Parks

You never have to look far for greenery. The Sluispark on the Vaartkom is one of those places where you sit down for a moment and suddenly an hour later you are still sitting there, overlooking the Dijle and the hip brewery site of De Hoorn. The very first Stella Artois was brewed here in 1926.

Find the hidden Dijlepark, stroll among the colours of the Botanical Garden or lay on the grass among the students in the Sint-Donaaspark in the city centre. The 10,000 m² Hertogenpark the city’s newest park. The Dijle flows freely and vividly there again, and a beaver has already built his lodge there. The new Vesalius Museum will open here at the end of 2026.

Abbyes

They knew how to choose their spots, the abbots who built their impressive abbeys in Leuven in ducal times. On the outskirts of the city lies Park Abbey. Marvel at colourful stained-glass windows and unique 3D stucco ceilings, both 17th-century masterpieces, or stroll through the protected natural landscape. For a moment, you forget you are still in a city. And yes, there is also abbey beer.

In the garden of Keizersberg Abbey you have a great view over Leuven. In the courtyard garden of the Saint Gertrude’s Abbey in the heart of Leuven, only the church bells break the silence. Nearby, walk along the cobblestones between the whitewashed houses of the Small Beguinage.

And then head out of town, to the terrace or by the fireside of In den Rozenkrans at the Vlierbeek Abbey. St Peter’s Church Botanical Garden Park