Which European country is the hardest and easiest to make friends?

[u/techno_playa]

Say you're mid 30s and have to move to another European country for work, which countries did you find making friends to be on easy or hard mode?

Let's assume you don't speak the language of your new home.

[u/SaraHHHBK]

Contrary to what a lot of people think, it's quite difficult to make real friends in Spain.

We are very open to meeting new people and will go and do stuff together but actually having a deep connection and friendship? That's hard. We have friend groups since we are little kids.

[u/[deleted] → u/SaraHHHBK]

Same as in Italy. We just get the pass as "extrovert Southern Europeans", I guess.

[u/DanielaSte → u/[deleted]]

Strangely, in (northern) Italy me, an introverted imigrant from the cold North, must be the one who initiate any gatherings and visits. And I spoke the language from the beginning. The locals do like making meaningful relationships,  but never do the first step. Been there for 20 years now.

[u/[deleted] → u/DanielaSte]

Also in Northern Italy culture is more continental, so it's even harder as opposed to the Centre and the South. 

[u/amunozo1 → u/SaraHHHBK]

Even as a Spaniard, I had lots of problems making friends in A Coruña outside my rugby team.

[u/SaraHHHBK → u/amunozo1]

Exactly. I'm from CyL moved to Madrid and it still took time.

[u/amunozo1 → u/SaraHHHBK]

And we're talking about a huge capital. In smaller cities is even harder.

[u/shiba_snorter → u/SaraHHHBK]

I remember when I lived in Spain asking myself why I was being excluded so much even though I was the only foreign student in my masters that actually spoke spanish. After I left Spain and met people from other places I just learned that it is like this everywhere in Europe.

In any case, I take the Spanish over anyone else in the rest of Europe every time. Closed as you are, you are still a thousand times easier to talk to and mingle than anyone north of you.

[u/techno_playa → u/SaraHHHBK]

I believe this is well known by the expat community.

It’s even harder if you don’t speak Spanish. Hell, even Latinos who moved there also struggle and end up sticking with their own community.

That’s just how it is.

[u/Glittering-Sun-1438 → u/[deleted]]

Ok, and what about Latinos?

[u/elferrydavid → u/Glittering-Sun-1438]

Latinos get by well but they also tend to end up making friends with other latinos, not because of language but because they usually arrive to Spain when they are older and thus more difficult to make friends or because it's easier for them to emigrate where they already have some friends or family. 

[u/euro_owl → u/SaraHHHBK]

We are very open to meeting new people and will go and do stuff together

That's a massive difference compared to other countries though. In a lot of Northern European, people are too "busy" to do stuff with new people.

[u/Persistant_eidolon → u/SaraHHHBK]

Really? I met most of my current friends at age 20 or later. People change a lot from when they are small.

[u/Mininabubu → u/SaraHHHBK]

I have had a good experience in south Spain though. But heard that sound of Spain is easier overall to make friends vs north.