Experience in Leuven, Belgium by Alexandra

What is it like to live in Leuven? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Leuven is a small city full of students. Nearly every building has something to do with the KUL or students. During the week it is lively, but at the weekends almost all students go home so then it's calm. Leuven is a pleasant city to live in, very clean and enjoyable. Everything is accessible by bike or on foot, the station offers a lot of train rides to nearly every city in Belgium. You can easily access bigger cities like Antwerp or Brussels. Leuven may be small, but there is a lot to do (movies, shopping, theatre, exhibitions... ), you do not really have time to get bored.

What is the student lifestyle like in Leuven?

Students everywhere! Especially during the night-time. Belgians love to party, so there is always something to do at the 'Oude Markt' or in the multiple 'fakbars' (each faculty has its own bar). Nevertheless, you also find a lot of students during the day, especially when it is sunny and above fifteen degrees, suddenly everybody goes outside and fits a spot in the park or at a local bar. Student-related activities are organised quite often and you get a lot of advantages being a student in such a major student city (discounts!). The university has its own sport facilities, where you can do pretty much every sport that exists for only fifteen euros (or a little more or sometimes for free). You can also get a student culture card which gives you access to several culture stuff for free or with a discount! Everything is about the students in Leuven.

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How much does it cost to live in Leuven?

I live there for 5 days a week and have a budget of 50 euros which is really enough. So I guess that 70 euros should be enough for a week, roughly, maybe more if you like to drink a lot when you go partying! Or if you want to travel!

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Leuven? Is there any advice you can give?

It is quite difficult because there is a shortage of 'kots' (a room that you rent), even for the local students. If you do not start looking early then you might end up with a crappy room for a high price. On the private market prices vary between 300-400 euro a month for a room with shared toilet/bathroom/kitchen and over 400 euros if you want your own kitchen/toilet/bathroom. There are rooms available for less than 300 euros but you have to search very well. There are quite a few KU Leuven residencies, but they're often full. Search on the internet, there are a lot of websites with 'kot descriptions' and don't forget to ask for a lot of pictures! + The KUL makes a list with kots to rent for a semester but it will only be online in June I think.

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

The food in the supermarket is the same as in any other neighbour country, season fruit and vegetables. There is, of course, less fresh fish than in the Mediterranean countries. Students here eat a lot of pizza, pasta and kebab. Oh and fries of course, which is a Belgian speciality! Belgians drink a lot of beer too!

What places would you recommend visiting in Leuven?

Even though I live here, I still haven't visited much (but there is not that much to visit neither). I would recommend going to bigger cities like Brussels, Antwerp, Gent, Brugge and so on, where there is much more cultural heritage. Nonetheless, you still have some interesting things in Leuven like STUK, Begijnhof, Abdijpark, Cinema ZED, OPEK, Museum M, 30CC, botanical garden and the architecture (from outside).

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Is it good to eat out in Leuven? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

You can find all sorts of restaurants (Thai, Chinese, Italian... ), but they are often expensive. There are a few cheap restaurants (De Werf, Alma, Thai House... ), you'll notice them quickly, they draw a lot of students. You'll find a lot of fatty student food too (kebab, durum, pizza, pasta). I think it is better to cook, cheaper and healthier!

Is the nightlife good in Leuven? Where is good to go?

The nightlife is very good, every night is a party night. It is really nice that there are only people of your age rate partying here during the week, no old and weird people. You can go to the 'Oude Markt', a square filled with bars one after the other, or the the 'fakbars', the faculty bars with the cheapest beer. There are no real night clubs, at least none of them is really good. If you want to go clubbing I recommend Brussels!

What advice would you give future students heading to Leuven?

Start searching a kot on time, plan your budget wisely so you can travel to all the neighbour countries (there are trains going everywhere), speak with everyone (and not just the international students, locals won't bite, everybody speaks English) and just enjoy yourself!

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