There are 5 ways to get from Essen to Leuven by train (Eurostar), bus, train, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train via Cologne
best- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbftrain 43 / ...
- Take the train from Koeln Hbf to Liege-Guilleminstrain Ice
- Take the train from Liège-Guillemins to Louvaintrain Ic / ...
3h 9m€53–178Bus
cheapest- Take the bus from Essen central train station to Brussels-North train stationbus 081 / ...
- Take the bus from Brussel Noord opstaphalte to Leuven Wijnpersbus R81 / ...
5h 4m€17–27Bus, train
- Take the bus from Essen to Hasseltbus Kyiv-Hasselt / ...
- Take the train from Hasselt to Louvaintrain L / ...
4h 55mDrive 207.7 km
- Drive from Essen to Leuvencar 207.7 km
2h 5m€32–46Train
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Aachen Hbftrain Re
- Take the train from Aachen Hbf to Liège-Guilleminstrain S41 / ...
- Take the train from Liège-Guillemins to Louvaintrain Ic / ...
3h 46m€39–182
Essen to Leuven by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Essen to Leuven is to bus which costs €17 - €28 and takes 5h 4m.
The fastest way to get from Essen to Leuven is to drive which takes 2h 5m and costs €30 - €50.
No, there is no direct bus from Essen station to Leuven. However, there are services departing from Essen central train station and arriving at Leuven Wijnpers via Brussel Noord opstaphalte. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 5h 4m.
No, there is no direct train from Essen to Leuven. However, there are services departing from Essen Hbf and arriving at Louvain via Koeln Hbf and Liège-Guillemins. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 3h 9m.
The distance between Essen and Leuven is 270 km. The road distance is 207.7 km.
The best way to get from Essen to Leuven without a car is to train via Cologne which takes 3h 9m and costs €50 - €180.
It takes approximately 3h 9m to get from Essen to Leuven, including transfers.
Essen to Leuven bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Essen central train station.
Essen to Leuven train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from Essen Hbf station.
The best way to get from Essen to Leuven is to train via Cologne which takes 3h 9m and costs €50 - €180. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs €17 - €28 and takes 5h 4m.
What companies run services between Essen, Germany and Leuven, Belgium?
You can take a train from Essen Hbf to Louvain via Koeln Hbf and Liège-Guillemins in around 3h 9m. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Essen central train station to Leuven Wijnpers via Brussels-North train station and Brussel Noord opstaphalte in around 5h 4m.
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 48 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €28–31
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Koeln Hbf to Liege-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 45 min
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €32–36
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Liège-Guillemins to Louvain
- Ave. Duration
- 25 min
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- €26–30
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Aachen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 38m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- €36–41
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Aachen Hbf to Liège-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 23 min
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €24–27
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 35m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €15–22
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Essen Hbf to Aachen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 11m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €23–35
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +44 343 218 6186
- Website
- eurostar.com
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 53 min
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- €30–70
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €30–45
- Comfort
- €35–50
- Premium
- €50–70
Train from Koeln Hbf to Liege-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 3m
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- €35–80
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €35–55
- Comfort
- €40–60
- Premium
- €60–80
Train from Essen Hbf to Aachen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 40m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- €45–95
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €45–65
- Comfort
- €50–70
- Premium
- €70–95
Train from Aachen Hbf to Liège-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 23 min
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €27–60
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €27–40
- Comfort
- €28–40
- Premium
- €45–60
- Phone
- +49 9126 301 90 70
- fahrgaeste@train-rental.com
- Website
- train-rental.com
Train from Essen Hbf to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 1m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Schedules at
- train-rental.com
- Phone
- +32 70 79 79 79
- Website
- belgiantrain.be
Train from Liège-Guillemins to Louvain
- Ave. Duration
- 30 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- €8–12
- Website
- https://www.belgiantrain.be/en
- 2nd Class
- €8–12
- 1st Class
- €12–18
Train from Hasselt to Louvain
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- €6–10
- Website
- https://www.belgiantrain.be/en
- 2nd Class
- €6–10
- 1st Class
- €10–15
Train from Aachen Hbf to Liège-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 2m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €7–10
- Website
- https://www.belgiantrain.be/en
- 2nd Class
- €7–10
- 1st Class
- €10–15
- Phone
- 0221 13 999 444
- Website
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Essen Hbf to Aachen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 58m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €26–40
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
- Phone
- 0800-0232 545
- Website
- arriva.nl
Train from Aachen Hbf to Liège-Guillemins
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 33m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €12–14
- Website
- https://www.arriva.nl/en/
- 2nd Class
- €12–14
- Phone
- +380(67)-484-57-27
- support@pavluks-trans.com
- Website
- pavluks-trans.com
Bus from Essen to Hasselt
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 59m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Website
- https://pavluks-trans.com/en/tickets/kyiv/goettingen?sort_by=departure&order_by=ASC&page=1
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- flixbus.fr
Bus from Essen central train station to Brussels-North train station
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- €14–25
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +32 70 22 02 00
- Website
- delijn.be
Bus from Brussel Noord opstaphalte to Leuven Wijnpers
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 9m
- Frequency
- Every 20 minutes
- Estimated price
- €3
- Website
- https://www.delijn.be/en/
Want to know more about travelling around Belgium
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More Questions & Answers
Essen to Leuven bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Brussels-North train station.
Essen to Leuven train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Köln Hbf station.
Yes, the driving distance between Essen to Leuven is 208 km. It takes approximately 2h 5m to drive from Essen to Leuven.
There are 1282+ hotels available in Leuven.



































