Advice! Late 20s, female, new job in Geneva - but where to LIVE?!

Welcome and Introductions
1
Hi!

I've just landed a job working for a law firm in Geneva, its all come together crazy quickly and I literally have less than 2 weeks to pack my life up here in Scotland and relocate! Luckily I'm being given an apartment to stay in for the first month to help with the relocation. I've already started my search for my long term apartment but would love some advice - so I hear that Geneva can be very quiet? Im a social bunny and dont like quiet too much! I like to be somewhere lively and thats social and a good place for a girl moving over on her own, somewhere where i'll be able to make friends etc. I'm not planning on buying a car, so happy to commute by train etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction re areas I should look at? Lausanne? Nyon? I have NO idea!!!

Any advice would be hugely appreciated, many thanks

Charlotte

2
Hello,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new job.

Geneva is a great city, just mind the dog poop

I would not say it is particularly quiet, more lively than Zurich for example, and plenty going on in and around the lake in the summer times. Some great bars around Rive, which is basically central, and a few hidden gems too.

Nyon is VERY quiet, but is nice. But you will be bored out of your mind there if quiet is what you do not want.

But bear in mind, I don't think anywhere here will be quite the night life scene / social scene you are perhaps used to. Switzerland offers more than that, in terms of beauty, outdoors, reliable seasons, and a fantastic standard of living, along with some crazy cultural habits.

Geneva is notoriously difficult to find an apartment. Expensive and high demand. This site is very useful and popular for finding apartments.

http://www.homegate.ch/en?gclid=COnJ...FY623god_nwASw

Lausanne, I do not know much about to be honest, not spent much time there.

Utilizing the forum and events / socials, looking around on Glocals will get you in the loop of whats happening, where, and meeting similar people in similar situations. Though a bubbly Scot will probably have no trouble anyhow, particularly in the French region where the people are more friendly and open compared to North parts, or shall I say, more in line with British culture.

3
That's so kind of you, and very helpful!! People keep banging on about how Geneva is quiet and its worrying me!!! Love all the info you have provided there, and i'm sure at least since I have 1 month there I can get a good feel for the place.

I heard its very tricky to find amn apartment in Geneva, and also very expensive, so i'll look into perhaps further out, but still closeish!!

Thank you again!

Charlotte

4
Accommodation in Geneva is as scarce as rocking horse crap. Much better if you can live outside a bit and have a short commute.

I'm sure those with local knowledge will advise with specific locations.

Avoid Lausanne at all costs.

5
Why avoid Lausanne?

6
No chance of getting an apartment either!

7
Welcome in Geneva and good luck for your house hunt.....

8
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_ne...l?cid=35317826

http://genevalunch.com/2013/03/26/cr...eas-worst-hit/

9
Mate, this lass is from Scotland, she has nowt to be worried about with Swiss crime levels.

10
There are several threads already on this site about this subject. But as I'm feeling kind here's a few quartier names to start you off.

Firstly, where-abouts is your office? That should help you decide which side of the lake you need to concentrate on.

Now, if you want to be in Geneva itself, Left Bank; look at Plainpalais, Acacias, Eau-Vives, Chêne-Bourg.

Right Bank; Servette, Saint-Jean, Servette, maybe as far out as Meyrin now the tram runs that far.

Further out you're really looking about going into either France or Vaud.

I'd seriously suggest that you request more help from your new employers in this hunt, Geneva is very difficult at the moment and I doubt anywhere within reasonable commuting distance and on a train/bus route is going to be easy to find.

11
No, only about being banned here for keeping reposting the same duplicate threads again and again.

Charlotte, please, check your email and stop reposting the same threads.

Rules on the eligibility of advertising for property and renting are in the Market Place subforum.

Thanks and welcome to our community.

12
OK Lausanne is shit hole.

Only those expats who have to work in the immediate area, have to live there. It's not a city where you would choose to live, given a choice.

13
I hear La Côte is nice.

14
La Cote is nice, true that. Morges, actually, little places around, might be an idea where to look, LS, Nyon and GE are impossible to get a decent flat under 3000 per month. Or more, that is now.

15
From what I've heard (literally) English is the first language ...... almost.

16
Naw, but one has to make an effort to integrate in order to speak French, for sure. If not, you get by with English, true. Unless you put a kiddo to a local school, which OP does not intend to.

It's a lovely coast, anywhere from GE, mountains and VD are nice, too. The train system used to be better before dec 9, was it, but it is still very commuter friendly. Loads of people, incl. me, work on trains on the way and back to work. Geneva does have apartments, friends were quite successful, but they took a year before they found one they liked. You need connections and new expats don't have those. Worth starting in VD then gradually move in closer to work.