Erasmus Experience in Leuven, Belgium by Pedro

Why did you choose to go to Leuven, Belgium?

I chose to go to Leuven for two reasons: first of all, the country: it is in the center of Europe, so it would be possible to travel to some countries around Belgium; and of course because of lot of known cities located in this country. Second of all, the university: it is one of the best Univeristies in Europe, and going there gave me the opportunity to work in one of the best Research Centers in medical imaging of the World.

How long is the scholarship? How much money do you receive to help you with living costs?

My scholarship lasted for six months, and the Erasmus programme funded with 1100 € to help with the living costs.

What is the student lifestyle like in Leuven?

The student lifestyle in Leuven is the best. This is really a student city, where it is said that 1 in every 3 buildings in the city center belongs to KULeuven.
There is always young people in the streets, and a lot of them are International Students, so there is always new people to meet.
Almost everyday parties are organized, sometimes for a certain Faculty, just for international Studentsfor or for all the students.

Would you recommend the city and the University of Leuven to other students?

Yes. Of course. The semester I spent in Leuven was unforgettable. I knew a lot of new people that I will remember for life, as well a lot of new cultures and places.
The city is really beautiful and the center is small, so you can go from one corner to other really quickly.
You can easily make all your trips around the city by bike (everybody has one, there are a lot of parking spots and stations specially for bikes, and there are bicycle lanes all around the city).

What is the food like?

I didn't find the food that good, but that depends of course of the food you are used to eat in your home country.
I ate almost everyday at lunch in ALMA restaurants (that are the University restaurants located in several places around the city), and there was always four or five different plates to choose. The accompaniment most used are the french fries (originated in Belgium), and every meal had sauces included.

Did it cost you to find your accommodation in Leuven?

Because it is a city filled with students, and there are not so many houses and rooms to rent me and some friends went to Leuven during June to get accommodation, and at that time it was not hard. It is more difficult to get just for one semester, and a lot of times the owners want more money every month for renting just for one part of ther year.
There is always the possibility to get a room in a residence, but it is also difficult. There thay have some rules so they have a lot of nationalities diversity in every residence, so if it is a group from the same university applying it's almost impossible to get a place.

How much does it cost to live in Leuven?

The living cost in Leuven it's high. The minimum price for month to pay for a room is around 300 euros, and it can go to 500 euros. You can save some money cooking more times at home, but most of grocery items are more expensive there than in Portugal (my home country).
One benefit is that they give you a free card for the bus inside the city. So, in terms of transportations, if you don't want to use the bike, it's completely free. The train tickets inside Belgium are also very cheap (you can go to every city just for 5 euros).

Is the language easy to get to grips with? Are there language courses available at the University?

The language is really difficult, but fortunately every people in the city speaks English. That is one major advantge of going to Leuven.
But, if you want to learn Dutch anyway there are a lot of courses in the University for foreign students. There is also an ERASMUS Intensive Language Course (EILC), so you can go to Leuven one month prior of the beginning of the classes and have a course just for Erasmus students of Dutch.

What's the easiest or most economical way to travel to Leuven from your city?

From my city (Braga, Portugal), the easiest way to travel to Leuven was by low-cost flights by Ryanair. This company has flights from Oporto to Brussels Charleroi, and from the airport there is a direct bus route to Leuven operated by Airportbus.

Where would you recommend to go on a night out in Leuven?

In this city it is located the longest bar in Europe (Oude Markt). It is not really a long bar, but more like a square filled with bars and cafés. I'm sure everyone can find the perfect place for him to go everynight.
For Erasmus students there is the De Rector bar, where every saturdays are International nights, where you can buy Stellas (brand of beer produced in Leuven) just for 1 euro.
There are also the Fakbars, there are bars specially used by students from specific faculties.

And for eating? Can you recommend some good restaurants in Leuven?

As I said before, the best restaurant is ALMA, that is the restaurants of the students. Maybe is not the best one, but one of the cheapests.
When I ate in another restaurants, I chose mainly fast-food restaurants, and there lots of them in the center of the city. Just near the Oude Markt there is MacDonalds, and a lot of places where you can eat really good kebabs, pizzas or pastas; and you can go also to the Subway that is located near the City Hall

What good cultural sites are there to visit?

I think that the city itself is a good cultural site to visit. Just try to go around the streets and look at the amazing old buildings. But there are places you cannot miss, for example: Oude Markt; City Hall and St. Peter's Church (there are located in the heart of the city, Grote Markt); Groot Begijnhof (an old quarter that was originally build so groups of unmarried, semi-religious women could live there), that is a beautiful place where you can amost feel like going back to the 17th century when you go for a walk in the streets; University Library (that has a big tower where you can go up to see people playing the bells two times a week); Arebeng Castle (in the middle of Heverlee Campus) and Keizersberg Abbey, a religious bulding with a big park just in the top of the city.

During Christmas I recommend going to the Christmas Market and seeing the Christmas lights all over the town.

Is there any other advice that you could give to students going to Leuven in the future?

If you are going to Leuven just enjoy every moment of your staying; try the big variety of belgium beers thar are at your disposal in every bar, visit all the cities in every corner of Belgium (specially Ghent, Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels) and get to know and learn with every people you meet during this experience.