Louvain-la-Neuve

From Hitchwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search

<map lat='50.66621949435195' lng='4.629020690917969' zoom='13' view='0' float='right'/> Louvain-la-Neuve is a little Belgian city between Brussels and Namur, on the E411 motorway.

Louvain-la-Neuve is small city sitting an half hour south-east of Brussels. It was build to house the Université Catholique de Louvain after the luingistic quarrels in the 60's between the flemish and the french-speaker . There are about 11.000 inhabitants and 20.000 students. The tiny city-center is all pedestrians. If you stay during the week (exept during the summer holidays) you might take part to the incredible student-parties all night long. One beer cost around 0.80€ in the "cercles" (students pubs).

Hitchhiking out

There are a lot of possible destinations from Louvain-la-Neuve (e.g. : Brussel, Namur and Luxembourg by E411 motorway, Mons, Paris via Nivelle by RN25 motorway). There are two main hitchhike spot in LLN: the first is on the beginning of the RN25 and the second, on the "Esplanade"-roundabout, to go on the E411 motorway. Each spot is about 10 min walking for the city center.

To go North (Brussels > use a sign "BXL") or South (Namur, Luxembourg, France) : from the city center walk all the way up to the roundabout of the "Esplanade" (shopping center). While walking along the Boulevard de Wallonie, you'll see a petrol station, but you better walk a little longer and stand on the roundabout behind the sign "E411 Bruxelles". It is THE perfect enlightened spot to go either north or south (road splits a little further). You may definitely meet other hitchhiker...

If don't want to stay in Namur but rather go further south, ask the driver to drop you at the roundabout of Namur centre exit. Same kind of spot...

To go to Mons, Paris stand at the beginning of the RN25. The spot is not that great, but it works!

Sleeping

It's also possible to sleep in a hostel. There is a inn near the city-center which is called "Le relais". For ones who have much more money there is another hotel: the "hotel mercure".