Hi there. I am new to this forum and want to get some ideas for places to live around Zurich. I will be starting a job located near Winterthur (Oberwinterthur) in August and will be moving with a family of 3 (my son is just over 2 months old now).
We enjoy the outdoor lifestyle so I'm tempted by areas like Pfaffikon zh or Uster to be near to the lakes (paddling, swimming,etc) but then I don't love long commutes either. By my map analysis those commutes look OK because the route is away from cities and mass traffic but if anyone has experience, please share. We would have access to a car if importing from Germany is not too much of a challenge.
Otherwise, I guess we would look for the combination of nearby forest or recreation area but also some community/amenities. We would like to gain the value and quiet of being outside the big cities.
Any ideas, suggestions, experiences, etc. are welcome!
I did a stint in Kindhausen by Volketswil. It had good access to local forests and a nice hill for sledding in the snow. BUT there were no local shops within walking distance and the public transport was limited.
Do you want to be car dependent or do you want the option?
I could recommend Winterthur (Winti), its a great place, has everything you need close by, in summer the town always has something happening... it has no lake but that is only short drive or train trip away. Very family orientated..
I have commuted one year from Wädenswil ( a few minutes from Pfäffikon SZ ) to Winterthur and can tell you it can get tiring especially during rush hour by rail.
We live in Winterthur and like it very much. You might look on the periphery of the city though, lots of green space all around. We tried to find something around Uster, but it was very difficult (we have a dog).
If you're working in Oberwinterthur, then I think you might look in the northern parts of the city and surroundings. Some really beautiful rolling hills toward Thurgau.
You might want to have a look in the "outskirts" of Winterthur. Wiesendangen is a neat little town, Elsau-Raeterschen is very conveniently located too. I think Elgg is pretty too, but a little more remote if I remember that right. I guess you would be okay in Oberwinterthur itself too.
Uster is pretty big already and you would probably have to ride the bus for a while before reaching the railway station, especially if you don't want to be right in the center. I don't know Pfaeffikon, but the area around the lake is absolutely gorgeous. Same for the lake of Greifensee. Faellanden is pretty neat too (I grew up there) but public transport is not very convenient as they don't have a realway station (they take the bus to Schwerzenbach which has pretty areas too, by the way).
Rorbas, Freienstein and Teufen are great areas very close to Winterthur, 15 minutes from Winterthur, 25 from Zürich, and 15 from the Airport with practically no fluglärm. Lots of forests and trails, two rivers (The Töss and the Rhein), great public transport links, and all three are charming little towns.
If you are working in Winterthur and love more country and the outdoors then take a look at some places around the area. (Homegate is a good place to look and give in Winterthur with 10km radius )
We located to a small village where the kids are really happy and my husband has a short travel with the train each morning to work. (he is working in Winterthur ) No traffic jams, no stress, always home on time and the best is the kids are free to explore. Never felt more happier than now!!
Also if you have small babies in Winterthur you can find loads of support and good doctors in the city. For us is being a great city and we hardly even go to Zurich anymore...we love going to Kontanz on the weekend for grocery shopping and the bodensee in the summer for swimming...dont forget bruderhouse park for the little ones in winterthur very nice...indeed..
First of all, I want to thank everyone for your responses. I have looked into many of the suggestions. We are now looking closer to Winterthur and for easy commute routes. We can visit the lakes after work and on weekends instead of having inconvenient travel to work.
A couple questions still though.
How likely is it that we will be able to move in around August 1st? It seems most properties are changing hands April or May 1st. Is that just because I'm looking too early? Or are there standard dates for moving?
Also, how significant are the savings in taxes or health insurance if we were to be just into Thurgau but on the train line? I would expect the train costs would also rise if you cross Canton wouldn't they? Is that even significant?
I posted a little while ago about moving to Switzerland to work in Winterthur (family of 3). I want to thank everyone for your responses. I have looked into many of the suggestions. We are now looking closer to Winterthur and for easy commute routes. North and East of the city look good since the job is walking distance from Hegi or Oberwinterthur train stops.
A couple questions still though.
How likely is it that we will be able to move in around August 1st? It seems most properties are changing hands April or May 1st. Is that just because I'm looking too early? Or are there standard dates for moving?
Also, how significant are the savings in taxes or health insurance if we were to be just into Thurgau but on the train line? I guess the train costs (or train pass) would also rise if you cross Cantons wouldn't they? Is that significant?
Also, the standard dates for moving are (for whatever reasons?) April 1st and October 1st. It should not be too much of a problem to move on different dates, though.
So I've been looking around the Winterthur area at neighborhoods to determine where we (mid 30+ couple plus a 4 month old baby) might want to live when we move in August. I have a job near Oberwinterthur and my wife is on maternity leave.
It seems like a great town with green and forest all around. We like having acces to nature but still amenities. We've explored as far as Elgg and Aadorf to the east, Wulflingen in the west, Wiesendangen and Sauzach to the north, and Seen and Kollbrun to the south. Are there people in here that can share living experiences from the Winterthur area?
In terms of language I've got A1 German and currently in A2 so still pretty basic and my wife is German if that is a factor.
We don't live in it personally however Seuzach which is one you have visited is a good option.
Taxes are pretty low for Zurich kanton, banks, shops, restaurants and direct trains to Winterthur and Zurich. It also has riding paths and forest within extremely easy reach.