Living in the centre of Louvain-la-Neuve

The pedestrian heart of Louvain-la-Neuve, on its slab: the station, the lecture halls of humanities, law and management, the shops, the cinema and the lake, a few minutes from one another. The most practical neighbourhood, and the liveliest.

The neighbourhood

Louvain-la-Neuve was born from the split of the University of Louvain at the end of the 1960s: construction began in 1971, and the first students arrived in 1972. Its centre sits on a concrete slab, with the car parks below and the pedestrians above. Cars only come up in the morning, from 6 am to 10 am.

The urban centre stretches from the Aula Magna, by the lake, to the Esplanade shopping centre, via the Grand-Place and place de l'Université. Students, residents and visitors cross paths there, especially at weekends, when many students have gone home. The market sets up on Tuesdays and Saturdays, on place de l'Université and the Grand-Place.

The Grand-Place is also the stage of the 24h vélo, every autumn since 1976: a relay race coupled with the biggest student party in the country, organised by a kot-à-projet.

Getting around

• On foot, the Lavoisier, Doyens and Agora lecture halls are less than five minutes from the station, and all the university's big buildings less than a quarter of an hour from the centre.
• The train leaves from the centre itself. Brussels-Central is 50 minutes to an hour away, direct or with a change at Ottignies, seven minutes away by train. For Namur and Charleroi, you also change at Ottignies, whose station is a building site for several years. From 13 December 2026, service to Brussels goes up to four trains an hour on weekdays and increases on Saturdays, with later last trains on Friday and Saturday evenings.
• Buses leave from the bus station, below place Rabelais. About twenty lines, including the Express lines to Wavre, Nivelles, Gembloux, Jodoigne, Ixelles and Woluwe. Most stop around 8 pm or 9 pm, service is reduced on Saturdays and almost non-existent on Sundays.
• By bike, the university offers free shelters with your student card. Avoid leaving your bike outside overnight, at the station or on the Grand-Place. The City also rents out bikes long-term with Pro Vélo.
• By car, no use day to day: the car parks under the slab are paid, and the three free car parks (Baudouin Ier, Lauzelle, Rédimé) fill up quickly.

Schools nearby

UCLouvain has its faculties of law and criminology and of economic, social and political sciences here, on place Montesquieu, its Louvain School of Management, on place des Doyens, its faculties of psychology and education, on place Cardinal Mercier, and of philosophy, arts and letters, very close by. Haute École Léonard de Vinci has its buildings in the centre for nursing and teaching, around voie Cardijn and rue Paulin Ladeuze.

Everyday life

The Christine de Pizan Learning Center, on place Cardinal Mercier, is the centre's big library. The Pathé cinema is on the Grand-Place, the Jean Vilar theatre reopened in 2024 after renovation, and the Hergé museum is on rue du Labrador. For a breather, the lake and the parc de la Source are a stone's throw away, and the Esplanade gathers the big chains.

Housing

Kots dominate, followed by studios, more numerous here than in the other neighbourhoods, and a few flatshares. A few metres from the Grand-Place, Lovano Campus is a large student residence, very close to classes. UCLouvain also rents out rooms in shared flats, mostly for bachelor students: apply early to its housing service, alongside your search.

For whom?

A good choice if you have classes in humanities, law or management, if you often go home by train, or if you want everything within walking distance.

Less suited if you want quiet in the evening: on Thursday evenings above all, the centre stays lively late, to the point that, since April 2026, the cafés close at 3 am that night around the Grand-Rue and the traverse d'Ésope.

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