Sigmaxyquatz, than you very much for your detailed response, very helpful. I also do not like the house being very close to a relatively busy road. The new development at Schürbungert is sadly sold out. I agree, it is MUCH nicer, totally different world.

Does that area have a mix of nationalities, or is there one nationality which dominates the area?

Erm, not sure that is very politically correct?

sorry if it sounded politically incorrect, what I had in mind, is that being a foreigner myself, would I have a foreign mix around us in that area? in the area I live now it is more Swiss (which is perefectly fine, but I feel more of an outsider)

although this is often negated by the rents, as everybody wants to live in the low tax areas and this pushes up real-estate prices.

Okay, Opfikon may be an exception here as it has both low taxes and afforable rents. But in many other places you'll find it does level out to some degree.

And it is a matter of taste of course, but Stadt Zürich is probably a nicer place to live than many of the surrounding low-tax areas. For example being able to get to many places on foot etc and the broader variety of cultural offerings etc are factors one shouldn't forget. It's all a question of personal priorities though.

Depends whether you want to integrate or continue being an outsider for the rest of your life?

Don't know about that school but I live Bucheggplatz. It's a fine down to earth sort of area. So nothing snobbish or anything, and most of the people are decent. The mix of foreigners to Swiis is about average I'd guess. Criminality is low. The rents are very affordable (below average) and there are several parks and children's playgrounds plus of course the Käferberg woods nearby. There is a scattering of the usual shops all within walking distance. Good tram connections to downtown Zurich, and from this December the No 10 tram will run directly to the airport. For the night life, it's not far to the Langstrasse and the Escher Wyss Area, but the noise and disturbance are sufficiently far away that it won't bother you when you don't need it, and there are trolleybuses to take you back home (up the hill).

So on the whole I mainatin this is one of the underestimated and underrated areas that has more up sides than one might at first suspect.

Hi, sorry to jump on the end of this thread but wanted some advice about where to live i Zurich. Am moving with my husband and our daughter (10 months) next Spring. We live in London and wanted to find out roughly how various districts in zurich equate with various london boroughs so we can narrow our search...basically we like places like islington/clerkenwell/belsize park/dulwich/ladbroke grove but (lovely as they are) find places like chelsea/kensington/fulham/putney a bit staid. We have checked out seefeld/enge and districts 4/5 (not sure exactly) and liked 4/5 until we realised that we walking through a sea of lapjoints (disconcerting with a baby!). Would be good to be near shops/restaurants/life but we are too old and boring to go for really edgy. sorry for long post.

The establishments you speak of are not really equally distributed but are grouped together in certain areas so this shouldn't be too much of a problem if you are aware of them and keep away. Kreis 4/5 is a great area to live while you're young and into going out and generally enjoying life. Most of the city's cool bars are in this area and in fact most of the more fun people live here. The community spirit is simply stupendous, with much of the rest of the city appearing dull, snobbish and grey by comparison. While your baby is still yound I wouldn't worry too much about the area but once it gets older and starts getting streetwise I wouldn't feel comfortable with it growing up in such an area, so maybe it is a good place to move into now with a view to going upmarket in a couple of years from now (assuming your salary will also rise in the meantime).

Other areas you could be looking into are Unterstrass, which is very close to the city and also to Kreis 4/5 but is much queiter and more child-friendly, whilst also being very affordable. Enge and the University area are a bit more up-market and expensive, but also good to live. Ditto for Seefeld.

Hi. At the moment I’m staying in Neuhausen but it’s not for me really. So I want to try somewhere a bit more lively where I can meet people, even more so people who are from the UK.

I have a hire car so getting to work in Neuhausen isn’t a problem, so can anyone recommend me anywhere? What’s it like near the English bar Robin Hood?

That's near Wiedikon I think. Quite a few porno shops around there, but the area is pretty ok, good tram links to get in and out of town.
The Robin Hood isn't the classiest pub, not sure I would want to call it my local.

I think I could deal with the **** lol

Seriously though, where would you suggest staying? I need to park the car at the hotel and be in walking distance to English bars, if there are any.

seefeld is not bad. i live there. you're almost right in the city, although there are virtually 0 races outside of white, and i would say 90% of the residents are swiss. may not be for everyone. oh, and getting a place in seefled is very tough, especially if you're a foreigner.

Hi everyone,

I am a french guy currently living in Brussels. I will move to Zurich for my work at the end of May.

I think it's time I start looking for my new appartment but being abroad makes it a bit more difficult.

That's why I need your help: I will work near Oerlikon (Andreasstrasse 8050 Zurich).
My objective is not to live on the doorstep of my work, but I don't want to have more than 30 min of tram or bus to get there.

I would like to live in a lively neighbourghood not far from the city center, with basic shops (bakery, food, newspaper...) and tram stations in a short walking distance.
Where should I look ?

Also, I am looking for a apartment with one or two separates bedrooms, min 50m2 in total. Could you give me an idea of the rent for such a place ?


Thanks a lot for your help!

to the EF!

Look at the very bottom of this page and you will find Similar Threads, many of which will help answer your questions.

Enge


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Hi Marshall, welcome to the EF.

Have a look at this thread:
http://www.englishforum.ch/housing-g...rich-city.html

Oerlikon, IMHO is a depressing place to live.

As mentioned above, Enge is pretty nice.

Oerlikon (Close to Bahnhoff/Neu Oerlikon/Oerliker Park)is actually a very convenient place to live if you come from a place that businesses open on Sundays. You have Zurich airport one train stop away, where you can go shopping 365 days a year until 22.00 Probably the only place in the whole country that is open on Sundays. How convenient is that?

I agree. Oerlikon is not bad for working, with all the relevant companies in the same vicinity, but I wouldn't want to live there. Although it is convenient, it's kinda industrial and it lacks flavor.

If you like peace and quiet, I'd look into the Zuerich Oberland area. You can get to Oerlikon in 10-15 minutes. But if you want to be close to an urban pulse... hmm. Paris or Milan.

I am surprised Hongg is not really mentioned in this thread!

Having lived here (between Hongg and Wipkingen) for the past 3-4 months, I am loving every minute of it. Tram 13 or Bus 46 takes you directly into Zurich HB in approx 15 minutes. Escherweissplatz (loads of restaurants, bars and huge cinema) is just 3 stops down, Käferberg forest is just up the hill and if you live high up enough, the view of Zurich City is stunning. Oh yes, the people are friendly.