In short
- Internationals meet at Holland Expat Center South, the library's Taalcafé, student associations and a few large online groups.
- Most of it is free; the student sports card is the one yearly fee.
- Pick one place and go more than once, because people remember faces, not names.
- Welcome desk
- Stadhuisplein 10, Fridays 09:00 to 17:00, no appointment needed
- Taalcafé
- De Witte Dame, Thursdays 10:30 to 12:00, free
- Sports card
- €155 a year (€31 a month) for TU/e and Fontys students, 70 sports
- Meetup
- Expats Eindhoven: about 7,800 members, run by a language school
- Volunteering
- Eindhoven Doet lists volunteer jobs; the site is in Dutch
What to do
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Holland Expat Center South runs a free monthly Welcome Evening with a city walk for newcomers. Register first.
More on this
- Its events page also lists meetups, workshops and Dutch practice days.
The welcome desk at Stadhuisplein 10 takes walk-ins on Fridays, 09:00 to 17:00. Ask your settling-in questions and pick up the guides.
- Students
At TU/e, Cosmos brings Dutch and international students together with potlucks, trips and cocktail nights.
More on this
- AEGEE-Eindhoven is the local branch of a European student network.
- ESN has no Eindhoven section; the nearest are Tilburg and Breda.
- Students
The Student Sports Centre costs €155 a year for TU/e and Fontys students and covers 70 sports. Team sports are the fastest way to a fixed group.
Expat Spouses Initiative runs Say Hello meetups, career events and networking for internationals and their partners. See its events.
Eindhoven Doet connects you with organisations that need volunteers. Some roles need no Dutch; ask before you apply.
Online groups
Expats Eindhoven on Meetup is the largest English-speaking group, with about 7,800 members. It is run by a language school, so most listed events are paid Dutch lessons; look for the drinks, games and comedy nights instead.
We do not recommend language schools. For free ways to learn Dutch, see our article on learning Dutch under Read next.
Our take
Choose one weekly thing, not five monthly things. A Taalcafé table or a sports team gives you the same faces every week, and that is where friendships start.
Mix one international place with one local one. The Taalcafé and a club put you next to Dutch people, which an expat group never does.
Useful links
See 10 more links
More official links
Other useful links
Providers and community groups we found useful. We don't get paid for these links.
Related
Read next
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