Ideal district for me to live in

Accomodation, House and Garden
1
Hi,

I am moving to Zurich for work, though I don't yet know where my office will be. I don't mind travelling a bit though so am more interested in finding the best neighbourhood that suits what I am looking for.

I am 33, single and like walking through nice town places, parks, going out for meals and drinks and going to the gym. I'm looking for somewhere that isn't too noisy and built up, but also not too quiet and isolated. Ideally a place with plenty of people around but well off people, friendly and intelligent and cultured people. Lots of nice coffee shops to go sit and chat, boutique shops to stroll around, a nice local cinema, food shops, some nice restaurants etc, not lots of noisy and rowdy bars but more of a modern community feel with plenty of nice people around.

Ideally I want a fairly large place to live with a lovely view of either the mountains, lakes or a park.

Can anyone suggest on a neighbourhood that would meet all of these criteria? My favourite places in London are Hampstead and Richmond if that helps.

Many thanks!

James

2
Hi James,

Welcome to the forum.

What kind of work are you moving here for if you don’t mind me asking?

It sounds like you want to avoid the city all together if noise and built up is not your cup of tea. It’s by no means central London, but the city apartments tend to need windows open and then you hear all sorts of sirens, traffic, and general noise and drunkenness.

Well off people? Mate, you are moving to Switzerland, Zurich, not the slums :-D, that said, not many people do friendly, not many people do community round here. You will source most of your friends through work, chance meets, and friends of friends and possibly the forum.

It is difficult to balance the coffee shops, boutiques, cinema, food shops, restaurants but no noise and bars, and forget about large place to live unless you are willing to spend a fair bit of chuffage.

I think Wollishofen is a good distance out of the city, but still close enough, relatively vibrant, close to the lake, nice views, and affordable.

Check out this site for more ideas http://www.homegate.ch/rent/apartmen...mItem=ch&tid=1

3
Hi JB, thanks very much

I'm a software developer in the banking sector, probably a very common sight in the expat community.

Yeah I'm definitely not a fan of a city pad where I'd need windows open and lots of noise outside. I've never visited Zurich so not quite sure what to expect! At the moment I live in Surrey though and it's very quiet and isolated down here, no vibe, no villages or shops to look around, just houses, trees and families with dogs who mostly stay inside, I absolutely can't stand it! Ideally I'd wake up somewhere quiet with a nice view and feel of peace, then be able to walk 5-10 mins and be in a nice vibrant area with loads of cafes and boutique shops and people wandering around.

So the people are quite cool towards outsiders are they?

Thanks for the link, will check it out now!

4
Ok cool, well, I have not met any so guess not, but "IT guys" yeah, loads of them, haha

Zurich is a nice city, not too many high rise buildings, modern, clean, fresh, trams connecting everything, not lots of traffic, not a lot of grassy areas though. You have to be around the lake or off to mountain areas for that.

For some, who love London, Zurich is very very quiet, and dare I say a bit dull at times. But it is what you make of it. I moved from London to the Zurich city, then to Wollishofen, the area I recommended and really liked, and then when I got a dog I moved closer to the lake and nice views, and for the killer balcony, but.....I am not close to any supermarkets or bars, but a 10min bus ride away so not too bad.

The good thing here is public transport is excellent, and regular, and will get you around very easily.

I live in Kilchberg which is a very quiet, peaceful area, on the lake with views of the alps and the whole of Zurich. I love it there.

The people? Well, from a Londoners perspective, I would say they are not the most welcoming. Get used to a whole new way of using public transport, there is no common courtesy in that area. It's the German side of Switzerland, so it's all a bit, well, German really i.e. incredibly efficient, direct, lacking in humour and warmth, but theres always a few gems. I wouldnt still be here if it was that bad, and I been here since summer of 2010.

The best thing here in my opinion....skiing, ability to travel all over Europe with ease, and......the women. Oh and of course, the fact you more than double your salary, halve your tax, increase your pension etc.

5
Seefeld, Hottingen.

6
In Switzerland is like in paradise - no matter what place you pick it will always be chocolate and honey

7
Seefeld ticks boxes for nice cafes, Sunday morning brunch, close to the lake, etc. But pricey.

Wiedikon could be worth exploring, though further from the lake and not sure about mountain views!

Have a read of this Where to live in Zurich? thread - some useful posts which might help steer you in the right direction.

Good luck with the house-hunting!

8
NZJames, whatever place you pick within the city limit of Zurich (or in a few cases outside), you will never be more than 20-30 mins away from downtown by using public transport.

So, you can have the best of both worlds: space and greenery by the edges of the city, with the places for social life at reach.

9
If you really want a neighborhoold that meets all of those criteria I think you should really stay in London. I really doubt you will find it here. I really think you should visit first to get an idea of what it is like here, seems you have very high expectations.

10
i would agree with the Seefeld suggestion.

you might want to visit zurich before accepting the job - else you might end up running away screaming after a few weeks

11
Have you ever been in the real world?

This looks like a description in a girl movie.

12
Seefeld is a nice area, I would not recommend it initially due to the price of it's cupboards, sorry, apartments, as a first place to settle on arrival.......i.e. the honey moon period. You need plenty of spare cash to survive and enjoy the honey moon period by getting out and about and seeing what the city has to offer.

13
OP did ask for an affluent area that keeps the cheapskates out

14
Hey, a fellow kiwi. Welcome aboard.

I've been in Wollishofen for a few years. It's a nice area, but it ain't cheap... I'm paying about chf 2600 for a 3.5 room apartment with a view of Uetliberg and the lake. The centre of Zurich is about 2km away, and is walkable on nice days. There's tram and bus and train commuting possibilities. There's three supermarkets nearby, and only two sets of church bells...

15
11 posts before a forum t̶w̶a̶t̶ veteran pissed on your thread.

Not a bad score NZJames

16
You must also consider how much you are willing/able to afford to pay for all these amenities mentioned above. I had to compromise to have swimming pool, tennis court, club-house and braai-stand from my private property amenities replaced in favour of public tennis courts and communal swimming pool. My cottage and wendy house have been replaced by tiny cellar full of junk and maid quarters by pantry where I keep my DIY vacuum cleaner and mop. Not to mention 365 days of continuous sunshine swapped by four seasons. I guess it is not a case since you are used to rainy weather and Swiss climate will be a bliss. Welcome to real world!

Social scene is awesome here and locals are more like hobbits from Rivendell.

17
Cheers for the replies everyone! Seefeld is sounding like a good place to do some more research on. I agree though that it's probably a good idea to come out and check the place out before moving. Do you think a weekend would be enough to see the basics and get a feel for the city?

I'm definitely looking forward to a different climate, being from NZ it's much like the UK despite peoples misconceptions, NZ is very cloudy a lot of the time and gets cold in winter unlike Australia. I don't mind the cold so much but clear blue skies and sun are the things I miss so it sounds like you get that even in the winter?

In terms of meeting friends, is the best way through forums like this as it sounds the locals can be a bit cliquey?

18
Zurich is usually covered in fog from late October to December. The blue skies are there but you'll need to go up a hill to get to them (or move further down the lake where there's usually less fog).

19

That would be up the lake.

20
i think a weekend may be too little to grasp the mind-numbing terror of living in switzerland. a week would be better.

i'm about your age and moving here, i feel like i've retired early.