Hello,
I'll be arriving in Bern late September, and will be living there for 2 or 3 years. Though I understand it's pretty pointless to undertake any formal flat-scouting while not being on the ground, I am at least trying to assess which areas would fit my style and requirements.
Basically, these would be: since I will be working in a central district of Bern, I don't need to be near any specific train / bus station (no need for car park); looking for a very quiet district in terms of noise (from what I've read, Breitenrain could be to lively in terms of pubs/bars); a strong preference for smaller, stylish (maybe early XXth century) buildings, not the huge (and IMO slightly ugly) 1960-1970s buildings; don't mind carrying shopping bags for a couple of hundred meters; in terms of flat, looking for a 2.5-room flat (maybe 3.5 depending on sqm and price); would not consider flat on the ground or first level; preference obviously for places with a balcony / view / South exposure, and as much character as possible (think fireplace and wooden beams) budget around 1500 CHF, give or take (being a diplomat, there *may* be some kind of either one-time or recurrent charges I could avoid, but still have to find that out) So, any suggestion as to what kind of area in Bern could fit the bill?
Having a look at Google Street View, I really liked what I saw in the 3005 and 3006 zip codes (Kirchenfeld and around), but I understand these areas could be above budget (though the usual real estate search engins such as home.ch, immoscout or homegate still provide some places).
Cheers,
Tom
Avoid postcodes 3018 and 3027, there are some nice areas there, but difficult to find.
Be aware that aircraft fly low over the city and over Muri before landing in Belp.
Area 3004 is also nice. www.immoscout24.ch
Thanks for the tips, I hadn't thought about the planes part in particular.
I've seen quite a few places to rent in area 3004, but I was wondering how was the bus/tram network to the city center since is seems to be a bit out of the way.
Also, I was astonished to find that most of the (relatively scarce) Altstadt places available seem to be relatively cheap w.r.t. sqm, while I expected them to be much higher priced due to central location and charm. Are there some nuisance (poor insulation, noise from restaurants...) than can affect buildings in this area, and thus explain these relatively reasonable prices?
Thanks
Altstadt places could be noisy, depending on where they are, lack elevators, and have shared laundry deep in the cellar. We used to live in Belp (3123), but it's a little out of the way. The view was amazing.
I have seen an Altstadt flat quoted in a square meter price... maybe it was that?
You want quietness, so NO Altstadt!
Trains and buses, www.sbb.ch
Berne has a very good public-transport system, covering all districts.
Have a look:
www.bernmobil.ch
Nice place central + quiet + upper floors + stylish building + fireplace + southern exposure
= not for CHF 1500 ...or not on the net
Cheap old town appartments are...cheap in general.
Good luck
Thanks for the tips about Altstadt; I was not really sure how noise insulation from older (1800s-early 1900s) was in Switzerland (in Paris, they are much better than the insulation of the 1960s-1970s).
It's probably not OK to put a URL to a Comparis ad on this forum, but check zip code 3011, the ads at Postgasse 26 or Münstergasse 57; that's the kind of places I was thinking (at first sight) looked like a good deal in Altstadt.
If you will be working in Central Bern, you can basically live wherever you want. If you like to stay in Bern, take a look(Google Maps, Satellite View) at Bremgarten bei Bern, Felsenau, Kirchenfeld.
If you fancy an old house, you can find them basically in every town/village. I would avoid Ostermundigen, Zollikofen and Kappelisacker.
From the parts I know:
1. Take a look at villages along S7(S-Bahn) route: Deisswil, Stettlen, Vechigen, Boll
2. Draw a line moreless where Urtenen-Schönbühl is and look for sth north of that line: Hindelbank, Jegenstorf, Matstetten and every small village around.
Most of those location allow you to reach the city in ca. 15-20 min, but the layout will be much nicer.
I'm sure there are such places in every direction.
Good luck!
Thanks for these various suggestions, very useful! Some of these seem a bit far from the city center however (I'd prefer being able to reach it on foot as well, not only by public transportation). Bremgarten looks great, but the itinerary calculator of Google Maps suggest it's a 40-minute journey to the west Schosshalde, where my office is. So probably slightly too far even then, though tthis may be counterbalanced by great accomodation.
Any opinion on the Breitenrain - Lorraine area?
Thanks again
Hello,
I live in Wabern, that is close to the Gurten Mountain, it is quete good, close to the river, city 10 min with tram 9. Loraine is an anlternative-student district, but great one! I would like to move there one day... Wabern is a nice option too, Im happy here.
If you come to town to check appartments and don't have a place to sllep check https://www.airbnb.com/
Cheers.
So after checking a few more options, further from Altstadt but within easy public transportation access, seems I could add a few more options, but I would still have some questions:
- Wabern (3084): pricewise, seems rents drop quite a bit in comparison to Bern itself. Aside from Seftigenstrasse (intercity traffic) and anything near railtracks, are there areas in Wabern which are better or worse than others? I'm a bit worried about being on the takeoff path of the airport in particular, especially in the areas close to the Aare.
- Länggasse (3012): I'm under the impression the most interesting part of the area is the upper third (above Zähringerstrasse). Any comment on the best areas of this NPA?
- Ittigen (3063): would be a great option in terms of transportation to my office (10 minutes by bus from Papiermühle) and the area seems to be decently priced, but it seems most advertised flats are in some large, 1960s-1970s complex. Are there areas in NPA 3063 (or around) which have more character (multi-family houses or modern, 2000s constructions)?
- Köniz (3098): saw a couple of offers, but mass transportation from there does not seem highly practical. Plus little is covered on Google Street View so no idea whether this is an interesting area or not.
Thanks for any comments!
Don't worry too much about the airport if you find a flat you really like and can afford. Usually there are 30 or fewer flights per day including arrivals and departures - so you're looking at maybe 2 flights per hour. Also the runway is not long enough for big planes like 747s so you've got a lot of smaller (and therefore usually less noisy) planes. Happy hunting!