At Leuven's heart is this soaring Brabantine-Gothic church (1425) whose remarkable wooden pulpit is fashioned like twin palm trees that drip with cherubs. The elaborately carved stone rood screen is magnificent too. Tickets are required to go beyond here into the apse, whose schatkamer (treasury) most notably includes two priceless...

　　Though originally built before 1329, this chapel is now an archetypal work of 1960s church design, made memorable as the last resting place of Father Damian, Belgium's missionary 'saint'. 　　His black-slab grave still attracts pilgrims and boards in the church illustrate Damien's work with Hawaiian lepers, which was the basis...

　　This church's enormous baroque frontage remains impressive despite considerable age-erosion to the limestone capitals. It's topped with trumpeteer angels and the allegorical cherub frieze halfway up is enchanting. 　　Much of the interior is hidden due to long-term restoration. Stand in the middle of the nave to make sense of the...

　　This state-of-the-art gallery houses a priceless collection of 15th- to 18th-century religious works, fascinating Leuven-relevant historical objects and plenty of contemporary art displayed in thought-provoking if sometimes disorienting ways. Upper floors host high-profile temporary exhibitions. 　　Curiosities include a golden city key, playing 'spot the difference' in a room full of...

　　Far and away Leuven’s most iconic sight, the incredible 15th-century stadhuis is a late-Gothic architectural wedding cake flamboyantly overloaded with terraced turrets, fancy stonework and colourful flags. Added in the mid-19th century, a phenomenal 236 statues smother the exterior, each representing a prominent local scholar, artist or noble from the...

　　Just off the main inner ring road around 800m northwest of Leuven train station, this world-famous, highly automated brewery offers mostly group tours, though individual visitors can join weekend visits at 1pm (in Dutch) and 3pm (in English). Buy tickets from the tourist office or through the website as far...

　　Dominating Monseigneur Ladeuzeplein, this imposingly grand Flemish Renaissance–style palace features a soaring Scandinavian-style brick tower topped with a three-storey octagonal stone cupola. 　　The library was convincingly rebuilt after WWI with the financial aid of 400 American universities, having been infamously put to the torch in August 1914 during the schrecklichkeit...

　　This idyllic, village-like corner of Leuven would make an ideal film set for a medieval drama. The lantern-lit cobbled streets are lined with step-gabled brick houses with stone window frames. Semi-wild roses scent several green oases, which are richly serenaded with birdsong, and a couple of pretty footbridges cross the...