Hi, I am new to this forum and due to move to CH in April 2007 with my man and 2 kids - boys ages 3 and 4. At the moment we have a choice Basel or Zug...the kids will go to either international school so the decision is mainly about location. Having said that I prefered, on viewing the Zug school but maybe that is because we currently live in london where there is major racial segregation, even in private schools, violence, drugs etc etc. My husband prefers Basel since it is more 'active', I like Zug because of the lake and I sail. Any comments, thoughts, experiences would be much appreciated. Thanks

Basel has some definite charms - but it, too, is a very quiet place. The best part about living in this region is the proximity to France and Germany - it tends to lend a more "open" feel to the city, compared to a very inner-Switzerland place like Zug.

For your sailing, there's plenty of lakes within an hour by train (and probably by car) from Basel!

I get the feeling from your post that one or both of you is/are going to be on a significant income. So if it comes down to the wire, ask yourself if your really enjoy paying tax or not. If you feel generous, Basel is probably the go. If you prefer to keep hold of as much of your hard earned cash as you can, Zug is probably going to be better. But then again, living costs in Zug may marginalise the tax benefits. Keep it in mind.

I would prefer Zug, but then again thats just me.

We have recently moved from the UK to Basel and our son goes to the International school. Although he has only been there for a couple of weeks he seems happy. I haven't been to the school in Zug so I am not able to compare the two but I would imagine that at the ages your children are settling into either school would be quite easy.
I am not sure about your comments regarding racial segregation, are you commenting on the school or Basel in general? We live near the school as it was easy for all members of the family to get to work, Basel, school etc.and as yet have had nothing to complain about (well apart from the usual comments regarding the Swiss-ness of certain things, we are just taking them in our stride and walk around with 80chf in our pockets in case we are fined for doing something wrong!)

If I can be of any help then you can pm me.

I don't have much experience of Basel, other than a couple of business trips and the Fasnacht once, but Zug I know pretty well and it is a very nice place.

Very scenic, safe, beautiful surroundings, low tax, close proximity to Zuerich and Luzern, very close to ski areas in Winter too. The school there is good - I know a few teachers who work there. OK, it could be a bit dull socially but that's true of much of Switzerland and if you've got a family it's probably just what you want.

Gav

Very good point about the taxes, I completely forgot about that! Scatterbrained Sunday

Cross-border shopping, picking the right place in Basel (not Basel Stadt as taxes are highest here), etc. it may all come out in the wash.

We have chosen the Zug area to put down roots. We chose it because of the scenery, proximity to Lucerne/Zürich, and the choice of schools there. We just think it's a great place to bring up kids. Our kids are 3 & 2.

If you do choose Zug, feel free to get in touch.

I've worked in Basel & now live near Zug. I much prefer Zug for it's location.

We got Basel, becasue of my husbands job, and then chose to live across the border in France. The buses to the international schools go right down the main street, and we get a very nice tax rate..... not to mention the cost of living is significantly cheaper. We have only been here for about a month, but we are really enjoying it - we really find we get the best of both worlds. Good luck!

Hi I live between Zurich and Zug in Thalwil and my kids go to the international school in Zug which they love.

I spend a fair bit of time in Zug and its a really nice place to shop, walk, have lunch etc..

I don't know much about Basel excepts is where we cross the border to shop in France/Germany.

Cheers
Ashley

Thank-you so much for all of these replies. I will probably contact those who have kindly offered assistance if we end up in their direction.
Rosebud, where about are you in Zug?
Rhodemi1- thanks for the stuff about the Basel school, how old are your kids? I meant we encounter a lot of racial segregation here in London, WASPS are only about 30% of the class and so when there are other holidays the kids lose half the class and then get left out due to race/ religion which is tough.
Ashley Mac- do you like Thalwil?
Looking forward to moving, since 'variety is the spice of life!!' will keep some change for the fines, thanks for the tip!
Thank-you

No problem,nicnac.My son is a lot older than your children, he is 14. Although moving to another country is a huge change for children of any age my son was more and more reluctant to move as the time got closer. He realised he would be leaving friends (and girlfriend!) behind.He has started to settle in school and hasn't spoken about "back home" for several days. I know that these experiences won't be the same for your children,but, I understand what it is like to worry,hoping you are doing the right thing for the kids.We like the fact that there is a truly international feel to the school and my son's German has come on in leaps and bounds already along with Flemish,Spanish and even Icelandic!!

We like Basel for us it is great to be close to the city and yet live in the country, as well as being close to France/Germany.

Good luck with your choice and if you need any help regarding the school let me know if you need any more of my very limited knowledge!!

Hello Nicnac

We are moving to Hedingen at the end of this month, it's about 20 mins from Zug. We will be house hunting all over the Zug area, anywhere within striking distance for the schools......

Good luck with your decision

Please could someone give me an idea of the living costs in Zug in comparison to UK?
I am not concerned about rent but would like to find out about how much food costs, socialising, language classes etc

Also, my company are paying for my gym membership there - does anyone know if I can take fitness classes there and if so, whether I have to pay extra for these?

Thanks!

Also, does anyone know how easy it is to get from Baar to Zug? My company will be in Zug but I may be living in Baaar...

There is a bus service between the two places, the area also has a regional/local rail service.

To be honest the UK has gotten so expensive that I no longer find that much difference in price between here & there when it comes to shopping for food or clothes. German classes vary enormously in price so you will need to shop around for those. Going out is a bit more pricey, your average G&T is around CHF14.

I would say that if you are an Asda Mum, your food bill will go up but if you are a Waitrose Mum then you won't notice much of a difference.

Ok, well I'm neither a mum nor shop at either of those places but I get your point! So it's dearer than the UK then.

I wouldn't say it was dearer. When I went back to live in the UK I was shocked at the prices in the supermarkets, they had gone up a lot in the 7 years I was here. You may actually spend less here on food as there are fewer temptations in the shops, no or very few ready meals etc.