How to make friends in Germany?

par Niamh Condon7 minutes de lecture

How to make friends in Germany ?

Making friends during your Au Pair stay is a key to helping you settle into life as an Au Pair and allows you to make the most of your Au Pair year. It can be hard to know where to go and how to make friends while au pairing. Here are some useful tips on how to make friends and meet other Au Pairs in Germany.

Social Media

If you are trying to contact other Au Pairs in Germany why not check out our Facebook Page. You can join our Facebook Group simplyserach for Au Pairs with Au Pair.com and connect with fellow Au Pairs living closeby. Facebook can also be a great way to find other Au Pairs in Germany. Just search Au Pairs in and include your city or region and there is bound to be other Au Pairs. If there is not a page for your area or city you can always create one to find other Au Pairs. It is always safer to use private Au Pair groups rather than public groups. Of course, you can use other forms of social media to find Au Pairs:

For example if you have an Instagram account you could search different hashtags such as #Aupairinbonn #Aupairsköln etc. and then send messages to Au Pairs in your city or region.
The app Meetup is extremely useful. You search in the app your city, for example Hamburg, and then you can see all the different groups in Hamburg. They have groups in a number of different categories such as sport, dance, language and film etc. So whether you are looking to build an app, run a marathon or learn a new language you are bound to find a group that suits your interests and hobbies.
The Hi Jay Language exchange app can help you find a native speaker to meet for coffee and improve your language skills.
Meet5 is a relatively new app which allows you to join group dates. The events usually have between 4-12 people attending and you can choose a group metting to join. Most of the events are usually in German however you can create your own group meeting with English speaking expats meetup for example.

Clubs or societies

Another great way to make friends in Germany is to join clubs or Vereine. In Germany you can find a club for just about anything from a book club to swimming club. Just Google your city and “Vereine” to find some clubs and societies to join. If you go onto the official website of your city you can find a list of clubs and societies. Here is a list of websites where you can find clubs in some German cities.

Stuttgart: https://www.stuttgart.de/item/show/16686
rn München: https://www.muenchen.de/freizeit/vereine.html
Frankfurt: https://www.frankfurt.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=3759
Düsseldorf: https://www.sportstadt-duesseldorf.de/sport-im-verein/
Hamburg: https://www.hamburg.de/branchenbuch/hamburg/10239959/n0/
Berlin: https://www.berlin.de/adressen/verein/
Köln: https://www.koeln.de/branchen/vereine/k/1826

German language course

As part of your Au Pair program in Germany you can attend a language course. This is a great opportunity not only to learn a new language but also to meet other Au Pairs and make friends. While online language courses can be useful and practical, you cannot meet people and make friends doing the course. Discuss with your Host Family if you can attend a language course in a school. There are many language courses offered in a Volkshochschule. The advantage of doing a language course in a Volkshochschule is that often the people attending the course are planning on staying in Germany long term so they are often more willing to make friends with fellow classmates.

Join Girl Gone International

Girl Gone International is a network of females living abroad and female travelers.It’s perfect for female Au Pairs. Girl Gone International organise numerous free events each month, many of which allow you to both explore the city and meet new people. They organise events such as breakfasts, runs, yoga classes etc.

Toytown Germany

Toytown Germany is a website that offers information to expats living in Germany. They offer practical information on German bureaucracy which is useful for Au Pairs.They have a forum section where fellow expats advertise meet ups and international events that are happening nearby. Almost all of the events are free to attend.

Stammtisch

A Stammtisch is a great way to meet new people. The word Stammtisch is a German word which is quite difficult to translate but means something like “regular get-together". Literally a Stammtisch is a table in a bar or cafe which is reserved for the same guests every week or month.There can be many different types of Stammtisch. There can be those just for friends to meet and drink or there can be specific interest groups such as stamp collecting, psychology or language learning. A language Stammtisch would be a great way to reinforce what you have learned in your Au Pair language course. Here are some examples of Stammtisch you could join to meet people. Sprachcafés are cafes which have organised a Stammtisch for languages. Here is a useful website to help you find Sprachcafés near you in Germany. Here are some examples of Stammtische in some German cities:

Hamburg

The Facebook group Stammtisch Neu in Hamburg has over 43,000 members so joining it you are bound to make friends. The group meets every two weeks and once a month for cocktails.
Here is an English Stammtisch which meets up to three times a month to meet new people and speak English.
This French speakers Stammtisch meet every Sunday in St. Pauli.
For Spanish speakers, there is a group that meets every Wednesday at 7pm in Restaurant September.
For board game lovers there is a group that meets every Sunday afternoon to play board games.

