Me and my partner are planning to move to Biel from Aargau canton and would like to know what kind of place Biel is for couple in late 30s? I drove pass it once and it looked very sad looking place except lake front.
Thanks
Hi,
Biel is a sad city. Hard to believe that it was booming decades ago. The big names, when it comes to watches, still have their main hub there. The city is home to a lot of immigrants from Africa and the East.
I go there a lot cycling around the lake. The town is indeed sad but, that said, the old town is stunning and nice to sit out and dine al fresco in the sunshine. The lake is beautiful, as are many of the villages along it, and it's great for wine tasting.
I've not yet been for a night out there but it's pretty central, you can be in most of the major cities in no time.
I suppose, life is what you make it.
Wow, it must pretty bad if a bloke from Manchester describes it as 'sad'.
Been filming there this week & last week, it seems a really nice & friendly place. Great sushi resturant , way nicer than many places in AG!
You really need to visit Biel - Bienne before making a commitment. It is pleasant during the day and vibrant at night, which might not suit you.
I had a girlfriend who lived in Biel, it's not as bad as it looks, go for a drink or meal at the St. Gervais in the old town. I would also consider Neuchatel, it has a much nicer lake front, seems like a nicer place, it's only 15 mins from Biel on the train.
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Last nights dinner in Biel.
Awesome. Where and how much?
100m from the station, 76 chf for 2 people for that course , final bill with wine 101 per person, the client was paying........
To the left, to the right or straight ahead?
I like the place. A few nice pubs and restaurant in the old town. People out in the streets in the evening. Some nice spots down at the lake.
Will be there this saturday if anyone wants to meet. Sunday in Magglingen:
Biel was sadder in previous times. Even the "booming decades" did not change much. The city only got up in the time since about 1980. Before that it was a shabby place. It has two very nice beach places on the lake, and a small number of excellent restaurants .
Immigrants from ....., for example Lebanon ? You possibly mean
Nick Hayek
Hey man biel is cool, my wife and i just moved to ligerz and its beautiful two mins from my house is the lake and on a clear day a great view of the mountains, i can't speak a word of swiss german but i'm trying and the people in this little town are cool, they try to help me and some speak english. I had the best steak the other night in the hotel restaurant at Hotel kreuz and the staff are really helpful, i rode into biel which took 35 mins or drive there in 10, i like the city seems pretty cool so far, nice food nice people lots of cinemas everything you should want really and the lake and views are amazing from the town! you should vist Biel i don't think your be disappointed, also apparently the winter is good hear the slopes open till 10 at night with the flood lights on!
I Lived in Biel with my husband for about 1.5 years. We now live in Zurich because he works here and the commute was too much.
I must say it does look sad, but it is a sweet village. French and German, the lake is AMAZING in the summer months. Nidau (very close also on the lake) has a great restaurant and outdoor pool by the lake. The walking paths around are awesome- there is also a running/ workout trail in the forest me and my husband loved doing. (Zurich trail) I believe it is called if you are into running and working out its really great.
The fitness centre ETH is awesome with great classes, indoor pool and there is a pass there if you purchase a monthly membership you can use the BADI in Biel for free.
The sushi restaurant in the old town is still the best Sushi I have had ever, used to be called Yoshi's but he had to move back to Japan- and a new guy has taken over.. its still quite devine in my opinion. And there are quite a few english speaking people in the area.
Also - awesome wine bar for a nice night out is called Franco's i think... Love it there too.
It's also one of the only places in Switzerland that play almost all of their movie s in English with both french and german subtitles.... More even than in Zurich and have the earliest release dates for a lot of movies.
Enjoy it! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about living there.
Thanks to all for replies, we are now looking forward to moving to Biel.
Great to read that you are moving to Biel :-)
You may wish to join our LinkedIn friends of Biel-Bienne community.
We meet once a month for an afterwork drink.
I moved there 6years ago for a 3 years assignment, and am still there
See you soon,
Sandrine
I over the past decades sometimes, in summer, when the weather was still bad in Zürich but the meteo-chaps announced an improvement for late Sunday afternoon-evening, drove to Biel to have a nice day on the lake with swimming and eating well (both places have remarkable restaurants). I sometimes, before getting to the lake, went for eating to that nice "Mongolian Barbecue" restaurant. And I so witnessed the astonishing rise of this small city.
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Are you aware that by speaking about a "village" you insult this small CITY and its ambitious city president ? Which is the number TWO city in the Canton of Bern.
Biel-Bienne is greater and nicer than its reputation, the Seeland region is beautiful and it's the place with the best money/flat ratio in the country. Just don't underestimate the fog. Winter is foggy big time. I also see the bilingualism as a huge advantage for education. On job market though, it's still very German dominated.