Hi, we are also moving to Lausanne (whenever the visas come through) after initially planning to go to Basel.
The contract is for 15th of March, and the EPFL thinks we will get the visas in time for that.
they've given us information for an apartment that is available. I am not sure of the area, but the address is: somewhere along....
Avenue de Jurigoz 1006 Lausanne. Can anyone tell me if this is an ok area to live? I know it is close to the train station but looks far enough away to not cause a problem (at any rate, I use earplug everynight, so not too worried about noise).
we are looking to live close to a 'lively' place , cafes, restaurants, better night life, etc.
I dont know how easy it is to get an apartment without being there, and without speaking French. But the school recommended we contact the owners of the adverts now so maybe it will be ok? We would like to see it before we get there, so might make a weekend trip....
thanks for the help!
ETA: I dont which area this is...can someone identify that for me please?
I lived in Chauderon for 2 years while studying at the EPFL, and here are a few observations:
-It took me five minutes to walk to the metro (stop: Vigie) and another 15 to get to the EPFL. Even if I forgot something at home I had enough time during the one-hour lunch break to just about come home, fetch whatever I forgot, and go back.
-Lots of shops nearby, including a big Migros.
-Lots of buses nearby.
-I could walk to the station (10-15 minutes)
-You see a lot of drug dealers in the evening, but I've never seen them hurting anyone.
-Sometimes it can be a bit loud at night, especially on weekends, but this can vary from one street to another. In any case, I didn't have too much trouble sleeping.
-Parking isn't always easy to find (but you can park in underground parkings). I don't own a car so I don't know what it's like for daily use.
Avenue Jurigoz is a good spot to get to centre of town quick with Bus 8 or Bus 4 from Pully, and you are so close to the Olympic Museum and from there down to the lake.
You'll be so close to get to the better restos and lively spots from there, you could even walk up to town centre.
Not too far from a Migros and Coop to the west. Great Italian food store at the double round about...Mauro Traiteur.
Also a great chocolat cofisier up the road if you are into those kind of indulgences. Not a bad spot in Lausanne, usually more calmer than other parts of sous-gare .
That road is, actually, quite close to the train tracks, so you might want to check it out beforehand. It is in a nice, central location with easy walking access to bakeries, restaurants, etc. Remember, everything in Lausanne is on a hill of some sort, so you need to do a reconnaissance mission to see just how "perched" you may be!
Its near the centre of town and not too far from the action.
BUT please, as other posters have mentioned you CANNOT AFFORD TO BE PICKY with accomodation in Lausanne. ESP if you are non Swiss. Sorry for the shouting, just needed to make sure I got the point across...which is unless you are willing to be homeless and/or in temporary accomodation for at 3 months, take whatever you are offered!
soz for the serial postings...I used to live in this area and was initially worried about the closeness to the rail tracks but I never heard a thing.
Its very quite and you would not realise there are trains around...I was convinced by the previous tenant who had a newborn baby and said it was no problem. And its true that noise was not an issue.
Could be a good solution to look into some business aparts which can then let you scope out different neighborhoods and also wait for the good moment when and ad comes up for an apart, and you are here to see it on the spot.
Gypsyspears, is it really that bad?? I take your point about 'take whatever is offered', but just wondered if there is a part of Lausanne that you would prefer to avoid if you were given the choice?
We are planning to see some apartments in Lausanne this week. I remember when we first looked at apartments here in Zurich 3 years ago, there were still people looking around as we arrived at a viewing, and as we were leaving each viewing, there were more people trying to get in to look around too....it felt as if there were dozens of people competing to get each available apartment.....
Mostly everywhere is fine in Lausanne, obviously its easier to get a place in neighbourhoods with less shops and amenities and/or further out from the centre. For instance there seems to be a bunch of nice new flats for rent up in Praz Sechaud at the moment. However there are some very dodgy buildings in the Rue de la Borde area, so I would beware there.
Taking a short term studio rental is a good plan if your company is not giving you temp accomodation for the relocation, but these are often booked up months in advance too
Newbies to Switzerland often overlook the fact that applying for a flat does not mean you will get it. Most of us have applied for 15+ flats before being offered a contract. And you will need a permanent work contract (or at least a 1 year) in order to even apply for a flat to rent.
My advice:
1. apply for any flat that looks half way decent, you can always refuse it if offered
2. even if you are using a relocation company, look and apply for yourself
3. resign yourself to the fact that its gonna be a long haul. when i first moved in 2001 to look me a month of full-time flat hunting to be offered something (ie I was not working) and i hear the market is even tighter these days
4. keep alcohol or your favorite tranquilizer on hand for when it really starts to p*ss you off
DISCLAIMER: there are always stories from lucky people who walked into a dream flat but dont expect miracles
If you can afford a relocation agent it definitely helps. I was one of the lucky ones who had this offered by my employer. I visited several flats and made one offer that got accepted immediately. I think the relocator knew about the flat before it got advertised anywhere. I was the first one to see it and the first one to make an offer. The relocator also did all the paperwork, so I just had to sign and move in.
I was not too fussy about the location as long as it looked like a good neighbourhood. I saw flats in Lausanne, Pully and Lutry and went for a flat in Pully. It was the first flat I really liked and I did not hesitate to make an offer.
Pully and Lutry are not far from Lausanne (10-15min on the bus or 5 min on the train), good neighbourhoods and very quiet in the evenings (so not for the party people).
just a question for you, if you already have the visa, I think that yiu have to be in switzerland in three months!!! please check as I am not able to process my paper cos as I know that one i have the visa I should leave in 3 months!
I can highly recommend the area called Chailly, especially around Pont de Chailly. You have all the shops, doctors, banks, postoffice and police there, the bus goes regulary, and is really only 5 mins from the center. But, there is not always appartments available in that area.
I was wondering if anybody can rattle off some neigbourhoods for me if I give some specification, I am looking on comparis.ch and I would like to narrow down my search slightly.
I have 3 months temp accommodation and a relocation agent but the more information I have the better.
I know the market is tight, but I am coming from central london so I think my rent may be lower in numerical terms, and I am used to tight markets. (Basically you need to offer on the spot if you like something)
I would be looking for a 3 room apartment/house, hopefully 10 to 15 minutes from the city center for 2 people and a small dog.
My budget will be max 2k chf.
I want to go and do my own recce of these neighbourhoods so any advice is appreciated.
If there are any common problems to watch out for that would be appreciated as well.
Also, if my specifications are not realistic, let me know as well.