Köln

The Facebook group New in Köln meets once a week and shares tips on their Facebook page to help you settle in quickly.Search for them on Facebook to join the group.
rn Mundo Lingo is a language exchange which takes place every wednesday at 7pm in the Wohngemeinschaft. It is a great place to meet other Au Pairs. How does it work? You get a sticker with your country's flag that you put on you and then you take stickers of all the other languages you can speak.Then you look for people who speak the same languages as you! With over 200 people attending weekly it is great fun and a fantastic way to meet people from other countries.
Köln English conversation group is a Stammtisch for English speakers to meet and have a coffee together. They meet once a week on Tuesday.
There is a bilingual (English-German) board game group who meets every Thursday evening to play various board games.
Café Libresso is a small cafe near Neumarkt where every second Monday people gather to speak Italian. While every Tuesday there's a language group meeting to speak English, German, French and Italian.
Every second and fourth tuesday in a month theres is a Stammtisch for Dutch speakers in Alterfeurwach.
The overseas club in Köln meet every wednesday at 7pm for a drink and a chat in English. Don't worry if your German is not good, all the staff speaks English. They organise events such as quizzes and language events. They even offer language courses in German, Spanish English or French.

Düsseldorf

Of course there are many Facebook Groups such as Neu in Düsseldorf where you can attend regular events. Düsseldorf Expat Meetups is another group who organises events and offers tips on living in Düsseldorf.
Multicultural Intercultural group meets twice a month to make friends and learn more about each other's cultures, Could be a great way to make friends while au pairing in Germany.
For anyone interested in Photography there is a photography group who meets regularly to take photos. They focus primarily on street photography and all levels are welcome. The group often takes trips to nearby cities at the weekends.You could even practise your skills with your Host Kids and organize mini photoshoots.
For Hikers theres is a hiking group who meets every weekend to walk together. The length and duration of the hikes vary.
For football fans here is a Football group open to all who are interested in playing football, watching football and attending football matches.

Frankfurt

Facebook has a number of groups in Frankfurt dedicated to meeting new people such as:

-Expats in Frankfurt
-Expats in FFM
-Frankfurt English speakers
-Enjoy Frankfurt
-Frankfurt Foreigners

English-German language Stammtisch, this one is primarily focused on German and English but all other languages are also welcomed. They organise events and outings twice a week.
English Yoga Stammtisch has yoga workouts once a week.
The English theatre has an international Stammtisch where every monday events are held. Events are free however you must register for free online and receive an invitation to the event. Otherwise you will be charged 5 euro for attending an event.
Frankfurt International Friends meetup is the perfect group for anyone looking to make international, friends attend events and learn new languages.

Berlin

The Facebook group Berlin Expats has over 53,000 members and they organize different events in different locations throughout Berlin. Some events they have previously organized are BBQ, comedy shows, drinks on friday nights etc.
Around Berlin in 80 restaurants is the perfect group for food lovers. They organize dinners in restaurants in Berlin, attend food festivals and have picnics together. With more than 2,800 members you are sure to make lots of new friends.
Berlin Cycling orgainse cycling events every weekend with locals and internationals. After a cycle the group usually finishes with food or a drink in a nearby cafe or restaurant.
The Culti Group Berlin: New in Town, Just Fun, Languages, More organises fun casual events and German language exchanges.
Berlin Evening socials is a group of people who usually meet every friday for a drink and chat.

Munich

Munich International Friends is a Facebook group who organises social events for internationals living in the city.

Here are some international groups

Internationals in München
Culture Club
Munich Stammtisch
München International Activities
Internationals in Munich
Hiking near Munich
Munich Expats
Explore Munich

Stuttgart

Stuttgart expat meetups is a Facebook group. They mostly party together every Friday night and consist mostly of English speakers.

Some other useful Facebook groups are:

Stuttgart veggie expat meetups
stuttgart hike/walk
Stuttgart Expat Ladies
Stuttgart International Friends is an international meetup group which organises events for anyone who wants to make international friends.
Thinkers and Drinkers Stuttgart is a group who meet weekly to have drinks and discuss (in English) both serious and light-hearted matters.
Expat and locals eat,meet and chat A group who regularly meets to enjoy delicious food and chat about their experiences of living in Germany and share information on their German Host Family and advice on living with a Host Family.