I was hoping to get a little insight on where to live in Basel. There are many threads on this topic, but they are mostly old and I couldn't get a sense of what I can expect in terms of rent and lifestyle/social life.
If everything goes according to plan, we'll have a budget of approx. 3500-4000 CHF for rent. We'll have a newborn (I'm due any day now) and well-behaved dog. I'm hoping that we can find a flat with at least 130m, 3 bedrooms, laundry in the apartment and a decent sized balcony. I'd also like an area with a decent expat community as my German is not exactly awesome.
I'll be staying home with the baby and the dog. That being said, what is social life like in Baselland vs. Baselstadt? From what I can tell, it looks like a lot of expats with families live in Baselland and the two most popular areas are Reinach and Oberwil. Are there city centers in these towns? Do they have cafes, etc.? Or do people just take the tram into the city? Are there also family areas in some areas of Baselstadt? What other areas should I consider in Baselland?
As I will be staying home for at least the next year (depending on how difficult it is to find work), it is really important that there is some sort of social community. I've mostly lived in and worked in big cities (New York, San Francisco, Cologne, Duesseldorf, etc.) and so I'm not sure how things work in the suburbs. Also, this is the first time that I'm not working so I'm a little nervous about how to build a social life. However, it would be nice to be close to nature and have a bit more living space.
Any recommendations for Cantons to live in and what I can expect in terms of apartments for our budget and meeting people would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!!!!
If you are stay-at-home-mum, with a small baby, and used to live and work in a big city, I would seriously advise you to live in Basel-city as opposed to Basel Land.
Your social life is probably more important than an extra balcony, or a few extra sq meters. And it is easier to meet other mums with babies, etc when you are nearby Basel city center.
Of course, it is not difficult to commute using tram. But with baby on a cold day commuting is not exactly something one is looking forward to.
Basel is an easy place to live, so whether it is Baselland or Stadt - if you have a tram line within easy access, you should be fine. You really have to come yourself and take a look around and view some potential housing and take it from there.
Thanks for replying. I forgot to mention that I will have my car, so I will be pretty mobile as far as getting around. We'll have two cars, which may be difficult in the city (finding two reasonably priced parking places by our apartment). We got really lucky where we are now.
We'll be coming for a visit and to look at apartments, but I am trying to narrow down the areas to look in so that the trip is as productive as possible. Maybe it makes sense to look in a few areas within our budget in both places? Where should I focus? Thanks!!!!
You will soon notice that it works slightly differently than in U.S., namely coming downtown with a car is a nuisance (it is hard to park, etc). I would use bike (with a baby seat or trailer) as much as I could, as it is much easier to go around. As in MUCH easier.
I guess it would be good to look around and see some of the properties in Basel City as well as in Basel Land. But again - if you are looking for a social life, look for a place in Basel City. Life can be lonely here at times (for some), so you really want to walk or hop on a bike/tram and also join some of the many social clubs.