After four visits to the region, my enthusiasm for the region only increases with familiarity. I welcome any questions, suggestions, additions or comments. The flight from Toronto to Brussels can take about seven hours on a direct flight although, you may find that direct flights are more rare than you may have first believed. There are many more options available to you should you fly to Amsterdam or Paris and then on to Brussels. It will be much easier for you to rent a car for the battlefields and grave sites but city to city travel is very easy by rail .
Rail passes are well worth considering.
Leuven is a fabulous place to eat, drink and walk around. If you have the money, the Holiday Inn is at the centre of things but equally central and less expensive, is the Ibis Hotel . Both have parking facilities. It is less than a two hour drive from the airport. If you have the time, stop in Ghent.