Venue Information for HoTT/UF 2024 and EPN-WG6 2024

• The Workshop on Homotopy Type Theory and Univalent Foundations (HoTT/UF) 2024, and
• The 2024 meeting of EuroProofNet Work Group 6 (EPN-WG6) on Type Theory

are scheduled to take place:

Date: Apr 2-5, 2024
Place: Leuven, Belgium
Venue: Dept. of Computer Science
Celestijnenlaan 200A
3001 Heverlee (Leuven)
Map - Access guide - Parking
Talks: Auditorium Erik Duval, 200A.00.225
Collaborative room: Seminar room 200A.00.144

⚠️⚠️ Please beware of accommodation-related scam emails targetting this specific event. ⚠️⚠️

Belgium

Belgium is an EU and Schengen country, and the currency is the euro (EUR/€).

The national languages are Dutch, French and German. Leuven is officially a monolingually Dutch-speaking city. Most Belgians have a fairly good command of the English language.

Emergency number: 112
Country calling code: +32
Electricity: ~230V, power outlet of type C/E (compatible with F) - Wikipedia

🕑🕒 In the night from 30 to 31 March 2024, Belgium moves from UTC+1 to UTC+2. 🕑🕒

Getting to Leuven

By train

NMBS train planners: domestic trains - international train connections.
In practice Deutsche Bahn may be best aware of train connections anywhere in Europe (without necessarily being able to book them).

Leuven/Louvain railway station has direct connections to:

• Brussels-Airport Zaventem (not to be confused with Zaventem proper), a railway station directly underneath Belgium's main airport,
• Brussels-South/Brussel-Zuid/Bruxelles-Midi, with direct high-speed connections to London (MGS 2024 in Leicester), Paris (incl. airport) and various destinations in France,
  • Barcelona-Sants can be reached from Brussels-South with a single change in Valence TGV or Lyon Part-Dieu. You have to force planner tools to find this; they will instead recommend that you change in Paris but then you have to hurry through the Parisian metro.
• Luik/Liège-Guillemins, with direct high-speed connections to Frankfurt am Main (incl. airport) and Dortmund via Köln/Cologne; 3x/week a night train to Vienna; 3x/week a night train to Berlin; and direct IC connections to Luxembourg (ETAPS 2024),
  • From Köln Hbf, there are direct connections to Hamburg Hbf, where you have:
    • Connections to Denmark,
    • A direct night train to Malmö and Stockholm,
• Antwerp-Central/Antwerpen-Centraal/Anvers-Central, with direct IC and high-speed connections to Rotterdam, Amsterdam and Schiphol Airport; and 3x/week a night train to Berlin and Prague.

Note: Railway announcements in Belgium are made in the language of wherever you are (this even holds within a moving train!), and place names are translated. Note that the French name for Leuven is Louvain, but Louvain-la-Neuve is an entirely different place.

Heverlee railway station is not very well connected, nor is it very helpful to get to the Arenberg campus.

By car

Just drive to Leuven. Note that Belgium has severe traffic congestions, especially towards Brussels and Antwerp in the morning and in opposite direction in the evening.
Note: Road signs are in the language of wherever you are, and place names are translated. Note that the French name for Leuven is Louvain, but Louvain-la-Neuve is an entirely different place.

See below for parking information.

By plane

Some nearby airports that are easily reachable by train are Brussels-Airport (BRU), Paris Charles-de-Gaulle (CDG), Frankfurt am Main (FRA), Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS).

Note that Brussels-South Charleroi Airport (CRL) is not at all in Brussels and does not have a railway station. It is however connected to the railway stations of Brussels-South/Zuid/Midi, Charleroi-Central and Fleurus by shuttle bus and public bus (operated by TEC). Each of these railway stations has direct trains to Leuven; Charleroi and Fleurus also to Heverlee.

Local transport in Leuven

Bike

By far the easiest mode of local transport in Leuven is the bike, especially since the Arenberg science campuses are located outside of the city center.

• Velo bike rental near the railway station. (Don't click "Fietsverhuur" (bike rental) but just scroll down for the short-term tariffs.)
• Blue-bike: shared bikes to pick up at Leuven/Heverlee railway station and drop off at the same location. Cheap yearly subscription + low price per fare. Subscription is apparently best done well in advance so you can get your membership card delivered by post at your home address, even abroad. Also available in many other Belgian railway stations using the same subscription.
  Edit: At Leuven railway station, there is now a limited number of bikes that can be unlocked digitally via the Blue-bike app (official versions only iOS and Google Play Store).

Note: Conflict-free crossroads are the exception in Belgium. So even if you have a green light for cyclists, beware of cars turning left or right, although they should yield.

Walk

You'll rarely have to walk more than a few kilometers, so it's a serious option if you like walking.

Bus

Public buses in Flanders are served by De Lijn.

Tickets can be bought via their app (official versions only iOS and Google Play Store), or at a vending machine or partnered store. It's now also possible to pay by credit/debet card, phone or smartwatch on the bus. SMS-tickets only work for Belgian sim cards.

Relevant bus stops are Heverlee Celestijnenlaan (in front of the campus) and Heverlee Campus Arenberg (in front of the CS building).
The city center's bus hub is Rector De Somerplein (which is spread over Rector De Somerplein, Margarethaplein and Grote Markt).

• Bus 2 "Heverlee Campus" frequently drives from Leuven railway station via Rector De Somerplein and Heverlee railway station to Heverlee Celestijnenlaan and Heverlee Campus Arenberg (terminus in front of the CS building). It takes a significant detour.
• Bus 2 "Kessel-Lo Hulsberg" goes back (and continues beyond Leuven railway station).
• Bus 616 (and back) is a faster but less frequent connection between Leuven railway station, Heverlee railway station, Heverlee Celestijnenlaan (not Campus Arenberg!) and Brussels Airport (but take a big margin if you're going to take the bus to your plane).

