Your vote: Best Village on Lake Zurich?

Accomodation, House and Garden
21
Yes, I've spent a fair amount of time in Wollerau over the last few years. I'm bemused about why people think is so great. Perhaps they can elaborate.

Saying:

Isn't really helpful to the OP unless it's back up with the reasons why it's so nice.

After all, the OP is trying to decide based on a comparison between the different towns.

Additionally, if the OP comes from some quaint little village in the Cotwolds or North Norfolk, they're probably going to think that almost all the towns along the lake of Zurich are pretty ugly. Pfaffikon more so.

22
Let me think... it wasn't the rich people living there or the colorful village life. The single reason I lived there was the tax difference for us (double income, no kids...) compared to Zurich city was 40-50%. Yes, you read that right. I paid HALF the tax and while my rent was expensive was the calculation really an easy one. You won't need more than a beer coaster to calculate if some 1k more a month for rent makes sense for you. If I ever move back to Switzerland, I will be there again...

23
That's Wollerau in a nutshell !

24
There really isn't much more to add: As most people did I commute by car. On the highway from Wollerau to Zurich will you pass every single brand of supermarket you might like... Sihlcity Mall is so conveniently located at the end of Zurich that I even continued to go to the gym there instead of my village. Swimming pool was not in Wollerau, but on the way in Waedenswil... driving range: Thalwil, nearest Burger King: Richterswil... bottom line: If I need to drive by car anyway does it for me not really make a difference if I am 5, 7 or 10 minutes from a place and the villages along the coast really do not make a difference to me. If then the tax system is so odd, I will gladly take that present.

It does not make a difference in life style which village you choose, the only difference is either Zurich city (public trans,port, night life, culture...) or village (driving, no night life, beatiful nature from the lake to the nearby mountains...)...

25
Unless you can't drive.

Unless you have children.

My sister-in-law lives in Wollerau and has children but she spends most of her time in the car driving them everywhere.

26
So: Would it make any difference for her if she was in Richterswil, Waedenswil, Horgen or the like? She would still have to drive the kids, no?

There is an efficient bus system, bringing you to the nearest train station - just as anywhere else in Switzerland. So you CAN live without a car, but you probably won't wan to. If you do not want to have a car... better live in the city. No village anywhere along the lake will get you the convenience of having a Tram next to you house...

27
If taxes are an issue, you should look into Ausserschwyz - Wollerau, Wilen, Hurden, Bäch, Feusisberg, Schindellegi and Pfäffikon (although Pfäffikon is too trafficked for my taste.)

As Treverus says, depending on your individual situation you can save 50% tax over living in Zürich. And since the OP is coming from Geneva, the savings could be eye-popping.

(However, IIRC, the OP came here from the US - but are you a US citizen? If so, your tax savings would be reduced thanks to the constricting embrace of Uncle Sam. Nonetheless, my savings are still significant as living in a low tax canton/Gemeinde allows me to do more efficient US-CH tax planning. If the you are an American, see a tax professional before making any move.)

I live up on the ridge above Wollerau. Whilst Schindellegi is officially Beyond The Pale, it is nonetheless well served by the S13 connecting it to Wädenswil and the civilized world. An extra 5-10 minute's commute in exchange for a significant tax savings - not to mention the cowbell symphony - is worth it to me. YMMV.

All of the towns along the lake are essentially bedroom suburbs of Zürich - meaning more or less interchangeable when it comes to basic amenities. All have good local schools, but only a few have international schools. One's leisure activity will likely be spent either in the city if night life is important, in the mountains if outdoors minded, or in other countries.

So the real questions are: How important are taxes, how important are connections to Zürich, how important are international schools, ease of travel to the mountains, or to the airport? And most important of all - where can you actually find a house?

Good luck.

28
We can walk to the swimming pool.

We can walk to the lake for a swim.

The paths around the lake are flat for cycling (important for young kids).

We have numerous playgrounds.

We can walk to a mainline station.

We have a skate park

Most of the towns along the lake shore are like this. Wollerau isn't.

Not everyone thinks like you and feels they need to drive everywhere. That isn't the mentality of the Swiss (at least the ones I know).

All the Swiss I've met say that Wollerau isn't a very good place to bring up kids (compared with Wadenswil, Richterswil, Thalwil etc).

