Zurich vs Basel, life in general

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
I am curious what people think would be the major differences for the daily work / live experience in the above noted cities.

With the recent Covid issues, unfortunately Zurich has had very few events and i would be pleased to travel from Basel for the night in a hotel to catch a cool concert or party.

Rent prices seem to be slightly better in Basel and I like that it would be easy to pop into Germany to shop or have a meal.

I do not speak German or French and will have no children or pets at home now.

Any comments would be appreciated.

Happy Holidays!

2
Most people live near where they work.... or work near where they live. And commuting time in Switzerland is ideally not long - we tend to work long hours and live close to the place of work. Ideally less than an hour or even half an hour door-to-door. Of course, that has changed a lot in the past 2 years but still people are usually stuck near to where their jobs are.

Basel to me is 'diluted' - exactly because you can go across the border to shop in France or Germany.

Zurich is a city that is self-contained. Some call it a 'miniature metropolis' - because it is a tiny city but has the attributes of a large city....because of the concentration of wealth and density of housing.

There's still plenty happening in and around Zurich. I have no idea about Basel.

3
thank you for the comments

I work from home and definitely do not plan to work long hours in 2022

4
I've lived in Basel for 5 1/2 years, OH has been here 7 years. Much as I've liked going to Zurich for days out at exhibitions or have stayed overnight after concerts I would not really want to live there (purely personal choice).

Coming from Scotland, what I like about Basel is it's not big and it reminds me a bit of Edinburgh with it's medieval parts and it's modern parts. I also love all the galleries and places to walk by the Rhein and the Munster, the shops and the diversity it has. Transport connections are good. I also find people in Basel very friendly and before the covid situation it had a real buzz to it.

I'm not keen on very large cities as I worked in London for 20 years and have no desire to go back there.

5
Really appreciate the info you provided about Basel, a city I do not know as well as Zurich (and I always liked Edinburgh;-).

In February 2022 I plan to lease a serviced flat for a month or two to explore Basel more thoroughly.

Happy New Year !

6
If you are bored in Zurich, you will meet new levels of boredom in Basel.

- Basel resident of 10 years

7
I've lived in both cities. No offence to Basel lovers but I cannot see how Basel can be more lively than Zurich: it's smaller, it has less of everything. Yes, it's close to the border, but those are mostly commuter towns, you'd still have to go to Freiburg or Mulhouse for some action.

After of a couple of years in Basel we felt we had seen it all there, I cannot say the same about Zurich after much longer.

8
Zurich is bigger and is closer to everything thanks to better train connections and geographical position, you can hop on the train and reach many european cities in a reasonable time, not even mentioning the airport. Basel is a bit isolated out there north of the jura mountains and the border region is boring.

9
If by "everything" you mean Winterthur, I suppose that statement is correct.

10
It is closer to many of the nicer places in Switzerland - i.e. the mountains, Ticino etc.

11
I think the whole "Boring" topic is much too subjective.

I have lived in Basel for 9 years now. I am not a concert-goer, I don't do the pub scene, but I do love to walk around the city and appreciate the easy access to the mountains (hills) we have nearby (Jura, Black Forest, Voges). I like that the city is quiet at night and that the only "questionable" areas are small and known (and "questionable" at like 3 am).

I've been to Zürich a few times and each time I leave thinking that I'm really glad that I don't live there

12
I agree with you and loved it about Basel when I lived there (I do love a nice pub and there are a few) - it is much the same here now in Bern. OP just stated he was looking for "parties" and "concerts" & there is at least 10x more of that in Zurich.

13
We lived in Basel, Claraplatz for nearly 10 years, and we have lived in ZH since 2010.

The part of Basel we lived in is quite central and we were there a few years while still childless, so we were able to explore the bars and restaurants and social life without it costing an arm and a leg in babysitting fees. I would say Basel is small but perfectly formed. The airport offers connections to Manchester, London, Amsterdam etc. Also Basel SBB and the DB stations offer connections all over Europe. We have travelled non-stop to Rome, Vienna, Arnhem, Munich.

The move to ZH came about because of my work (got fed up of the 2 hour one-way commute to my employer’s office) and the arrival of NickatbaselJnr (NABJ) We live in Albisrieden which has a sort of rural feel to it while still being Stadt Zurich and on a tram route to the city centre. The location where we live is in a large off-road area with parks and green spaces which was ideal when NABJ was a toddler.

Now that NABJ is old enough not to require a babysitter, we NrsNAB and I have been able to explore bars and restaurants in ZH a bit more. I would say the variety of the kinds of quirky little places we like is a bit more than the Basel of 2010 used to have. That said, ZH is nowhere near the scale of London, Amsterdam etc. Again, ZH is small but perfectly formed.

I like Basel a lot, but would possibly find it a bit of a come-down to move back. I’m glad we were able to get to know and enjoy Basel and area first in that respect.

For the OP - both places are fine. Possibly Basel is better served with expat clubs and activities. While I suggest you try to learn the local lingo and to get to know some natives it is also a help to try and make sense of the place with some English speakers to get you off the ground. Plus the local Baselers are perhaps a bit more chatty than Zurichers can be.

Cheers,

Nick

14
nice to join a forum where members actually participate

I genuinely appreciate the candid feedback about both cities

15
having lived in both for several years, i'd suggest you go for zurich.

you mention costs. it is true that rents are lower and costs can be cheaper due to crossing the border. but depending on your salary, one of your biggest costs could be taxes and basel is much higher than zurich.

16
Don't forget the health insurance, which is also higher in basel then those in zurich.

17
I fear I must be descending into old fartdom seeing as I like Basel

18
I lived in Zurich for 1.5 years and now in Basel for 22 years and counting. Basel is very nice!

19
its a fun fact, thanks, but who chooses where to live based on their health insurance cost?

and are the cost differences so great on the same cover between basel and zurich?