at a junction of two major motorways: E40 and E314. Leuven's cosy historic centre is traffic-free. The rest of the city centre is divided into 5 districts. In each part, a traffic loop leads cars from the ring road to a centre car park and back to the ring road. On street parking is very difficult in Leuven. We recommend parking your car in one of the peripheral car parks. More information about car parks in Leuven can be found here: https://www.visitleuven.be/en/car.

When traveling by private car, consider car pooling with colleagues to limit your carbon footprint.