Leisure

Bar Di'Vino - Martin's Agora
Every 1st and 3rd Tuesday evening of the month, the bar hosts les Bulles Musicales, live music organised in collaboration with la Ferme du Biérau.

Di'Vino
Cours Michel Woitrin, 4
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel. +32 10 774 805

Sunday 29 September
Rixensart - Genval – La Hulpe – Overijse
LET’S RUN TOGETHER FOR OUR PLANET 
Register now and join the 5th edition of Martin's Run on Sunday, September 29. Together with Martin’s Hotels, you’ll run through the wonderful nature of Walloon Brabant. 

At Martin’s Hotels, we fully believe in sustainable development. Our ‘Tomorrow Needs Today’ project was founded to reduce the emissions and waste of our hotels as much as possible. This is how we want to help secure the future of the next generations. 

There’s no better way to showcase sustainable living than a green and eco-friendly running race (5 or 14 km) through one of the most beautiful natural areas of our country. This year, the Martin's Run starts in front of the striking Martin’s Château du Lac in Genval.

At the Martin's Château du Lac, we will install a hospitality village where you can meet our green partners.

For more info or registration:
martinsrun@martinshotels.com
martins-run.be

Invention, dialogue, quite an Art!
Quiet, a museum ? Not in Louvain-la-Neuve, where the Musée L makes artworks talk to each other : a Buddha next to a medieval Christ, ancient writings alongside calculating machines... The UCL museum, with 32.000 items in its collection, explores some new and unusual encounters that tell us about the world and our humanity. Art works are not the only thing on display: the museum also presents the UCL’s scientific collections. Natural history specimens, archaeological and ethnographic objects and scientific inventions are all on show in 2,600 m² of exhibition space at the heart of a building that is a landmark of modern Belgian architecture. Museum L is not like other museums: it is a place of living dialogue and exciting discovery.

More info at: www.museel.be

Inaugurated in 2001, the Aula Magna is a vast complex housing a congress centre and an auditorium. This large glass box − 70 m long and 30 m wide − installed on the shore of the lake, was designed by the architect Philippe Samyn.
In addition to the spacious auditorium with a capacity of 1100 seats, the building is equipped with a 1700 m² hall, multiple foyers and modular seminar rooms (for 50 to 750 persons).
The Aula Magna hosts concerts, musical comedies, plays and dance performances, as well as exhibitions, congresses, seminars, symposiums, fairs and corporate events.

Pedal boats, rowing boats, kayaks, drifters and water balls (reservation requested)… The Genval Yacht Club offers a whole spectrum of activities on Genval Lake – for families, groups of friends, or cosy couples.

Meerlaan 190 A
3090 Overijse
Tél. : +32 (0)2 784 30 43 

Website

Open on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon
to 6:30 pm, and every day of the week during July and August (same opening hours).

The Atelier Théâtre Jean Vilar, founded in 1968 by Armand Delcampe, has been established in Louvain-la-Neuve since 1975.
A creative theatre, it is above all a theatre of quality accessible to the largest number, in the tradition of Jean Vilar − actor and director of French theatre, founder of the Avignon Festival, and director of the National Popular Theatre.
The Atelier Théâtre Jean Vilar's programming consists of new works and revivals, and classical and contemporary shows, by Belgian and foreign authors, played by both experienced actors and young actors coming from theatre schools.
Over its 45 years of existence, the ATJV has been able to demonstrate its importance on the French-speaking scene in Belgium as well as abroad. Today, it is one of the great European theatrical institutions.
The performances are presented primarily in three rooms: the Théâtre Jean Vilar, the Théâtre Blocry, and the Aula Magna.
(Excerpted from www.atjv.be)

In the Water and Fountain Museum, young and old can learn why water is such an important but also limited source of life. The museum also shows the history of fountains (in the city, in the country, in the garden…).

