8 Helpful Apps When Starting your Expat Life in the Netherlands

Are you moving to the Netherlands to begin your expat life? Wouldn’t it be great to have someone follow you everywhere, helping you figure out the language, food, transportation, and all the other things you need to learn?

While that’s probably not be feasible, your phone can do a whole lot of that for you with just a few simple apps—you’ll be living like a native in no time!

Google Maps

The same app you likely use at home is used by many in the Netherlands, too. Just like always, you can use the navigation to quickly find your way around. Always a great app to have with you when you are in unfamiliar territory.

A Parking App

Once you’ve figured out where you’re going, you need to find a spot to park your car. If you register with a mobile parking provider like Park-line, you won’t have to worry about feeding the meter. Start the app once you have arrived at your destination and turn it off when you get ready to leave, ensuring you only pay for the actual time you’re parked. At the end of the month your account will be debited.

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If you want to avoid navigating, driving, and parking altogether, you can use the Netherlands’ extensive public transportation system. You don’t have to worry about getting overwhelmed or figuring out where your stops are, when you download this app. You tell it where you are (or let it find you), where you want to go, and it will give you your options. It covers buses, trains, and all other transport choices. The app also lets you save locations and can notify you of changes and delays as you go.

Thuisbezorgd

Finding expat life a tad busy and don’t feel like cooking? One simple app to find all the restaurants in your area that deliver is Thuisbezorgd. This highly-rated app lets you order securely with a credit card, iDEAL, or PayPal (you can also pay cash at the door). Browse all the culinary options or narrow them down by cuisine. Just don’t forget to save your favourites.

Albert Heijn

The largest Dutch supermarket chain, Albert Heijn, developed this app to help you cook meals at home. Choose healthy ingredients, find recipes, create a shopping list, and even have your groceries delivered.

Buienradar

The weather in the Netherlands is anything but predictable. Therefore, a great weather app that will help you decide if you should bring sunglasses, an umbrella, or both is essential.

Netherlands Travel Guide by Triposo

A little bit of everything is offered in this app. You can find sightseeing locations, restaurant reviews, maps for major cities, and even a phrasebook with useful Dutch phrases. It works without the internet, too.

The Dutch English Dictionary & Translator

Although English is available in many parts of the Netherlands, it’s always handy to speak the language, especially if you want to enrich your expat life. This app features detailed definitions and example sentences, related searches, an advanced analyser, favourites, search history, flashcards for learning, and phonetics to help with pronunciation.