Leuven

The main square dominated by the 15th-century Gothic town hall, bristling with statues and pinnacles. Dogs cannot enter the Stadhuis, but the square is freely walkable on the leash.

The 'longest bar in the world', a square lined entirely with café terraces. Very tolerant of leashed dogs, buzzing day and night with students.

A UNESCO-listed beguinage, a pedestrian quarter of brick houses and cobbled lanes along the Dijle. A rare quiet spot to wander on the leash.

The university library with its belfry tower rebuilt after 1914, on the Ladeuzeplein. The interior is closed to dogs, but the wide square in front is good for a break.

The oldest botanical garden in Belgium (1738), now a peaceful public park with glasshouses, a pond and flowerbeds. Leashed dogs welcome on the paths.

The city art museum, old and contemporary, in a building by Stéphane Beel. Assistance dogs only; the streets and small squares around remain accessible on the leash.