Practical information

Welcome to Leuven

With its rich religious heritage and renowned academic tradition, Leuven provides an ideal setting for discussions on the future of Europe’s places of worship. The city is actively exploring ways to preserve its churches, monasteries, chapels, and collections while ensuring they remain relevant and accessible to contemporary society.

How to get to Leuven

Plane. The fastest and easiest way to reach Leuven is to fly into Brussels Airport (BRU). At the airport’s underground station (level -1), you can purchase your SNCB train ticket to Leuven. The ride is just 15 minutes. Several trains depart per hour to Leuven, so it is not necessary to buy your ticket in advance.

Train. If you are travelling from nearby countries, Brussels South Station (Bruxelles Midi/Brussel Zuid) offers many high-speed rail connections to Paris, London, Amsterdam, and other European cities. The ride from this station to Leuven takes 30 minutes. Trains depart You can find more information on international connections at https://www.b-europe.com/EN

The venue

The Irish College Leuven was founded in the 17th century by Irish Franciscan brothers. At the beginning it offered refuge to Irish scholars fleeing religious persecution. Over the years it became an important intellectual hub for preserving Irish culture and manuscripts. Today it is an international centre for education, training and research in European and international affairs.

Nearby the Irish College Leuven is the Great Beguinage, a charming area with historic houses and cobblestone streets where women used to live in a community back in the 1500s. Today most of these buildings belong to the university, KU Leuven.