Car

The car is not an efficient means of transport in the city centre (within the ring road) or in Kessel-Lo. The traffic flow is usually relatively good on the ring road (especially the North-West side), Koning Boudewijnlaan and Celestijnenlaan.

Parking

At the venue: In Parking Kapeldreef, the tower directly beside the CS building.
Access code: 64526# (including the hash). This code is needed both to enter and to leave the parking, and will be valid from 2-5 April.

In general: Parking finder - Map of paid parking zones

Food & drinks

Tipping in Belgium is considered an expression of exceptional appreciation.

Near the Venue

Quick lunch:

• Alma Quadrivium (map): soup & sandwiches (same campus, 5-10 min walk; open 10h00-14h00 during Easter break.)
• Alma 3 (map): student canteen with warm lunch (15 min walk, across the Celestijnenlaan; open 11h30-14h00 during Easter break.)
• De Spuye (map): warm lunch (< 10 min biking, in Arenberg Park next to the ring road)
• Alma De Moete (map): soup & sandwiches (next to the CS building, probably closed) (Closed during Easter break.)

Restaurants:

• Kantineplein (map): Zorba - The Lodge - Oude Kantien
• De Spuye (map)

City Centre

There are many restaurants and take away places all over the city centre. Particular concentrations can be found at Muntstraat/Tiensestraat/Eikstraat/Hogeschoolplein/Alfons Smetsplein and Parijsstraat.

Cafés are concentrated at Oude Markt and Parijsstraat.

Heverlee Railway Station

There are a couple of restaurants around the railway station of Heverlee:
Wok Dynasty - Mama Wong - Hinata - Siam - Via Via - Khin - Het Seinhuis

Groceries

Few grocery stores and very few non-grocery stores are open on Sunday and Easter Monday (Apr 1, 2024). Monday is another popular closing day for non-grocery shops. Two grocery stores with atypical opening hours not far from the venue are Carrefour Express Heverlee and AD Delhaize Terbank.

Accommodation

Here we list some possible options, but feel free to use a search engine or booking platform instead. There is also a booking tool by the city administration's tourist office.

Hostel

• Hostel De Blauwput (HI Hostel, directly behind the railway station)
• Leuven City Hostel

Hotel

• The Lodge Heverlee (a.k.a. De Oude Kantien - close to the venue)
• Hotel Mille Colonnes (directly in front of the railway station)
• Begijnhof Hotel
• Klooster Hotel
• Ibis Budget Leuven (directly behind the railway station)
• Ibis Leuven Centrum
• Note: Ibis Heverlee is in a somewhat desolate location at a parking next to the E40 high road. Some regard the forest immediately surrounding the parking as unsafe.

Tourism and Activities

Leuven

• The tourist office's top 10 tourist attractions,
• A walking tour with Google map by the tourist office, which as a local organizer I can really endorse (including both extensions). The main loop passes by:
  • Rector De Somerplein / Fonske,
  • Domus,
  • Ladeuzeplein with Museum M and University Library,
  • Hooverplein,
  • Sint-Michielskerk,
  • Museum of Zoology,
  • Sint-Donatuspark (municipal park),
  • Vandalecollege
  • Groot Begijnhof (Great Beguinage; UNESCO world heritage),
  • Dijlepark,
  • Sint-Antoniuskapel, with the grave of Father Damien in the crypt,
  • Oude Markt
  • Universiteitshal / Lakenhal
  • Grote Markt / Sint-Pieterskerk & City Hall
  The south extension is a beautiful walk and passes by:
  • Middenbermpark (central reservation park) from Naamsepoort to Parkpoort,
  • Philipssite,
  • Abdij van Park (Park Abbey),
  • Street art at Geldenaaksebaan,
  The north extension passes by:
  • Anatomical theatre,
  • Botanical garden,
  • Handbooghof with former inner city wall,
  • Klein Begijnhof (Small Beguinage),
  • Sluispark / De Hoorn / OPEK / Vaartkom.
• Other walking tours
• Green spots:
  • Arenberg Park & Castle (next to the venue),
  • Egenhovenbos with KU Leuven Stiltehuis (House of Silence),
    (Some regard the forest immediately surrounding the high road parking as unsafe.)
  • Heverleebos (go there by bike or by bus; keep your walking muscles for within),
  • Zoete Waters (with restaurant 't Spaans Dak),
  • Vijvers van Bellefroid (Ponds of Bellefroid),
• Campusbibliotheek Arenberg / Celestijnenklooster (Campus Library Arenberg / Celestine Monastery; close to the venue at the end of Celestijnenlaan)
• Abdij van Park (Park Abbey),
• Abdij van Vlierbeek,
• Abdij van Keizersberg,
• Hal 5 (behind the railway station, in Kessel-Lo),
• Park Heuvelhof,
• Provinciaal Domein Kessel-Lo,
• The Shelter (canoeing/kayaking on the Dijle)

Sports

With a 5€ day ticket, you can make use of most of the KU Leuven sport facilities.

Belgium

From Leuven, it is easy to take the train to destinations such as Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Mechelen, Liège, Namur, the Ardennes ..., as well as the 60km-long highly urbanized Belgian Coastline (De Panne, Oostende, Blankenberge, Heist-Duinbergen-Knokke). Some nature on the coastline can be found in Het Zwin near Knokke and in the surroundings of De Panne.

Local Organizer

Andreas Nuyts - firstname dot lastname at kuleuven dot be
See the web pages of the associated events (HoTT/UF - EPN-WG6) for the other organizers.

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