Are there any areas that have particularly high crime and might be unsafe for a woman returning home by herself late at night?
I'm looking for an affordable (ha!) place as close to Zurich as possible and concerned about ending up in a dangerous neighborhood.
IMO the only dangerous thing about Zurich is the amount of rent that you have to pay for what you get. Its enough to give you a heart attack....
Most places in Zurich are relatively safe but everywhere can easily turn into the wrong neighbourhood if you don't take appropriate precautions.
Its easy to think that inner cities are more dangerous, but most inner cities will have more people moving about late at night. Suburbs have fewer people at night and can all of a sudden seem very quiet and scary as you walk home in what would be in the daylight a very beautiful walk.
No- it is extremely safe. The "locks" people use to secure their bicycles are a joke. These bikes would be stolen within a few seconds of being parked in the US- but here, somebody will just put some rope through the back wheel and it will be still be there when they get done shopping.
Only yesterday I was wondering why there are no ghettos or no go areas like in other parts of Europe and US?
I'd stay at least couple of blocks away from famous Langstrasse.
Even good old Langy is not dangerous as such.
Don't go past the third floor of Jelmoli. I nearly got shot. Proper gansters.
I would say Seebach is a bit of an unsafe area.. My brother lives there and was mugged earlier this year on his way home. Apparently it happens fairly frequently there...
Define affordable?
I dont have statistics to prove that it is high crime, but there are certain areas in Zurich that I personally wont live alone as a woman. Old Oerlikon, Langstrasse are 2 that pop into mind. They are no Peckham, Brixton or Hackney but I just didnt like the vibe.
[QUOTE=transbury;783666]I'm looking for an affordable (ha!) place as close to Zurich as possible and concerned about ending up in a dangerous neighborhood.
Are there any areas that have particularly high crime and might be unsafe
No more !
I left in 1965
Come on Oerlikon is nothing like Langy.
Could you tell us more as a friend lives there and I have always found it safe. Muggings can happen anywhere so I think it's unfair to label the whole area bad. Langy has a rep for a reason. Oerlikon and Seebach on the other hand are fine. Some Swiss look down on the area due to high % of non natives rather than actual crimes ( I could be wrong).
There were two incidents. One shooting and one stabbing but both were personal dispute type in nature ie. not random attacks on strangers. That said one should be always on guard.
Could someone pull out some crime statistics for different parts of Zurich? I will speak to my friend when I see him next.
I am a wuss Must be the damn conditioning of the Singapore system. Ha.
Actually, I think Kreis 4 between the Hauptbanhof and Langstrasse are not too safe for a woman walking alone at night. I would not want my Wife to walk there.
We live in Kreis 5 near Technopark, and the area near Hardbruecke is a zoo on Fri/Sat nights. Mostly drunk kids, but again, I would not want to be a single woman walking through there. A few weekends ago, we were walking home and two extremely drunk 20somethings were trying to slash each other with broken bottles.
And on Langstrasse on the other side of the railroad tracks...same thing. Would not want my Wife there at night. Personally, I feel pretty safe just about anywhere in this city, but you never know. A couple of EF members have been mugged/jumped near the Hauptbanhof.
fduvall
Exactly! I find the areas you mentioned 100 times more dodgy than Seebach or Oerlikon. Even Wipkingen at night feels bit dodgy.
Still as a whole compared to other parts of the world Zurich is tame.
I agree that you shouldn't label a whole areas as bad but so far I have only heard negative things about the Seebach area. My aunt lives there as well and she said to me just last week that she definitely wouldn't walk around there late at night as a woman on her own. But I agree you can get mugged anywhere, you just need to be cautious wherever you are.
Langstrasse is my favourte place in Switzerland as it seems to be more dynamic and multicultural.....but it can get kinda dodgy...however if you're a dodgy character to begin with...you'd feel right at home.
Probably a question best answered by crime stats, no?
Are official figures available on a Kreis by Kreis basis?
funny lived in Seebach over 4 years never been mugged neither has my husband, I wouldn't say it happens regularly at all
you'll not be visiting me again in the ghetto then Miss Rain
Women in general have to be extra careful everywhere. I try to pick my wife at night but sometimes it is just not possible. Like now as I have problem with my foot. If anyone ever harms my wife I will make it my life long mission to hunt them down
In general don't walk in the dark near parks, woodland or similar areas where you can be easily dragged away. Too many evil twisted cockroaches in this world!
Care is always a good thing. But before getting too fearful, what's the reality? Do we actually have any stats on violent crime in Zürich? Or attacks on women in particular? I suspect this is a very very rare occurrence.