10 useful apps for expats living in the Netherlands

When you’re settling into a foreign environment, it can be frustrating not knowing where to go, what to do or how things work.

Here is a list of apps that will help you make the most of your social life abroad, whether that means going out to a club, finding the best restaurants in the city or simply communicating in Dutch.

Please note that many of these apps have a Dutch-language interface. However, we’re confident that you’ll be able to use them, even with just a basic understanding of the language!

Couverts

If you feel like eating a meal out, then Couverts is there to help you decide on a restaurant. Search by cuisine type or area, and make a reservation through their online system. You can even view up-to-date menus and prices.

Dutch English Dictionary

It’s not easy to find a good, free Dutch-English dictionary app. This is one of the better ones we’ve encountered. It includes a large built-in lexicon, sample sentences and audio pronunciation.

Foodspotting 

Foodspotting deals with specific dishes as opposed to restaurants. Are you looking for the best pancakes in town? Read user reviews and check out their photos to get an idea what you should order and where to go for dinner.

Google Translate 

Do you speak Dutch? Fantastic! For those who are still learning the language, Google Translate is an indispensable tool. It's not perfect - in fact, it's quite buggy from time to time - but it could be a real life saver.

Marktplaats 

Are you interested in buying some used furniture, or perhaps selling your old bike? Marktplaats has a handy app version that lets you keep track of your transactions while you’re on-the-go.

Thuisbezorgd 

Feeling hungry, but in no mood to cook? Use your GPS location or postcode to find a list of restaurants that deliver in your neighbourhood. Order online and pay via iDEAL. Eating in couldn’t be simpler.

The Holland Guide Lite 

This is the condensed (free) version of the Holland Guide. It’s a treasure trove of information for expats and contains Dutch history, guidelines on housing and legal issues, healthcare information and much more. It’s currently only available for the iPad.

Learn Dutch with Babbel 

This app makes language learning fun and portable. Try the vocabulary games, practise your spelling and use the speech recognition tool. (Note that there have been reports of issues with the latter). Containing around 2.000 vocabulary words, this is a great choice for beginner and intermediate Dutch speakers.

Uit 

It’s Friday night and you’re looking for something different to do. Maybe you want to check out a play or find a bar with some great live music. Uit acts as a social agenda with events and festivals listed for the major Dutch cities.

Appie

We’ve all done our grocery shopping at the "AH" at least once. The official Albert Heijn app allows you to create shopping lists, view all of the on-sale products and use the store locater tool.

If you think of a fantastic app that makes your life in the Netherlands easier that we have missed, feel free to let us know!