How to Make Friends in Germany
By ValuePair · · 6 min read
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Practical routes into local life, with language and access checks before you join. Find an activity you can return to and give a first conversation somewhere to go.
To make friends in Germany, start with one activity you can attend regularly and would enjoy even before you know anyone. A course, a sports club or a volunteer team gives you a reason to be there and something to talk about. Before joining, check the language, cost, journey and whether you will meet a consistent group.
You do not need a theory about whether Germans are easy or difficult to befriend. You need an accessible place, a manageable introduction and room for mutual interest. This guide explains the main routes and how to choose between them. For local sources, use our Berlin guide or Hamburg guide.
Find local resources for your city
These city guides identify local starting points and explain joining rules, language requirements and details to check before you go.
Choose your starting point
- You want something to do while talking: Look for a practical course, such as cooking, crafts or photography, with several sessions.
- You enjoy moving with other people: Ask a sports club about a beginner or recreational group and a trial session.
- You want to contribute: Find a volunteer role where you work alongside a team, with a commitment you can keep.
- Your German is limited: Check the actual language requirements. Language practice and a social activity conducted in English are different options.
- You prefer talking to one person: Consider a friendship app alongside local activities.
Choose a realistic travel area before collecting possibilities. An interesting activity on the other side of town may be less useful to you than a simpler one you can reach after work. Start with a setting you can return to without reorganising your week.
Find an adult education course
A Volkshochschule, often shortened to VHS, is an adult education provider. The German Adult Education Association course finder is a starting point for searching by place and interest. A leisure course can let you learn something while getting to know other participants; enrolling does not mean joining a friendship group.
Read the format carefully. A lecture, a one-day workshop and a series of practical sessions offer different opportunities to interact. Check whether the course is in person, whether previous experience is required, and whether materials cost extra. Ask the provider about the teaching language before paying. An English course title alone is not enough to establish that instruction will be in English.
Try a Verein, but ask about the particular group
A Verein is an association or club. The federal Make it in Germany leisure guide introduces clubs and other ways to take part locally. For a concrete next step, look at your city’s information pages or local sports association, then contact a group that matches your interests and level.
Ask four questions: Is there a beginner or recreational session? Can you try it before committing? What are the fees? Which language is used? If you have access requirements, include those too. “I’m new to the sport and looking for a recreational group. Would this session be suitable?” is easier to answer than a broad request for places to meet people.
You can use a short German message if that helps: “Ich würde gern mitmachen. Ist die Gruppe für Anfänger geeignet? Mein Deutsch ist noch nicht so sicher. Wäre das ein Problem?” The point is to clarify fit, not to perform fluency you do not yet have.
Look for a volunteer team
The bagfa agency atlas helps you locate volunteer agencies. Ask about opportunities that fit your available hours and language skills. If you want regular contact, say that you would prefer working with a team rather than taking isolated shifts.
Volunteering also means responsibility to the organisation and the people it serves. Clarify training, tasks and expectations before agreeing. Choose something you want to contribute to even if you do not make a close friend there. A coordinator can help you assess suitability; they cannot promise a social circle.
Can you make friends without fluent German?
You can seek people and activities where you share a language now. “International” does not automatically mean English-speaking, so ask directly. For a course, distinguish understanding instructions from following informal conversation. You may be comfortable with one and still find the other tiring.
If you want German practice, libraries and community organisations are places to investigate for conversation groups. Check the required level and registration rules. Our Hamburg guide explains local German conversation groups separately from activities accessible with limited German. You do not have to turn every social outing into a language lesson.
Give the first conversation a small next step
At your first visit, aim to learn whether you like the setting. Ask about something happening around you, then offer a detail about yourself: “Have you taken this class before? I wanted to try something away from my laptop.” That leaves room for an ordinary exchange without asking a stranger to explain their life.
If you meet again, follow up on something they mentioned. After a comfortable conversation, make a modest invitation: “I’m getting a coffee nearby after this. Would you like to join?” They can decline without either of you needing to diagnose why. If interest is mutual, exchange contact details and agree on something specific. Our guide to turning acquaintances into closer friends covers that next stage. For the wider adjustment after relocating, see making friends after moving.
When a one-to-one introduction fits better
ValuePair offers one introduction at a time, with distance and conversation-language preferences among its matching considerations. You begin with the same 14 questions; each answer is revealed after both people have answered. You do not need to be online together.
That is an optional route if you prefer a smaller conversation. It does not guarantee an available match in your city. Core matching, discovery and Chat remain free and ad-free; optional Premium extras are unlocked during beta. You can try ValuePair alongside the local options above.
The ValuePair FAQ explains matching and how the first conversation works.
Sources and changing local details
The linked directories and information pages were checked on October 9, 2026. Deutschland.de also discusses meeting people in Germany; that article dates from 2021 and is background rather than a current event listing. Confirm dates, fees and access with each provider. The examples in this guide are editorial suggestions, not tested promises of friendship or a fixed timetable for settling in.