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Offered languages
- German
- German
- Portuguese
- Portuguese
- English
- English
- Italian
- Italian
- French
- French
- Spanish
- Spanish
Leuven is a small Flemish city with two obsessions: beer and books. This self-guided walking tour traces the collision of medieval commerce and academic resilience across a compact old town, from the buried river port of the Vismarkt to the University Library that burned and was rebuilt twice.
Everything runs from your smartphone. No app to download, no guide to follow, no fixed departure time. Eight stops come with a clear map, walking directions and a short audio story at each location, plus an interactive quiz that turns the walk into a game.
You will stand under the lace-like Gothic facade of the Town Hall and its 236 carved niches, see the church that still displays the Last Supper altarpiece painted for it in 1464, cross the Oude Markt (known as the longest bar in Europe), and meet Fonske, the bronze student pouring wisdom into his own head.
Start whenever you like, pause for a coffee or a beer, and set your own pace. Audio and text available in 7 languages.
What's Included
Meeting and pickup
Start your self-guided tour at the entrance of Vismarkt. Open your Ciceru experience nearby and follow the route on your smartphone.
The tour ends near the University Library on Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein. Take a moment to enjoy the area before finishing your walk.
Itinerary
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(Pass by)
The old fish market square, once an inland harbour on an arm of the river Dijle that now runs beneath the cobbles. Audio story about its trading past and the Renaissance Collegium Trilingue founded in the alley behind it.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Leuven's late-Gothic parish church on the Grote Markt, with the truncated stumps of a tower project abandoned on unstable ground. Audio story about Dieric Bouts' Last Supper altarpiece, still displayed in the church that commissioned it in 1464.
Admission ticket free -
Historic Leuven Town Hall (Pass by)
Leuven's Late Brabantine Gothic town hall on the Grote Markt, covered in dense openwork stone and 236 statue niches. Audio story about the design that dropped its belfry, and the statues that arrived only in the 19th century.
Admission ticket free -
Oude Markt Leuven (Pass by)
The city's oldest market square, now a continuous run of pub terraces widely known as the longest bar in Europe. Audio story about its rebuilt gabled facades and the De Kotmadam statue honouring student landladies.
Admission ticket free -
Universiteitshal (Pass by)
A 14th-century cloth hall on Naamsestraat that became the university's headquarters. Audio story about the centuries when weavers traded downstairs while professors lectured above, and the beer cellar that funded the library.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The Fons Sapientiae fountain on Rector De Somerplein, a bronze student tipping a cup into his open head. Audio story about the 1975 commission, the nickname Fonske, and the formula engraved in his book.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
Jan Fabre's 2004 sculpture on Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein: a three-metre jewel beetle mounted on a 23-metre steel needle. Audio story about the artist's insect motif and the illusion behind the beetle's metallic sheen.
Admission ticket free -
(Pass by)
The final stop: the monumental Neo-Flemish Renaissance library and its tower on Ladeuzeplein, destroyed in 1914 and again in 1940 and rebuilt both times. Audio story about the American donors chiselled into its walls and the books that survived the fires.
Admission ticket free
Additional info
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tags
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Cancellation Policy
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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