Moving to Geneva.......HELP !!!

Hi Guys,

I am sure this has been asked a million and one times so sorry but.........

I am moving to Geneva for work in about 5 weeks. I am moving by myself and need to find somewhere to live, I can afford about £1000 a month and have had is suggested I live in France. I currently live in the UK.

Just looking for help on best place to live in France which isn't going to cost me a fortune but has good transport links to Geneva.

Any help would be great. Got a bit of a panic on at the moment with it being just a handful of weeks away.

Thanks !!!

Yes, it has been asked...... so please, use the search function; thee's loads of recent info on threads about this. Links to letting agencies, etc. you could probably find by googling if you can't find them here but I'm pretty sure there are some.

Where you move to will to some extent depend on where in the city you're going to be working, if you're on the Left Bank, you might find Saint Julien best, if the Right Bank (railway station side) then Ferney Voltaire might be the better option. If you're allowed to live in France at all (depends on permit, and I think some UN staff aren't allowed to live outside Switzerland).

Finding anywhere is going to be difficult as avaliable housing in Geneva is practically non-existant at the moment. Certainly in that price bracket. More possibilities across the border though.

Have you considered asking your new work-place for help with temporary accommodation.... it'll be easier to look for somewhere once you're physically here.

Hi, if you can find a place in France, it will be great but I think with your budget 1000 pounds, you can get a decent place in Switzerland as well.

It depends what kind of accommodation you are looking for.

Probably in Geneva, the accommodation is more expensive. Last time, I rent a studio apartment in Vevey (1 hour away from Geneva), it costs me around 900chf per month.

Hope you can find a place ASAP.

Here's a recent thread from someone else moving to Geneva.

Possibly moving to Geneva - need advice

Use Comparis to search for apartments. In your price range, the supply is very limited in Geneva. You will get more bang for your buck over the border. However, if you are alone here, would you want that?

http://en.comparis.ch/immobilien/mar...ieten&ort=1200

"Divonne" in France is another option for English community. 20 minutes by car to get center of Geneva.

Parking in Geneva is a nightmare.

20 minutes is very unlikely. Could easily be twice or three times that on a work day, depending on where you work. The killer is if you have to cross the Pont de Mont Blanc, i.e. on the other side of the lake from Divonne. It's a horrible bottleneck, as is La Jonction coming into Geneva from the Saint Julien side & also Cornavin Station at the moment.

Welcome to Geneva

The big problem with driving in Geneva is the river and the lake and the best advice is try and avoid having to cross them! In other words try and live on the same side as you work, irrespective of whether you're living in France or Switzerland.

If you live on the Swiss side you will probably get away without needing to drive in for work, as there's a pretty good public transport system in place. If you're in France, you're more likely to be tied to using a car and being stuck in traffic.

Give us some hint of where you're working and we might be able to give further advice.

Depends where you want to live in France, I have just signed for a F2 in France, just by the border crossing of Moellesullaz, prices are reasonable and you have the TPG to go to the center of Geneva, this is exactly why I am buying in France and not in Switzerland, even though I would KILL to live in Switzerland, it just wasn't possible as prices were way way too high, and we could never own our own place. Look st Gaillard, Ambilly, and for more options, Annemasse.

Yeah , 20 minutes non rush hour, no accidents, and no road works...possible, but for a daily commute from Divonne you will need to plan for more time, and this assumes you don't have to go much furhter than rue de Lausanne and you have parking available, etc.

20 minutes by flying car.

Hi.

I'm not sure if it was you who just made a thread asking about property in Annemasse (it seems to have been deleted).

If it was, here you are:

http://www.annemasse-immobilier.com

Yes it was me who had it deleted, thanks for the link.

The office I will be working at is near the airport.

Think if I choose to live in Annemasse then I can take the highway around switzerland and come out near the airport. Hopefully traffic wont be too bad??? According to google thats a 25 min drive.

Annemasse seems to have a few properties available for me where as I am really struggling with the rest. Also with being in the UK its hard not being able to see the properties and relying on pictures or descriptions.

If you're working near the airport then you should definitely look into places like Ferney-Voltaire and St-Genis-Pouilly, perhaps a little further if there's a significant price difference.

http://www.abi-immobilier.fr/

^hope this helps

If you're near the airport, then look look on the right bank. The motorway round Geneva gets blocked each way during rush hours and on weekend holiday periods.

St. Genis, Ferney-Voltaire, Gex, Divonne make far more sense from a commuting point of view (or any of the other small villages in between).

If you live in Switzerland, you have the possibility of using public transport. There's a station at the airport with frequent trains from all the stations along the lake. Howevere, accommodation is pricier.

If your office is near the airport you really don't want to be coming in from Annemasse, the journey would be a nightmare most days. Look north of the city, Ferney Voltaire, St. Genis, etc. as mentioned above.

Or try Meyrin if you want to be within the swiss borders and in easy reach of public transport.

I work in Meyrin, close to the airport. Better than Annemasse is the Geneva-Annecy axis. e.g. the two horse town of Cruseilles. It's much cheaper than the CERN side (Ferney-Voltaire, Sant-Genis, etc.) but a car is essential. The only traffic jam is at the border (Bardonnex). Worth a look. You've got multiple options. There's no free lunch and supply is tight everywhere.