Zoutleeuw

city in Flemish Brabant, Belgium

Zoutleeuw is a small town of about 8,000 inhabitants (2021) in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. Zoutleeuw is often overlooked by many international tourists, but can make an interesting day out from Leuven. The town is located in the eastern part of the province, southeast of the regional capital city of Leuven. The town used to be an important trading centre.

Understand

Get in

By train

Zoutleeuw doesn't have a train station. The nearest train stations can be found in Sint-Truiden and Diest, from which you can take a bus to Zoutleeuw.

By bus

The Flemish national bus company, De Lijn, operates bus lines to Zoutleeuw from neighbouring towns like Sint-Truiden, Diest, Tienen and some others. There is no direct line from Leuven. For more information regarding different timetables (only available in Dutch): https://www.delijn.be. Get off at the stop called Zoutleeuw Kerk and you're right in the centre of this historic little town.

By car

The most convenient way to travel to Zoutleeuw by car is getting off the E40 near Tienen. The travel time by car from both Leuven and Liege is around 45 minutes. When travelling from Brussels you should schedule 1 hour for your car trip to Zoutleeuw.

Get around

Public transportation

The public transport company De Lijn runs bus lines through Zoutleeuw. However, the town is very small so it's not really worth it to buy a ticket. Just go on foot.

On foot

The town centre is very small and everything is located within a few minutes walking distance.

See

  • 🌍 St. Leonard's Church. The towers of the church are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France. 
  • 🌍 Town Hall. 
  • 🌍 The Red Lion (De Rode Leeuw). A traditional 17th-century patrician residence in the town centre. Some historians claim the house dates back to the 16th century. A part of the tower and wall of the first Sint-Truidense gate (1130) has been incorporated into the side wall of the house. 
  • 🌍 Gasthuis der Grauwzusters. A former hospital dating back to the beginning of the 18th century. It is no longer used as a hospital since the 1950s. Since that moment it houses some offices of some municipal institutions. 

Do

  • 🌍 Nature Park Het Vinne, Ossenwegstraat. To the north of the centre of Zoutleeuw is a 130 ha large nature reserve. The name refers to the fen that used to be here. It was once the largest in Flanders. The fen in Zoutleeuw was later used to excavate peat. It is now protected as a Natura 2000 area. There is a large free parking at the entrance of the nature park on Ossenwegstraat. 

Buy

Eat

  • 🌍 De Lakenhalle, ☏ +32 11 78 01 17. (updated Jan 2022)
  • 🌍 De Cleyne Taefel, Prins Leopoldplaats 4. (updated Jan 2022)

Drink


Sleep

Zoutleeuw doesn't have hotels. The nearest hotels can be found in Sint-Truiden. There are a few bed and breakfasts in the area.

Go next

  • Leuven — a historical city and Belgium's largest academic center, near Brussels.
  • Sint-Truiden — a historical town 6 km away and the heart of Belgium's fruit producing region.
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