Other projects: DOCVILLE / SELECTED SHORTS / CINEMA ZED / PERMANENT SHORTFILMFESTIVAL SITE

ABOUT LEUVEN

Leuven is a relatively small city (100.000 inhabitants), 20 kilometers near Brussels. Leuven is widely known for two things: it harbours one of the oldest universities in Europe. The K.U.Leuven was founded in 1425 and has more than 25.000 students today. Leuven is also the hometown of INBEV, the largest brewery in the world, famous for it’s beer Stella Artois (since 1366), one of the best known beers.

Leuven itself was founded in the 11th century and has a fabulous historic city centre (with the magnificent town hall) and a worldwide known Beguinage (officially recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage site). Due to the creative input of students, it always stayed a vivid, young and creative environment. In a city where the historical buildings are only surpassed by the number of pubs and bars (following our last count:180, but it’s possible we’ve missed some) there is always something going on.
The festival organizes free guided tours for her international guests, so be sure to join us

Leuven harbours a series of interesting cultural organisations and events. Besides the DOCVILLE there’s also the International Arts Centre STUK (www.stuk.be), the divers programme of the local cultural center 30CC (www.30CC.be), the huge city rock festival “Marktrock” (www.marktrock.be), the Afrika Film Festival (www.afrikafilmfestival.be), the cultural city festival KULTURAMA (www.kulturama.be), club concerts at Het Depot (www.depot.be), the International Documentary Film Festival DOCVILLE (www.docville.be) and so on.

Official website www.leuven.be
Wikitravel: Leuven

STAYING OVER

FESTIVAL HOTEL
The festival hotel 2011 is Etap Hotel.
Check the hotel’s website.

OTHER HOTELS
Theaterhotel
Hotel Mille Colonnes
Hotel The Lodge
Hotel Ibis Leuven Centrum
Begijnhof Congres Hotel
Gasthof De Pastorij
Hotel Binnenhof
Hotel Ibis Hotel Industrie

THE ROAD TO LEUVEN

By plane
Leuven is a 20 minute drive from the Brussels National Airport (40 minutes by train). The lowcost airline company, Ryainair, flies to

Charleroi from 59 different cities. If you inform us about your flight and arrival/departure time, we make the necessary arrangements to pick you up at the airport.

By train
In Brussels South station trains arrive from ever corner of Europe. If you are coming from London, Lille or Paris you can take the Eurostar. If you are coming from France , Germany or the Netherlands, you could take a train of the Thalys network. For international timetables, click here or inform with our guest coordinator.

By car
Leuven is situated close to the A3 (E40 in Belgium) highway between Brussels and Liège (Luik). Coming from the north; follow the A2 (E314 in Belgium) between Leuven and Genk.

DOWNLOADS

Download publications, made by the city of Leuven (PDF), in 5 laguages (Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish)

Cycling and walking
If you want your Leuven to be active or different, you have plenty to choose from. You can row on a fish pond or relax in a sauna, go ballooning, climbing or sail down the Dijle in long ships like the Vikings. But the active topof-the-pops is cycling.
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Architecture and sculptures
Leuven has been a town in the throes of metamorphosis. Streets, squares, buildings and whole districts are evolving alongside a rapidly changing society. Leuven is using this modernisation to integrate high quality contemporary architecture in the midst of its centuries-old tradition.
Old and new reinforce one another and together provide a magnificent urban setting. It is not for nothing that 21st century Leuven definitely claims to be a major port of call for tourists!
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Events and activities
You will find that Leuven is overflowing with high quality events of substance and other ways of spending your leisure time. We present below a selection of the major happenings for anyone who wants to stay fully informed, a free magazine ‘Uit in Leuven’ comes

out every month and is available in a great many places. Use it, just pop in to Tourism Leuven | In&Uit Leuven or take a look at www.uitinleuven.be
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Culinary delights and nightlife
Leuven is a town that has something for everyone. Are you a notorious reveller, a culinary gourmand, a bar fly or a culture vulture? In Leuven you will always find something to your taste.
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Group tours and day trips
With the help of the Royal Leuven Guides Association, Tourism Leuven organises guided tours lasting an average of 2 hours.
Besides our standard offering – visits to the Town Hall, the Great Beguinage and St. Peter’s Church – we also offer a number of themed walks and cycling trips.
Tourism Leuven also organises daytrips. These combine a tour with a town guide and a lunch. The structure of the programme depends on the kind of day trip the party chooses.
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Lodging in Leuven
To help you discover Leuven in all its aspects, you will find a variety of places to stay. There is something for everyone – from traditional hotels to the budget-friendly youth hostel and luxurious guest houses. Or what do you think about a bed & breakfast?
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University and colleges
Wherever you may be in Leuven, you are embraced throughout by the colourful past of this university town, and meet with hoards of students. No wonder, if you know that every academic year around 40,000 young Belgians and foreigners come to this, the doyen of Flemish University towns to obtain their Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or doctorate. For almost six centuries Leuven and its university (K.U.Leuven) have been inseparably linked to one another.
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GUEST CARE

For film professionals only. Please contact our guest coordinator: Frank Moens (+32 16 320 310)