But, as you say in your posts, the taxes are low and you drive everywhere anyway and for you - these are your primary concerns.

However the OP may not even have kids so all this is immaterial.

29
I am a resident of the gold coast - the villages with the more extensive amenities are:

1. Kusnacht

2. Meilen

3. Mannedorf.

The rest of the villages like Zollikon, Erlenbach, Herrliberg simply have the basic supermarket, and an odd shop or two.

All the villages along the gold coast are very accessible into the city - either the S6, S16, S7 will get you into ZRH city in less than 20 minutes. Night trains run too. Price wise, the closer you are to the city, the more expensive housing is.

At the end of the day, its not the town you choose. Its what your budget allows for the space you want. Moving down the lake will allow you to stretch your Franc further.

30
Wollerau was once a nice place but they sold their soul to the devil.

31
It's high time canton ZH places started to charge canton SZ tax parasites a surcharge for using infrastucture not funded by their taxes.

32
I am cosmopolitan, I could not care less in which canton I live. Instead of charging a surcharge could Switzerland of course do what all other countries on this planet do: charge the same income tax independant from the village you live in. But they do not and they will not... and there is nobody else to blame for the system than the Swiss voters who like their country being this odd. Nobody stops you from moving to SZ.

33
There are other,less polite ways of describing your attitude.

34
?

Give me one logical reason why somebody should not move to a tax efficient place. The tax competition does in my eyes more good than bad to Switzerland. Majors have to do their jobs properly and are held responsible for the way they spend tax money. People vote on large local investments. I have never seen that to this level anywhere else...

35
There's more to life than money.

I suppose you also think that the 'health tourists' who go to the U.K. purposely to get free treatment under the N.H.S. (when they are not entitled to it) are also cosmopolitan?

All I'm saying is that taxes in Wollerau are low for a reason.

I guess that as you don't have children, you don't appreciate living a town with better family infrastructure, but with consequently higher taxes to pay for that infrastructure.

Instead, you think it's okay to pay your low taxes and as you can just use the infrastructure in those places where the taxes are higher.

Don't worry, it's not just you. This seems to be the attitude of most people I have met who live in Wollerau.

Not an admirable attitude though but I expect that you don't give a damn.

* I don't like to use the 'you don't have children so...' argument but I think it's valid in this case.

36
Long-time Wollerau citizens complain loudly that their village life has deteriorated dramatically. Clubs are dying out because new residents are not interested in getting to know the local life. Housing prices have increased to the point that many can't afford living in Wollerau many more. Wollerau is becoming a shell of a village and a haven for greed and anonymity. Talk to the real locals and they'll back up what what I've said.

Wait, you probably won't find any real locals because they all have had to move or have lost that lovin/village feeling.

37
we are on the "flu" side of the lake so it is hard for me to comment on the gold coast villages (although we have friends in Kussnacht and it is very nice). for what you list above, I would go with either Thalwil or Horgen. both have quaint but active village centers, plenty of shopping, decent selection of restaurants (at least by Zurich standards, and including ethnic options), great public swimming areas, small skate parks, etc. we also liked Richterswil quite a bit, but it is another 10 minutes down the lake from the city and so was therefore too far from Zurich for our taste. Waedenswil is quite popular with expats but I personally find its waterfront area to be less than attractive. Wollerau is popular mostly for the reason already stated - taxes. Pfaffikon would feel like an eternity from Zurich, if you truly want to feel within striking distance of the city.

from Thalwil it is about 10 minutes into Zurich along Seestrasse, from Horgen it is perhaps 20 minutes. about the same by train. we chose Thalwil because it was closer to Zurich and the train station goes both to Zurich and Zug. it also helped with the wife that there is a Starbuck's

everybody of course has their own priorities and opinion, so the best thing would probably be to spend a weekend touring the villages on both sides of the lake. maybe when the thermometer finds its way to the other side of zero

38

I've been to more than one Wollerau farmers' cow festival! Has Treverus?

39
He probably was the Viehhändler.

40
Zurich to Lenzburg... about 20 minutes on train.

.. If you don't need to be 'In' Zurich, I have found living in Canton AG both

far more affordable, more attractive, easy to commute into Zurich. Lenzburg has everything I need for a stay out here.

Also places on the S3 line BEYOND Killwangen-Spreitenbach ( the places between Zurich and Killwangen all seem a bit bland and concrety to me. ).