Experience in Leuven, Belgium by wouter

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

Leuven is in the end just a small city (consisted during the academic year of more than 50% of students) but with a lot of opportunities. One of the big advantages is that everything is close together.So transportation is usually done by bike. The heart of the city, the old and big market,have an old fashion european architecture and consists mostly of pubs and restaurants.I would recommend Leuven only for a 1 year stay, after that period the city becomes quite boring and the weather is soo bad.

What is the student lifestyle like in Leuven?

So Leuven got the longest so called bar in the world( Google it if you want to know more), Ideally for a relaxing drink during the day and with parties starting there around 23h-24h until the early hours. Also for university and college students only, there is the possibility to grab a cheap drink in the different faculty bars (see tiensestraat ). During the academic year, lots of events are organised in the different halls (see MusicCafe,albatros,Lido,Blauwe Kater,club Montreal,Rumba...). You have also the opportunity to join studentclub but out of principle i'm not a proponent of this organisations.

How much does it cost to live in Leuven?

It depends on your lifestyle. If you cook by yourself it's pretty easy to spend less than 8€ per day, beer can also be bought relatively cheap depending on the brand (if you want to get cheaply drunk on beer, try to buy Carapils in a supermarket called Colruyt (3.5€ for 24 beers). But with the great lot of possibilities in belgian beers, i hope you will try also the more expensive ones. Also a tip when going out: go first to the faculty bars or have a predrink at home before taking the road to the parties.

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

Don't focus too much on the location in Leuven, everything is close together.

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

That depends on your cooking skills. But there are a lot of restaurants you can go to. Even when you are too lazy to move, there exists an extended food delivery service (just eat).

What places would you recommend visiting in Leuven?

Castle arenberg,old market,big market,some auditoriums from the law students

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

Favorite spot in leuven is for sure Meat city (if you have the budget)

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

see the part on studentlife