Avenue Hoover 63
1332 Genval (Rixensart)
Tél. : +32 0(2) 654 19 23 

E-mail : musee.eau.fontaine@belgacom.net
Website

Housed in the former farmhouse of the Terhulpen Castle in the Solvay park, the Folon Foundation displays more than 500 water colours, engravings, posters and sculptures by the famous Belgian artist.

Ferme du Château de La Hulpe
Drève de la Ramée 6 A
1310 La Hulpe
Tél. : +32 (0)2 653 34 56 

E-mail : fondation.folon@skynet.be 
Website

“As one of the most popular musical venues in Walloon Brabant, the Ferme du Biéreau is above all, for the public as well as for the professionals, home to all kinds of music: resounding in its superb classified and renovated barn, one hears jazz, classical and world music, as well as rock and more experimental genres. So, music is present here in all its forms, but also in all its moods: concerts, improvisations, rehearsals, artist residencies, acoustic siestas, a label, studio recordings, and so on.
Under its emblematic wooden beams, the Ferme du Biéreau is also home to the recordings of the RTBF music show D6bels On Stage, as well as several festivals: the Kidzik, dedicated to young audiences, Open Jazz, the Grand Tremplin of Walloon Brabant, and La Ferme !!! Festival.
In addition to its own programming, the Ferme du Biéreau rents its rooms for exterior activities that are the subject of independent communication (associations, conferences, shared projects, etc.).”
(Excerpted from www.fermedubiereau.be)

The De Blocry Sports Complex is the largest sports centre in Belgium.
Jointly owned by the French Community, the UCL and the City of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve, it offers:
•    23 sports halls
•    13 hectares of outdoor terrains
•    2 25-metre swimming pools, 1 paddling pool
•    1 athletic track
•    2 inflatable structures reserved for tennis
•    1 canvas hall reserved for tennis and badminton
•    1 fitness and relaxation centre
•    40 shared dressing rooms
•    2 cafeterias
In terms of surface area, the sports complex comprises 14,200 m² of sports halls, 36,000 m² of outdoor sports grounds, 6,300 m² of diverse areas, and 2 swimming pools covering 2,300 m².

The Solvay domain – one of the most beautiful parks in Belgium – offers wonderful walks. It houses the Béthune Castle (1842) with its French garden, as well as the Folon Foundation dedicated to this celebrated Belgian artist.

Château de La Hulpe
Chaussée de Bruxelles 111
1310 La Hulpe
Tél. : +32 (0)2 634 09 30

Website

Villers-la-Ville Abbey is one of the largest Cistercian monasteries in Europe. The ruins of the monastery are still partially standing in a wood in a breathtaking valley. The church, refectory, brewery and mill show how daily life in a 13th century abbey must have looked.

Rue de l'Abbaye 55
1495 Villers-la-Ville
Tél. : +32 (0)71 88 09 80

E-mail : info@villers.be
Website

Dienst voor Toerisme Pays de Villers

Rue de l'Abbaye 55
1495 Villers-la-Ville
Tél. : +32 (0)71 88 09 80 

E-mail : info@paysdevillers-tourisme.be
Website

Owned by the Catholic University of Louvain, the Bois de Lauzelle is a private forest with multiple purposes: forestry site, scientific study, conservation of nature, public reception and education.

Covering numerous valleys of various orientations, the Bois de Lauzelle offers a diversity of landscapes. This exceptional site was classified in 1994 and is now integrated into the Natura2000 network.

Thematic walks are regularly organised by the tourist office/inforville.

Dating from the 17th century, Rixensart Castle is a magnificent example of Brabant legacy and one of the most beautiful castles in Belgium. The gardens are planted according to the designs of André Le Nôtre, and the interior design is by Princess de Mérode. 

Tel. : +32 (0) 2 653 65 05 

Website

Open to the public during the “fine weather” – reservation required. Children younger than 7 are not allowed.

What about a great activity to liven up your stay at the Martin’s Château du Lac?
Come and hit the ball on our lawns facing the lake of Genval, wonderful scenery!

