- Expat websites - no idea. I'd probably start looking around the University of Groningen for social activities and info.

- Mobile phone: main operators are KPN (Dutch telecom), Orange and T-Mobile. You'll have a hard time because they are not very accomodating to English speakers. T-Mobile is easiest for foreigners according to foreign friends who live in Holland.

- Bank accounts - should be quite easy to arrange, just walk into any brand. There may be expenses to getting a credit card, but generally rates are low.

- If you don't have a ticket in the train you get a fine. Used to be 60 Euros but that's ages ago. You don't buy from the conductor, but from the machines at the station. If you travel the same route regurly get a subscription or undated tickets that you can validate in a 'stamp machine'. There's a discount card with -40%, but that doesn't include rush hours.

Feel free to ask more. 

hi, i can give you an advice as well as i lived in amsterdam for some years...

regarding expats website there is http://www.meetup.com/enjoy-groningen - this website is worldwide, however i have no idea how many events they are going on in groningen

i had t-mobile, you can chose it also in english, for a prepaid you just go inside and get one. You will need a document; for the abbonament you need to have a bank account, of course

bank account: easy to open as long as you've got a job (or you are a student), however i think you need the ex called SoFi number (BSN - burgerservicenummer ), which is their "social sicurity number". Not sure if students need that, ask to your university - they might ask that for you

traint tickets: if you are a student you get discount, however there is something called OV Chipkaart which can make your tickets cheaper. Employers are offering that to every single employee, I'm not sure if the same goes for universities. You can't make a ticket "on board", if they catch you there is a fine, however people are not as strict as in Suisse - so you might ecape the fine :) Ticket are also not that expensieve (with that chipkaart - a kind of the demie-tarif here)   http://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/?taal=en

mmm what else to say? enjoy nederland and its rain!!! :P

Thank you for your replies.

I dont understand this chipkaart thing. From what I understood you load up soem credit on it and you have to check in and check out, but ... how does the conductor know you used it to pay for the ticker? I dont get it.

Not sure, since I left the country before they introduced the chipkaart. I assume that the conductor has some kind of reader to check whether your chipkaart is valid for the ride.

correct, the've got a reader and you have always to scan it before and after the journey. You can make an "anonymous" one or one with your name and picture.

From the website: " What is the OV-chipkaart? The OV-chipkaart is a new means of payment for the public transport system. The smart card is the size of a bank card and contains an invisible chip. The OV-chipkaart can be loaded with credit in euros with which you can travel anywhere within The Netherlands, or with a travel product such as a single or season ticket."

The cost is 7.50 euros (and works in trains, buses and trams - where applicable :P )

For your mobile phones: there are several shops, like the big international chains like the phone house etc etc. make a clear overview what you want and just go an afternoon shopping and compare. I'd steer clear of t-mobile because they have been all over the press because of their appalling customer service. 

Bank accounts. 

Most banks offer a kind of packet for banking which includes a current account, savings account and a credit card. I used to bank with rabobank which offered a packet with all of that at a very fair price. But since things do have changed I'd walk into some branches. Remember 90 pct of Dutch people speak English and would be happy to help you (slightly different from here ;-)) the mayor banks are ABN amro - rabobank and ing. 

The trains. 

You can do two things. One is to get the ov chip card. It's the same principle as the oyster card in London. You check in when you start your journey and check out once you arrive. Don't forget to check out because they charge the maximum. You can still however travel by train by just buying a ticket. When traveling by train buy them at a machine, if you buy them at a counter they charge you extra. Machine also working in English. Not sure of you can still travel by tube in Rotterdam and Amsterdam with a normal ticket. 

Last tip: we Dutch have "some" silly things. Please be always on time. Fashionably late is seen as rude. Better 5 minutes early. And so the list goes on. If you arrive at schiphol, look for the book "the undutchables" - its written by an expat and has loads of sometimes hilarious thinks about us. Me as a clog had to laugh a lot. 

Enjoy your stay in our little country, I'm sure you'll love it. Normally the Dutch are an outgoing, open minded and generally happy bunch!

Have fun and I'd more needed - just shout. (though I dot know much about Groningen since I'm from the only real city in the Netherlands: Rotterdam ) lol

Thank you.

Does anyone have any more detailed info about the mobile phone providers?

Main info I am interested is price comparison for prepaid and mainly the following 2 pieces of information: 1) how much is it per sms. Someone here mentioned something about it being expensive outside of NL. Does this mean the price of sms is actually different if I send it outside of NL? Ive never seen something like this in any country but I guess theres always a first time... so then that info too. 2) how much is it to use 3G per day (for example in switzerland I had that whenever I turn it on they charge me 2franks and I can use it as much as I want for the rest of that day)

I might be interested in a contract later but not at the start. I almost never if at all use the call feature on my phone. I just use 3G (if I dont have wifi) amd occasionally I send a few sms.

I think that for the banks I will visit ING amd ABM amro and compare.

Yeah I think that maybe I will get some subscription anyway thats fine for now I was just trying to understand how it works there as Ive been in NL 3 times before and never seen a conductor on any of the trains. Okay so I need to buy it beforehand either using the chipkart or at the machine, but what if for example I travel 2nd class and suddenly decide while already on the train I want to switch to 1st. In most countries I would just switch and then when the conductor comes pay the difference from the last stop. How does it work in NL with regards to this? There seems to be an option on their website to also buy tickets online. If I dont have time to buy a ticket beforehand so I get on the train without a ticket in order to not miss it. Can I then buy it on the train using wifi/3G?

Oh another thing. I read about something called train taxi. Some taxi service you can buy at a train station and its a shared service so its quite cheap.

I would like to use something like this tomorrow evening when I arrive to Groningen around midnight.

Also in general for the taxis, can I always expect in the bigger cities like Groningen to have taxis waiting at a train station at any time of day or night all year and just pick one up or do these have to be reserved in advance?

For phone contract details or prepaid, this site compares all:

http://www.bellen.com/

With a little help of google translate you should manage.

Train taxi is not provided in Groningen, only around 30 stations offer this service:

http://www.ns.nl/reizigers/reisinformatie/stationsvoorzieningen/stations/algemeen/algemeen/treintaxi.html?r171_r1_r1_r1_r3:station=Groningen

In most countries I would just switch and then when the conductor comes pay the difference from the last stop. How does it work in NL with regards to this?

This will result in a fine. Go to the conducter yourself, dont wait for him. He will probably ask you to leave the train and buy a valid ticket. To my knowledge conductors in The Netherlands dont cary money or a machine so you can pay by debit card.Holland works like many other western countries: Those with aggresive behaviour and can intimidate, sometimes get away with it. Decent people are always asked to pay a fine, as they expect you will pay without any real trouble.

edit: can't pay by debit card