How to Make Friends in The Hague as an Expat
Moving to The Hague is easy. Meeting people takes a plan. These are the places where newcomers and locals actually talk to each other.
TaalMeet team · · 6 min read
The Hague is a friendly city, but it is also a city of newcomers. Many people arrive for a job or a study, work from home and then wonder why the weekends feel quiet. The good news: friends come from repeating small things. Here is a plan for your first month.
1. Join a language group, even if you speak English well
A language group gives everyone a reason to talk. You do not need to find a topic, because the language is the topic.
- Taal in de Bibliotheek. Bibliotheek Den Haag runs free Dutch conversation groups every week in about twelve branches. No sign-up, a volunteer leads, and groups are small. There is a break in summer. Details are in our guide to taalcafés in Den Haag.
- Dutch Language Café, Herengracht 13A. A café for people who learn languages, with something on almost every day. At the time of writing the Thursday 19:30 Language Exchange covers all languages, with short rounds of 3 minutes. Check Meetup for the current price and times.
- Special days. The Spreek Nederlands Middag (Sunday 1 November, Centrale Bibliotheek) and Praat Nederlands Day (Thursday 26 November, several places in the city) are good ways to meet many people in one go. Both need sign-up.
2. Find one regular partner
Groups are good for meeting people. A friend is usually one person you see every week. A language exchange does this naturally: one hour in Dutch, one hour in your language, same café, same day.
TaalMeet is a free app that shows people near you who want to swap languages. Set the language you speak and the one you learn, send a wave and meet for a coffee. It is for friends, not dates, and the community started in The Hague, so this is where you will find the most people today. Read your first language exchange if you are nervous, and our safety tips before you meet anyone new.
3. Say that you want to practise
Many Dutch people switch to English when they hear an accent. It is kindness, not rejection. Try: "Ik wil graag Nederlands oefenen, mag ik het eerst in het Nederlands proberen?" (I would like to practise Dutch, may I try in Dutch first?). More lines in our guide to what to say when they switch to English.
4. Go back
The second visit matters more than the first. Pick one group or one café and go four weeks in a row. By week three, people will remember your name.
A simple first-month plan
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| 1 | Go to a Taal in de Bibliotheek group in your neighbourhood |
| 2 | Go to the Language Exchange night, or message one person on TaalMeet |
| 3 | Meet your language partner for a coffee, then agree on a weekly time |
| 4 | Sign up for Praat Nederlands Day on 26 November |
Other cities nearby
Living near Delft, Leiden or Rotterdam? TaalMeet shows people within about 50 km by default, so a short train ride is often enough. See Delft, Leiden and Rotterdam.