Pet-Friendly Transport in Leuven

Leuven station is one of Belgium's busiest IC interchanges, on the main Brussels-Liège-Cologne axis. Direct trains to Brussels-Central in 25 min, Antwerp in 50 min, Liège in 50 min, Ghent in 1h05 and the Brussels-Airport-Zaventem branch (BRU) in 18 minutes. Dogs travel free on all NMBS/SNCB trains: small dogs in a carrier go anywhere; medium and large dogs need a leash and muzzle.

Leuven is the closest sizeable Belgian city to Brussels Airport: direct NMBS IC trains from Leuven station to Brussels-Airport-Zaventem (BRU) in just 18 minutes, every 30 min, on the Brussels-Liège main line. Standard NMBS pet policy applies: all dogs free, muzzle and leash for medium/large. Easier than reaching BRU from Brussels city centre.

De Lijn runs Leuven's city buses and regional routes across Vlaams-Brabant, including the 358 to Brussels Airport. Small dogs in a carrier travel free; medium and large dogs need a 2.50 EUR flat ticket, a muzzle and a leash. Leuven has no tram network; the bus is the primary public transport inside the ring.

Leuven is one of Belgium's most bike-friendly cities, with a partly pedestrianised historic centre around the Grote Markt, Oude Markt and Naamsestraat, and a dense network of separated bike lanes radiating to the Vaartkom, Heverlee and Kessel-Lo. The city's compact flat geography makes the dog-in-the-bike-basket very common; cargo bikes with dog crates are widely rented through Velo Leuven.