Welcome to Leuven!
About Belgium and Leuven
Language
Leuven is a very English-friendly city, and you can get by without knowing the local language, which is called “Flemish”, which is the name given to the Dutch language as spoken here. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to broaden your horizons a little bit by picking up Dutch, which you can learn at places such as ILT and CLT. In any case, you cannot escape the ubiquitous “alstublieft” (if you please), “dankuwel” (thank you very much) and “daag” (have a nice day) even if you want to!
Weather
Belgium has a varied climate from day to day but that is quite similar across the country. Rainfall is mild and fairly consistent throughout the year. Summer has the most pleasant conditions with days averaging in the low 20°Cs (low 70°Fs) to 30°Cs and a decent amount of sunlight. Winters are mostly overcast and, apart from the coast which experiences slightly milder winters, are generally frosty, often dropping a couple of degrees below zero (around 28°F).
Food
Food shouldn’t be a problem; even if you are staying by yourself upon your arrival, someone will usually host dinner at their place. Leuvenites are very friendly, in case you didn’t know!
If you are a vegetarian, it will not be a big problem here, but be prepared to cook for yourself. Outside in the hotels, vegetarian choices are very limited. In most of the places in Europe that we know, it was always possible to get a vegetarian food. But you have to mention it very clearly. Also mention that you do not eat fish (fish is not considered as "meat"). Mention about eggs if you do not eat them too.
Culture
For more information about the culture please visit http://www.use-it.be/. It contains Tourist Info for Young People and offers free maps & info of several Belgian historical cities.
You can also use wiki travel guide to search the city which you wanted to visit. http://wikitravel.org/en/MainPage
Geography of Leuven
The city of Leuven is circular in shape with a radius of around 2.5 km. Quite small, indeed! At the center of the city there is the city hall, police station and a main church. Most of the buses go through the center, which is also called the “Fochplein”. From the center, different roads lead to the periphery in a radial fashion. The periphery is also called the “ring”. That’s all there is to it. You can never get lost in Leuven! All main roads will lead either to the center or to the ring. IMEC and KU Leuven are located a little (~ 1 km) outside the ring; nevertheless, they are extremely well connected by bus. You might also find the name “Heverlee” mentioned in their addresses; Heverlee is a suburb of Leuven. Get a map and explore the city by your own, it’ll be fun!
Leuven is a very English-friendly city, and you can get by without knowing the local language, which is called “Flemish”, which is the name given to the Dutch language as spoken here. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to broaden your horizons a little bit by picking up Dutch, which you can learn at places such as ILT and CLT. In any case, you cannot escape the ubiquitous “alstublieft” (if you please), “dankuwel” (thank you very much) and “daag” (have a nice day) even if you want to!
Weather
Belgium has a varied climate from day to day but that is quite similar across the country. Rainfall is mild and fairly consistent throughout the year. Summer has the most pleasant conditions with days averaging in the low 20°Cs (low 70°Fs) to 30°Cs and a decent amount of sunlight. Winters are mostly overcast and, apart from the coast which experiences slightly milder winters, are generally frosty, often dropping a couple of degrees below zero (around 28°F).
Food
Food shouldn’t be a problem; even if you are staying by yourself upon your arrival, someone will usually host dinner at their place. Leuvenites are very friendly, in case you didn’t know!
If you are a vegetarian, it will not be a big problem here, but be prepared to cook for yourself. Outside in the hotels, vegetarian choices are very limited. In most of the places in Europe that we know, it was always possible to get a vegetarian food. But you have to mention it very clearly. Also mention that you do not eat fish (fish is not considered as "meat"). Mention about eggs if you do not eat them too.
Culture
For more information about the culture please visit http://www.use-it.be/. It contains Tourist Info for Young People and offers free maps & info of several Belgian historical cities.
You can also use wiki travel guide to search the city which you wanted to visit. http://wikitravel.org/en/MainPage
Geography of Leuven
The city of Leuven is circular in shape with a radius of around 2.5 km. Quite small, indeed! At the center of the city there is the city hall, police station and a main church. Most of the buses go through the center, which is also called the “Fochplein”. From the center, different roads lead to the periphery in a radial fashion. The periphery is also called the “ring”. That’s all there is to it. You can never get lost in Leuven! All main roads will lead either to the center or to the ring. IMEC and KU Leuven are located a little (~ 1 km) outside the ring; nevertheless, they are extremely well connected by bus. You might also find the name “Heverlee” mentioned in their addresses; Heverlee is a suburb of Leuven. Get a map and explore the city by your own, it’ll be fun!