Transport in Groningen

Biking
Holland is famous for the fact that everybody is biking. Groningen is no different and the bike is the means of transportation number one. There are various bike stores and generally one pays EUR50+ for an okay "fietsen". Often at night one is offered to buy a bike from a non-decent person in the streets - don't do it - it's not worth the possible trouble with the police!

Bus
There are many busses which connect e.g. the Hanze Zernike Campus with the city centre. The price for a ticket with a validity of one hour is EUR1, the so-called "Eurokaartje". Please visit http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/ for timetables.

Train
Please find information about the trains at www.ns.nl

Bank Account & Phone

Bank Account
In Groningen you find several well-known banks such as the "ABN-Amro", Rabobank or ING Diba. Student accounts are often for free and you should not forget to bring your housing contract and your passport.

www.abn-amro.nl
www.rabobank.nl

Prepaid Phone Cards
In the city centre one finds many phone shops. Cards mostly cost around EUR 10 and you do not need to register with a passport. Especially for international students the provider "Lebara" offers very interesting conditions.

Important Phone Numbers

InfoDesk International Business School
+31505952300

Emergency
112

Hanze International Student Office
+31 - (0)50 - 595 4051

Shopping in Groningen

In Groningen one finds plenty of different stores, most of them located near the Vismarkt and the Grotemarkt. The biggest shopping street by far is the "Herestraat", which you can see in the picture below; there one gets nearly everything, except of food.




Since food is very important however, here a quick overview about the most prominent supermarkets:

1) Albert Heijn


The probably most expensive supermarket chain in the Netherlands. At the same time they offer a great selection of food in the best quality possible.


2) Jumbo
Is comparable to Albert Hein in price and quality.

3) Super de Boer
Not as exclusive as Albert Heijn but they deliver a great range of food in good quality.

4) Lidl, Spar, Aldi

Discount Supermarkets with a superior price-value relationship. Aldi seems to offer the best quality for the price.

Important Links

Official Website of Groningen
http://toerisme.groningen.nl/english/hoofdmenu/groningen-city

Hanze University Groningen
http://www.hanze.nl/home/International/

Online Journey-Planner (Bus, Train, etc)
http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/

Extensive Information about the Netherlands for foreigners
http://www.justlanded.com/english/Netherlands

More Information for foreigners about NL
http://www.movetonetherlands.com/index.html

Nighlife in Groningen

As you maybe have already heard the Groningen nightlife is special! One can practically go out seven days a week and many bars and clubs offer discount prices. Nearly all of the facilities are located near the Central "GroteMarkt" and you are invited to explore the various offerings yourself. Here my VIP-List:

1) Rumba
Nice little club in the heart of Groningen, frequently hosting International Student Nights with very student-friendly prices

2)Eten&zo
Probably Groningen's best place for dancing, especially on Thursdays when the majority of the guests are students. Prices are relatively moderate and you should better wear your high-end gear.

3) Newscafe
Conveniently located between Vismarket and Grotemarkt, this stylish café attracts many guests. During daytime one can enjoy a coffee in the sun outside and on the weekends the café turns into a club with probably the best house music in Groningen

Useful Dutch Phrases

In the latter I have combined my Top10 "Useful Dutch Phrases"

1) How are you?

Hoe is het met jou?

2) I'm very well, thank you.

Prima, bedankt.

3) What is your name?

Hoe heet je?

4) How old are you?

Hoe oud ben je?

5) Where are you from?

Waar kom je vandaan?

6) How do you do? Nice to meet you.

Hoe is het? Leuk om jou te ontmoeten.

7) I have one sister.

Ik heb een zus.

8) I live in Groningen.

Ik woon in Groningen.

9) Yes; No.

Ja; Nee.

10) Please

Alstublieft.

For more material please visit kwintessential.co.uk

Finding Housing in Groningen

The housing market in Groningen has its own little secrets and often it is quite difficult to find a proper flatshare or flat for an appropriate price if one does not know the local circumstances. In the latter I will recommend you three self-tested ways to successfully find accomodation in Groningen:



1) Housing Office - housingoffice.nl
The common and easy way is to reserve a room in a student house via the housing office. One pays a registration fee and if the housing office has rooms available one can lodge in one of their student houses.

2) Online Room Search - kamernet.nl
One has to pay a fee of around EUR 10 in order to get access to this widely-known Dutch housing site. There are plenty of new offers every day and one should respond quickly.

3) Social Networking Sites - facebook.com / studivz.de etc
Recently more and more housing ads appear on social networking sites just like the above-listed. It is worth checking out!


Generally do not give up fast if you encounter problems. You are surely not the first student facing this problem and in the end everybody I know was successful with their search. Enjoy when you can, endure when you must!

The Dutch Culture

Since there exist many different books and guides about the Dutch culture and its specialities, I will tell you about my own experiences when coming to live and study in Groningen.

I was very impressed when I first noticed that most of the people, even the cashier in the supermarket, speaks quite a good English. The Dutch are very openly polite people who in most cases do their best to help and assist you as a foreigner. The country is small and has always been a place where people from all over the world mix and live together. According to me they do not seem to self-occupied and in fact in many rankings Dutch people have proven to be one of the happiest nations in the World.

Despite of the open politeness I found it quite hard to make Dutch friends apart from the IBS context. The fact that I lived and studied with mostly international people surely had an effect on it; however, if one really wants to bond with Dutch people the mastery of the Dutch language is of paramount importance in the long term - just like everywhere else.

I liked the interactions with the Dutch and would definitely decide to come to Groningen again.


If I have caught your interest and you want to get more information about the Dutch culture, please visit: http://www.thehollandring.com/dutchculture.shtml

How to get started in Groningen

1) First of all, relax! It's a beautiful city with many things to do. Visit the Grotemarkt and have a coffee.

In case you have arrived but you are still encountering problems with finding a room this is a good place to bridge some days or even weeks:

--> Simplon Youthhotel

Boterdiep 73-2, Groningen 9712 LL, The Netherlands

2) Get a prepaid phone card

3) Visit the Zernike Campus

4) Drink a Heineken in the city centre

5) Enjoy yourself