Resources for Expats Living in Stuttgart

I feel very fortunate to be an expat living in Stuttgart, where there are several clubs for expats, making it easy to meet other expats living in Stuttgart and Germans interested in meeting expats.  I'm actually in awe of how much easier it is now compared to 10 years ago when I lived in S. Korea and Thailand and there was no such thing as Facebook or meetup.com (yes I know this makes me sound old, but it's true) and you would often just find out about things by chance and sometimes just as you were leaving the country. 

A few clubs for expats living in Stuttgat that I've found while living here:

Metropolitan Club - The official language of this international club is English, but it's open to people of all nationalities.  I've found that many of its members are German, who have lived abroad, which I really like since it's important to me to also have German friends.  The age of the members varies, but is primarily 30+.  I've really enjoyed participating in the Met Club's activities since they're so varied - from movies, to brunch, to art galleries, to skiing to political debates to name but a few and would highly recommend it to anyone new to living in Stuttgart. 

Regular Tuesday Dinners in Stuttgart - I regularly attend these dinners which are held in different restaurants throughout the city, all easy to get to by public transport.  It's a great way to get to know the city and meet new people at the same time.  It's mostly Americans that attend, but Germans and Australians and other nationalities also attend as well.  Participants are generally from mid-twenties to 40 and is primarily women, but there is usually a male or two at each dinner.  I've also met some very friendly people in this group. 

Stuttgart Expat Meetups - I've only attended one of their events, since many of them are on Friday nights, held at a bar and seem to appeal to people in their 20s who are single, of which I am neither.  Having said that, I have heard it's a great place to meet people and it is a popular group with expats living in Stuttgart.  I also know many people that attend in their 30s that enjoy it, but I'm not much of a bar person these days.  They also have other events.  I went to a play and recent events have also included bowling and go-karting.

German classes are also a good way to meet other expats.  I'm currently enrolled in intensive German classes and we currently have people from 13 different countries!  I've become especially close with a doctor from Guatemala and an amazing cook from Thailand in just over a month.  


There are other resources for expats living in Stuttgart, especially for American military, in which there are at least a couple of groups that I'm aware of, but haven't participated in since I'm not American.  If anyone knows of other clubs for expats living in Stuttgart, please let me know and I will add them to my blog.

Moving to a new country can be a daunting experience, but knowing there are other people in a similar situation who are also looking to meet friends makes it a much easier and much more enjoyable experience and I'm very grateful that there are clubs for expats living in Stuttgart.