Travel

Location

Leuven is a university city about 25 km from Brussels, the capital of Belgium. The conference is being held in the University hall of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Naamsestraat 22, 3000 Leuven.

Airports

The nearest airport is Brussels International Airport. There is also an airport in Charleroi (also known as Brussels South) which has cheaper flights (e.g. Ryanair), however Leuven is most easily reached from Brussels International Airport .

Arriving at Brussels international airport (Zaventem)

  • Please follow the normal procedure of getting through the passport control, picking up your luggage and going through customs.
  • Entering the arrival hall, go to your right. You will find escalators and elevators going to LEVEL -1. Level -1 is the train station of the airport.
  • Arriving on Level -1 you will find ticket boots for the trains. Buy a one-way ticket to LEUVEN. It should cost you around 5.35€
  • There are two trains an hour leaving from the airport to Leuven. On both trains Leuven is the first stop after 14 to 16 minutes of riding.
  • At the train station in Leuven you can walk, take a bus or a taxi to the hotel, depending where your hotel is.
  • By taxi: a taxi takes about 25 minutes from Brussels Airport to Leuven. A single journey will cost about 70 euro.

For more info on Brussels National Airport, go to: http://www.brusselsairport.be/en/

Arriving at Brussels south airport (Charleroi)

  • You purchase a bus ticket for the bus ride to Charleroi South railway station. It should cost you around 3€
  • There are buses regularly from the airport to the railway station (bus line A). You can purchase a ticket “billet bulk” at the bus stop (door n°2) to start the bus ride to Charleroi South railway station and the rail journey to any station in Belgium. The bulk ticket is on sale at the airport.
  • In Charleroi South Railway Station you can buy a ticket to Leuven. The train traveling time will be between 80 and 95 minutes.
  • For more info on Charleroi or Brussels South airport, go to: http://www.charleroi-airport.com/
  • For more info on time tables for buses go to: http://www.charleroi-airport.com/en/passengers/acces-and-parking/by-rail-bus/index.html
  • For more info on time tables for trains to Leuven, go to http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/

By train

By train Leuven is only 20 minutes from Brussels, 40 minutes from Antwerp, 50 minutes from Liege, 90 minutes from the Belgian coast and at 2 to 3 hours from cities like Dusseldorf, Paris, Amsterdam, Calais,… Travelers from France and England can easily take the Thalys, the Eurostar or TGV. The TGV also comes in from the Netherlands and Germany.
Most international trains make a stop in Brussels South railway station. From this station (as from every main station in Brussels) it is easy to catch a train to Leuven. A train ticket from Brussels to Leuven will cost you between 3 and 6€. There are at least two trains an hour to Leuven. The ride to Leuven from Brussels railway stations will take you about 30 minutes. For more info on time tables for trains to Leuven, go to http://www.b-rail.be/main/E/

By car

Leuven is easily approached by several highways. The main highways that pass Leuven are the E40 and the E314. Look up your route through
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm

Please be aware that it’s hard to find parking space in Leuven!

If you have any further question, please don’t hesitate and contact us.