I'm a British national living in Geneva and I've been offered a position with a Pharma company in Basel.
Naturally, I've been searching on Homegate for places to live knowing that something I highly value is a short walk to work each day. The areas that are well positioned for my commute are Klybeck and Kleinhuningen.
I've read the posts on this Forum regarding these areas and almost universally they have been said to be the places 'to avoid'. The most recent mention was in 2016 but similar comments have been made since 2007.
I know places can change, so my question is this: Is Klybeck still a place to be avoided?
I wouldn't agree that it's somewhere to be avoided, but a lot of Swiss would associate the high proportion of immigrants, particularly Easter European/Turks with being somewhere they wouldn't want to live.
I don't have recent experience and have never lived in either, but I would feel that KleinHunigen would be a very out of the way area, not really what I'd think of as residential. Lots of small industry, not somewhere I'd like to walk back to of an evening, and very inconvenient for getting into the city, whereas Klybeck is a lot closer in.
Don't worry about it.. if you're a Brit and have seen any 'deprived' areas of any UK city you'll laugh your head off at the idea that these 'poor' areas of Basel are in any way 'dangerous'.
Yes they're a bit more 'ethnically diverse' than, say, the suburbs, but for me that just means better coffee and well stocked corner shops that (in normal times) stay open all the time.
My daughter is teaching at an inner city school in that area. Compared to the inner city school where my wife did her first teaching stint, it's practically Eton.
I would guess it is with "the big N" but on the Klybeck side or on the campus on the Sk.Johann side? If the latter then you'd still have to cross the bridge everyday (if you ever need to go to the office).
Kleinhuningen is too far away. The only advantage would be to be near the border. Klybeck is not something to be afraid of necessarily but there would be more convenient places to live. There's nowhere I would feel afraid in Basel but there's a running joke amongst Gross-Basel residents such as myself that you don't go east of the river after it gets dark. Others might say it's exactly the place to go after dark.
If you don't mind taking the tram, or cycling, you can pretty much live wherever you want. I used to do a sub 10 minute bike ride to the campus, partly along the river, whereas a tram ride would have been 15-20 minutes all in.
Surprisingly not Novartis but a laboratory role in a smaller company based in the Stucki Tech Park. It's good to hear I won't need to pack my staff proof vest
The random violence sadly does happen in Basel. When I read about it, they often occur near Claraplatz, which is in Klein Basel and a stone's throw away from Manor and Dunkin Donuts. But they tend to occur after 11pm. So alcohol is probably a common factor.
As for where to live, go whereever you find the right place. Supply is not so great, and you should just pick what you like. Don't worry about location. Either way, you're close to France and Germany for shopping and there's always a Migros or Coop within walking distance.
We lived in Clara for two years, we had a nice roof top apartment but still could hear noises from outside, there would always be filth on the side walks (even with city employing an army of cleaners). Now live close to Lang Erlen just behind German train station in Basel city, can still get to Clara with 3 min bike ride but far enough to have a quieter life in a really nice area. Clara/Klybeck I would avoid at all costs unless you are someone who has a high tolerance for noise (and don’t mind smelling urine each time you get out of your apartment)
I would avoid living in that area simply because it is a rather industrial and a depressing place to live. As other posters have said, Claraplatz is a good place to avoid too ... it has gotten much worse in recent years. Although people laugh in comparison to other places in the world, there is open prostitution and gangs have moved into that once rather peaceful area. There have been many stabbings and even some shootings. Plus, it is where everyone drunkenly gets a kebab late at night ... (Heuwage area too)
The Lange Erlen area back behind Badischer Bahnhof is close to your work and very green & a nicer place to be. Also particularly nice if you enjoy cycling / running along the Wiese.
There are some newer apartments in Erlenmatt area, and has generally lot of expats as it is close to SIS international school , this is walking distance to Stucki and also to Lange erlen
Or in estate agent speak, it is a sought-after vibrant area with a lively nightlife. Popular amenties are close by and there are plenty of restaraunts serving authentic local cuisine.
Yes it is ... I lived there. It is considered to be a larger area rather than those new builds. The bike path will take you directly to Stucki...have a look at the link I included above.
Lively nightlife indeed - especially along Rebgasse, but I would not say "authentic" local cuisine. Those places closed in the most recent years...
The so-called red light area there is usually restricted to the one side street. If you walk down this street then you will get approached (in my experience always by someone who looks like they should rather be paying you) . Otherwise not, but I remember the other year the city had to put up big placards to encourage the prostitutes not to stray outside of this zone. There are though plenty of pimps and pros operating in the bars and nightclubs. You'll think you're doing well chatting up some girl then she'll introduce you to her 'manager'.
Like many others on here, the areas that you are talking about are rather unattractive, and there are many parts of Basel that are much more charming. If you haven't visited Basel, you should definitely come and explore before settling on a neighborhood. Different parts of the city have *very* different feelings, and you can very easily move from "industrial" to "buzzy downtown" to "quiet residential" to "isolated village" in just a few tram stops.
Basel is a small place and nothing is too far from anything else. I would get a tram map and look at what's on one of the direct tram lines in terms of places to live -- that will give you a lot more choice with a 10-15 minute tram ride.
It's nearly 2km from Badischer Bahnhof, certainly not "behind" it as you said, and whether the named area has expanded or not the green part you refer to is still well over a kilometre from Stucki. In the context of Basel, which is as already pointed out not a very large place, this is not what I'd call close to either.
Look mate, I am not sure why you are arguing ... but that whole area/neighborhood I used to live in is referred to as Lange Erlen - look at how it is literally behind the tracks of Bad Bhf.
And 1 km is very close, even in Basel - not to mention the bike path from Lange Erlen makes it even shorter/closer. I don't think OP was asking to live on top of his work place ...
There have been too many replies to thank all of you individually but needless to say I really appreciate the advice you've offered, certainly food for thought!
I'll likely cast my net a bit further afield than a short walk to Stucki and see where is within a 15minute tram/ bus ride for the sake of a quieter life. I should have realised there was a reason this ( https://www.homegate.ch/rent/3000873031 ) seemed like a bargain!
OH originally came to Basel on his own in Dec 2014, it was just supposed to be for a 6 month contract. He spent the first month in an airBnB at Klybeck (near Matthäuskirche I think) and said no way would he want to live there as he didn't think it was safe after dark (and he's from the crime ridden East End of London). There are a lot of reports of open drug dealing outside the apartment blocks there, residents have complained to the police and there are now security guys on the recreation ground.
He moved to a small studio near the barracks which was quiet. When he realised he was going to be staying on I decided to move across and we got a decent place on Clara's Untere Rebgasse in 2016. The red light zone at Webergasse wasn't really a problem for us then, but in 2017 loads of young E European girls and their pimps turned up along with drug dealers so we felt we had to move as we couldn't sleep. The people who lived at the rear of our building said it was just as bad as a lot of the girls take men into the park at Claramattweg late at night, they saw what was going on from their windows.
However, for all it's faults I love going back there to shop and pre lockdown we often went back to eat out there or to go to the cinema at the corner of Rebgasse. Kleinbasel still feels a heck of a lot safer than places I knew when I lived and worked in London and I got out of London 17 years ago. A friend of mines lives in a council flat behind the The Modern gallery and he was followed along the South Bank one evening, then assaulted and robbed on his doorstep.