City guide Leuven
- Art Galleries Cas-co (Vaartkom) - artist studios and experimental spaces Cas-co is mapped at Vaartstraat 94 in the Vaartkom as an arts centre. A current exhibition…
- Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads No specific nomad visa; self-employed 'Professional Card' required for non-EU. High tax… No nomad tax break: residents pay tax on worldwide income, up to 50% federal plus…
- Banking for Expats KBC Brussels/Leuven (international friendly), Revolut, BNP Paribas Fortis KBC, one of the main Belgian banks, has its roots and part of its group headquarters in…
- Bar/Nightlife Area Oude Markt - known as 'The Longest Bar in Europe' with over 30 bars in one square The Oude Markt. Wikivoyage counts over 45 bars and restaurants on the square and calls it…
- Best Area to Stay for Digital Nomads Heverlee (quieter, green, near university) or Vaartkom (modern, trendy canal district) The station side, with Regus at Martelarenplein 20E and Het Depot next door, or Heverlee…
- Best Area to Stay for Tourists Historical Center (Grote Markt, Oude Markt) for proximity to landmarks The historic centre around the Grote Markt and the Oude Markt, a short walk from Leuven…
- Best Beach Nearby Oostende (approx. 1h 30m by direct train from Leuven Station) No city beach. Ostend, on the North Sea, is about 1 hour 30 minutes by train from Leuven…
- Best Cafe for Work MOK Coffee (Diestsestraat 165) or Anna Specialty Bar (Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 27) none
- Best Coworking Space Bar d'Office Leuven (Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28) - €20/day or €150/month Regus at Leuven Railway Station, Martelarenplein 20E. Day coworking from €39, and a…
- Best Dessert Spots Bake Off (Bondgenotenlaan) or Bittersweet (refined chocolates on Eikstraat) none
- Best Food Delivery App Deliveroo, Takeaway.com, and UberEats none
- Best Hospital UZ Leuven (Gasthuisberg) - world-class university hospital (Herestraat 49) UZ Leuven, campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, 3000 Leuven. Phone +32 16 33 22 11. For an…
- Best Local Dish to Try Leuvense Fonske (honey-based cookie) or Stoofvlees (Flemish beef stew) Fries from a frituur, and North Sea mussels in season (roughly August to March). For a…
- Best Taxi/Ride App Taxi Leuven (+32 16 22 22 22); Uber is limited but growing Standplaats taxis use Tariff B for a one-way ride: €10 to start, including the first 2.5…
- Bike/Scooter Rental Blue-bike at Leuven Station (€3.50/24h) or Donkey Republic (orange bikes) Blue-bike, including at the station. The Ticket plan is from €1 per 30 minutes, capped at…
- Birdwatching Locations Doode Bemde nature reserve (nearby Neerijse) Doode Bemde, a reserve of more than 250 hectares in the Dijle valley south of Leuven, in…
- Bonfire-Friendly Spots Provinciaal Domein Kessel-Lo (strictly in designated BBQ/fire zones) none
- Budget Accommodation Leuven City Hostel (approx. €30/night for dorm), Blauwput Youth Hostel near station Hostel De Blauwput (HI Flanders), Martelarenlaan 11A, 3010 Kessel-Lo, behind the station…
- Cashless Friendly Yes, cards and Bancontact apps widely accepted even for small amounts Yes. De Lijn tells you to buy or activate a ticket before you board, in the app or by…
- Casino & Gaming Halls Versailles Casino Leuven (Bondgenotenlaan 81) none
- City Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium Leuven, capital of the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality has five…
- Community Centers Stadskantoor Leuven - hub for administration and local integration none
- Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) Rules Yes, strict ATAD-compliant rules Yes. The ATAD CFC regime, entity approach from tax year 2024, taxes undistributed passive…
- Cooking Classes Kookatelier (Brusselsestraat) for Belgian chocolate/pastry workshops none
- Corporate Tax 25% standard rate 25% corporate income tax on company profits. SMEs can pay 20% on the first €100,000 of…
- Cultural Districts Vaartkom - former industrial zone turned creative hub The Vaartkom, the canal quarter north-east of the station, where old industrial ground has…
- Currency & Banking 1 EUR ≈ 1.09 USD. Banking via KBC, Belfius, or ING; Revolut and Wise widely used Euro. On 19 October 2026 the ECB rate was 1 EUR = 1.1225 USD, about 0.8909 EUR per US…
- Cycling/Walking Paths The Dijle River path going towards Mechelen The centre is easy by bike, and many one-way streets are open both ways to cyclists…
- Dividend Withholding Tax 30% (reducible via some treaties or VVPR-bis system for SMEs) 30% withholding tax on dividends, interest and royalties, with treaty and EU…
- E-commerce/Online Store Bol.com, Coolblue.be, and Amazon.com.be none
- Gaming Lounges The Playground (Parijsstraat 51) - Board game cafe none
- Grocery Delivery Albert Heijn (via app) or Delhaize.be (Home Delivery) none
- Gyms & Fitness Centers Basic-Fit Leuven (Bondgenotenlaan) - approx. €24.99/4 weeks; JIMS Leuven Basic-Fit Comfort is €24.99 per 4 weeks for Belgian clubs (offer window 9 October to 5…
- Highest Income Tax Bracket 50% on income exceeding approx. €48,320 50% federal tax on income above €51,070 for income year 2026 (assessment year 2027)…
- Highway Access Direct access to E40 (East-West) and E314 (North-South) The E40 runs from Brussels through Leuven toward Liège. The E314 links Leuven with Limburg…
- Historic Buildings Arenberg Castle (Heverlee) - university campus landmark Arenberg Castle, Kasteelpark Arenberg 1 in Heverlee, now a KU Leuven campus, and the…
- Historical Sites University Library and its tower on Ladeuzeplein The University Library, Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein 21, rebuilt after the First World War…
- Internet Speed Excellent connectivity; average 95-110 Mbps via Telenet or Proximus fiber Ookla September 2026 country medians are 264 Mbps fixed and 220 Mbps mobile. No…
- Language Classes ILT (Institute for Living Languages) KU Leuven for intensive Dutch ILT, the KU Leuven language institute, Dekenstraat 6 bus 5302. Dutch as a foreign language…
- Laundry Services Wasbar (Tiensestraat 45) - laundry while you eat/work; approx. €5-7 per load Wasbar, Tiensestraat 7: €6 a wash and €4 a dryer, detergent included. On Mondays washing…
Studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom purchase prices, centre and outside, replaced invented per-m² rates with the 14 October 2026 Immoweb apartment asking median of €4,679 per m² and 2024 sector sale medians; Corporate Tax kept 25% and added the SME 20% band; Dividend Withholding Tax kept 30%; Tax System kept worldwide income and stated the residence test; Highest Income Tax Bracket about €48,320 -> €51,070 for income year 2026, municipal surcharge 6.7% for assessment year 2024; VAT kept 21% and 6% and added hotels at 12% from 1 March 2026; CFC kept and stated the entity approach from tax year 2024; Property Tax municipal slice 38.7% of cadastral income for 2026; Property Transaction Tax 3% first home -> 2% sole home since 1 January 2025, general rate 12%; Best Area to Stay for Tourists kept the historic centre; Best Area to Stay for Digital Nomads Heverlee or Vaartkom -> station side and Heverlee; Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads kept the lack of a nomad regime and added the professional card Source