Do you like hustle and bustle? Or would you live happily in the middle of nowhere, with completely zero life on the streets after 7 PM? (like in a desert)
Canton Vaud is big, both options (and many others in between) are possible to find.
Will also depend on what you can afford. Big cities have high rents with lots of competition for places to live. Out in the middle of nowhere will be cheaper, but obviously fewer facilities. And do you have any special health needs that would require regular check ups with a GP/specialist/hospital? Don’t want to be far away from those if you do.
Can you even afford to retire here? You may think you can, but have you checked with the cantonal migration office that you’d be granted a permit to live here?
OP, without knowing more about your needs, personality, hobbies, transport, etc- it is impossible to advise.
One of the key deciders will be your budget. Montreux and the Riviera is the most expensive place, either to rent or buy. As soon as you move away from the Lake, prices start to come down, gradually, until you get to the foot of the Jura, and cheaper still once you start climbing up- to areas like St Croix, with the best views ever, with Orbe, Yverdon, being sort of in the middle.
Really- just depends on 100s of things.
I quite like Yverdon, medieval centre, nice housing areas with 19C/early 20C houses, with gardens. Great train connection going in all directions, Lausanne-Geneva, and Geneva airport direct, or Neuchâtel, Bern and onwards, etc, and a little train to go to St Croix with great mountains, walking, skiing and views- and the lake with a nice sandy beach on the doorstep and lots of others nearby, great dedicated cycling around the lake, bird reserves, good shops and restaurants, theatre and many music venues, and a good spa right there for hot water swimming all year round. And affordable rents.
We are looing for non hustle/bustle enviroment, preferably not with 4-5 months inmobile due to winter condition.
We have lived in Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain due to work, now plan to retire in canton Vaud. we are european citizens.
https://www.expatica.com/ch/finance/...erland-100004/
or check out the website ch.ch, lots of good information.
Are you British Claire, and of State retirement age? If so, you are probably entitled to Health/accident insurance exemption, via Lamal and Form S1- do get in touch by pm if you'd like to discuss (as it is our case).
Edit: profile says Irish.
Other places for then to look at are all the areas in Vaud on the edges of Lake Neuchâtel like Cudrefin, Vully, Avenches, Vallamand etc and everything going down that side of lake Neuchâtel.
Prices are reasonable there and there is easy access to lots of places.
in terms of atmosphere we actually prefer to drive down to Lausanne during the weekends, where the choice of restaurants, shops and entertainment is just
somewhat better.
Oh yes, and where perhaps in the larger cities you might be able to get away with English only, here in the Nord-Vaudois it's French only, and a little of the accent Vaudois occasionally. I do think the people are nicer in this area, compared to when we lived in Lausanne.
Again, without knowing about your likes and dislikes- and if you would enjoy a smaller more rural town- then perhaps St Croix would be for you. Rents are truly reasonable and much more space available. And the lovely train to Yverdon, to then pick up the Swiss train system in all directions. Local Swimming pool in summer, fabulous mountains to ski and hike, and cross country ski and all the shops you need for food, with Yverdon with everything else, or Pontarlier in France very close. It is called Le Balcon du Jura for great reasons, tons of sunshine and the most magnificent views of the Swiss plains, lake Neuchâtel and the whole of the Alps.
If not, you may want to think about other parts of Switzerland as retirement places.
I lived 32 years in Vaud (Mont-sur-Rolle) and recently moved to Schwytz. Besides the beautiful scenery, there were important financial considerations. Health insurance is cheaper here for starters.
There is also a significant difference in income tax. When you've got children, the Suisse Romande isn't too bad as you get tax relief. Once they have left the nest, your taxes skyrocket. This isn't the case in places like Zug and Schwyz.
As a retiree, you also need to consider inheritance tax. It can be hard on your descendants in the Suisse Romande, while zero in many cases in central Switzerland.
Without going into the ins and outs of politics, the tendencies in the Suisse Romande are far more left leaning than on the other side of the Röstigraben.
Having said all of that, if you are really looking at Vaud, then the most incredible scenery is in the Vevey/Montreux end of the lake.