For the occasion we install in our gardens around Martin’s Château du Lac an amazing golf practice including :
- a putting green of 100 square meters
- a driving range up to 40 meters wide
- a floating golf green located 50 m from the lake edge
- skill golf game with different targets (optional)
- a short green of approach (optional).

This activity is suitable for both beginners and initiates and ideal to have a great time outdoors.
It’s the perfect way to forget the daily stress and relax for a moment.
Relaxation and fun guaranteed!

Martin's Château du Lac
avenue du Lac 87
1332 Genval
Tel. 02 655 71 11

Contact : Quentin de Valensart - 0475 84 22 95
www.quickgolf.be

Walibi is the largest amusement park in Wallonia, where more than 50 attractions and activities await you. Young and old can also enjoy themselves in the gigantic Aqualibi water park next door – in a tropical, but still refreshing, atmosphere.

Boulevard de l'Europe 100
1300 Wavre

Website

Designed in 1984 to serve as a storm basin and fishing pond, the Louvain-la-Neuve lake extends over 7 hectares. It is fed by the rain water of its drainage area, which covers 350 hectares.

“The lake is of particular interest for its flora and fauna. Its gently sloping profile and its deep areas have favoured the presence of an island and a belt of vegetation that covers its shores. Many species of birds stop there along their migration route, and others alight there more regularly. Various amphibian species are also observed there.”
Frequented especially by fishermen, the Louvain-la-Neuve lake is also popular with the local residents and students who come to relax there in good weather.

To facilitate walking, and to allow all walkers to admire these treasures, a footpath called ‘Rêverie du Promeneur solitaire’ has been created along the lake’s 1,570-metre perimeter.
And to satisfy the increasingly numerous running enthusiasts, a 120 cm wide Finnish track has also been installed. Composed of wood chips, the track surface guarantees running comfort similar to that of paths in the woods, reducing the regular shocks and jolts that can afflict the joints.

Aventure Parc is a paradise for children (and their parents), with 11 acrobatic tracks. There’s also a zone especially for the littlest ones. And if you should get hungry, you can enjoy the fast food restaurant. 

Rue Sainte Anne 152
1300 Wavre 
Tél. : +32 (0)10 22 33 87

E-mail : info@aventureparc.be
Website

Open from 18 March to 11 November 2013.

The Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve invites you on a journey through the life of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, offering a comprehensive perspective via thousands of sources from and related to the work of Hergé.
More than 80 original plates, and 800 photographs, documents and objects have been brought together under one roof. The building itself was designed and built within the picturesque green setting of Walloon Brabant, by the architect Christian de Portzamparc: a little like a Grail hidden within a sacred grove!
Hergé was not only Tintin. Graphic designer, caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator, storyteller – he was a multi-talented artist who was a perfect reflection of the twentieth century.

Rue du Labrador 26
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tél : +32 (0)10 488 421

E-mail : info@museeherge.com
Website

Louvain-la-Neuve is a young city that places very high importance on ecology and sustainability. The Tourism Service organises guided tours to present the efforts the city is making concerning sustainability and ecology.

Place de l’Université 1 / Galerie des Halles
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tél : +32 (0) 10 47 47 47

E-mail : info@tourisme-olln.be
Website

The Grote Markt is the central square of the City of Brussels. Known worldwide for its beautifully decorated buildings, the Grote Markt is bordered by guildhalls, the town hall and the ‘Broodhuis’ museum. A must!

Grand Place
1000 Brussels

Website

Martin's Hotels offers you an exclusive pass to 14 golf clubs in Belgium. Fairways between the trees, windswept golf courses – the various aspects offer something for everyone, regardless of handicap. The Martin’s Golf Pass includes a stay in a Martin’s Hotel ... and all your favourite golf activities, of course!

martinsgolfpass.com

L'Esplanade
Place de l'Accueil 10
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tél. : +32 (0)10 23 01 21 

Website

Open from Monday - Thursday and Saturday from 10 am – 8 pm and Friday from 10 am – 9 pm. Closed Sunday.

Centre Ville (autour de la Place Alphonse Bosch)
1300 Wavre