Europe Up Close

A Walking Tour of Leuven, Belgium

Published/Revised December 18, 2017 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Leuven, a lesser-known city in Belgium, is located a short train or car ride to the northeast of Brussels. However, it’s not that Leuven attracts fewer visitors than other Belgian cities such as Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent because it doesn’t have anything to offer— it is rather the contrary! The city of Leuven is a vibrant centuries-old university city.Leuven is home to the Catholic University ... Read Full Article

UNESCO Sites: Top Things to See in Belgium

Published/Revised February 8, 2018 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Belgium is home to eleven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but if you take into consideration all individual sites, there are no less than 60. That can be explained as follows: Two of Belgium’s official UNESCO World Heritage Sites are actually made up of several separate sites—there are 17 Flemish béguinages, which are regarded as just one world heritage site, while 33 belfries dot the country, which ... Read Full Article

Visit These Less-known Towns in Belgium

Published/Revised May 4, 2015 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Sometimes called Europe’s best-kept secret, Belgium is slowly starting to climb the ladder of popular western European destinations. Although less-visited than its neighbors (the Netherlands, France and Germany), it does have an overwhelmingly extensive menu of historic sites and attractive sights – a menu of which, once you’ve tasted one dish, you’ll be a craving much more.Talking about ... Read Full Article

Impressions of Leuven, Belgium

Published/Revised June 14, 2014 By This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Most of my visit to Leuven was in the evening, so it was a mood-oriented experience. On a long walk through the blue Leuven dusk, the architecture stood out against the sky in an almost fantastical way. The incredible Gothic Town Hall in the Great Market Square cut an intricate silhouette against the sky, and the famous Fonske sculpture of a student pouring wisdom into his head seemed like an ... Read Full Article