Schedule for the Day
10:00 Take the bus from the station to Tervuren
11:00 Guided Tour of Africa Museum
13:00 Picnic in the park
14:00 6km walk around the park
16:30 Take the bus back to Leuven
Before you Start Your Day
We recommend packing a lunch to enjoy as a picnic in the Park - if the weather isn't in your favor there is also a picnic room inside the museum near the coatroom and lockers.
It had rained a lot the week before we went, so some of the walking trail was quite muddy, so make sure to think about the weather and your shoes before you set off.
Getting to Tervuren
You can take the bus number "317" or "410" from the train station in Leuven to the "Tervuren Terminus Tram 44" bus stop, which is just opposite the entrance to the Africa Museum. The bus ride takes about 30mins.
For other ways of getting there, including by car, we recommend checking out the museum's "Planning your visit page".
Tour the Africa Museum
About the Africa Museum
- The current museum complex features 5 buildings in a neoclassical style.
- Its exhibits include the world’s richest collection of ethnographic objects from Central Africa and the complete archives of Henry Morton Stanley.
- The current museum was founded thanks to a temporary exhibition opened in 1897 as the colonial section of the World Expo in Brussels.
- The museum is a place of memory on the colonial past and strives to be a dynamic platform for exchanges and dialogues between cultures and generations.
- Check out the Africa Museum's website for more details.
Our Top Tip: Go with a Guide
Our group felt that going with a guide gave us helpful insights into the museum and how it is reconciling its colonial history in the modern day. As it's a large museum you won't have the opportunity to see every artifact during a tour, but an experienced guide can give you a fascinating account of the museum, and take you to view some parts of the museum that are only accessible by guide. This will set you up to return to exhibits you'd like to take more time over - after the tour or even if you go back again another day.
You have to book ahead to go for a guided tour, but they have plenty of options to choose from.
Refuel over a Picnic
While you let the impressions from the exhibits sink in, enjoy your picnic outside in the park grounds or in the museum's picnic room.
If you haven't brought anything, the museum has a bistro that regularly features some African-inspired dishes, or you can pop into Tervuren. The Visit Tervuren website lists local eateries, and we were recommended Den Engel as a spot for groups near the museum by our contacts who helped organise the day.
Enjoy a 6km Walk around the Park
Following the Vlaams Brabant node-to-node walking network, we explored the area following the Warande Walk in Tervuren. We took the ca. 6km route, but shorter routes are available.
It's a pretty easy, flat walk and should be stroller-friendly if the weather has been good - we found some large muddy puddles though. Good for splashing in rain boots!
Still not convinced?
Check out our video from the day!