I know it is a personal choice but still want to hear if anyone has any experience. We are only a week old here and has some house viewings last week. I liked two of the many that we saw - one in Nussbaumen and the other in Wettingen. Both appealed to me though i am yet to check on the after-school-care for my son in both places (one of the main deciding factors). Other than that wettingen apartment had a ridiculous 3 week once washing schedule which i think can be mitigated if we have a washing machine of our own. Office is in Baden so commute from both places is not an issue. Any sharing of experience/thoughts is welcome.

It depends what your priorities are.

If it is cost, rental costs are higher in Wettingen, but i think tax costs are higher in Nussbaumen. So what you dont pay in rent, you pay in tax.

I like Wettingen because it is effectively a city- 2 swimming pools, 2 major shopping areas, all within walking/cycling distance. Oh! And fabulous gyms
Baden train station is equidistant to Wettingen train station, and has more options for the trains into Zurich, Bern, Basel- depending on where you plan to work/play.
The exit off the motorway is more convenient for Wettingen than Nussbaumen.

Akido, football, ballet for the kids- many people from surrounding "villages" go to Wettingen for after school kids activities.

Depending on how long you plan to stay, all 3 "levels" of secondary school are in Wettingen. Are they in Nussbaumen? Anyone willing to sell the benefits of Nussbaumen, online at the moment?

Afterschool care for your boy- it of course depends on the school timetable, which is different every day of the week, in every school.
The creshes in Wettingen are full, and for other reasons (which will take another rant) wont take kindergarten or school-aged kids. You may be able to find a "Day mother"/tagesmutter.
Some school also have a care option for the lunch-time, as kids are expected to come home for lunch.

Try these websites:
http://kinderbetreuung.liliput.ch/
http://www.betreut.ch

Views are probably nicer in Nussbaumen, and it is probably a little more laid-back.

Ehrendingen is also an up and coming good place to live- but you need a bus to get up the hill from the train station from Baden.
Though the Niederwenningen train station is close too- within biking distance.

3 weekly washing is just silly(!!) find another flat!
once a week is normal(ish) and sometimes you can sneak some in if you get on well with the neighbours.



PS: any long-timers out there planning on getting into an argument with me about where the border is between Wettingen and Baden wrt swimming pools & secondary school - forget it... its pedantic(!)

Thank you for detailing out the thoughts. the washing schedule is what really turns me off else i am more inclined towards wettingen. i am also confident (more because of my urge to get working as soon as possible) that i will find a care for my son. until august this year he is covered, but the 7 months will give me enough time to find someone/some center to care for him when he starts the kindergarden.

Does the Wettingen apartment have space and plumbing for a washer/dryer? If yes, I wouldn't worry about the ridiculous schedule and get my own washer otherwise I would forget about the apartment unless you desperately need it.

It does have the space for a washing machine not sure about plumbing though. maybe i also need to check if it is actually 20 day cycle. other apartments we saw (about 6 of them) had weekly schedules. so maybe i got the 20-day wrong.

This is impossible. Of all the apartments I have ever shown clients, I have never seen or heard of anything like this.

Justswiss, I don't know if this is important for you (I took a peek at your profile) but there is actually a fair size Indian community in Nussbaumen. Now, if you are seeking immersion in the Swiss culture, this may be a reason to avoid living there , but I thought it may be of interest to you nonetheless.

Well i checked again and it is indeed a 20 day wash cycle!! Maybe i should take that apartment the relo agent helping us says its not a problem at all since you can sneak into other's schedule if you are polite and request them. yet 20 days seems too long a period to go without washing. this is a multistorey apartment with 15 floors - wonder how others are managing!!

With a relo agent giving this kind of advice it is no wonder why many think they don't need our services.

Many of my clients, and most have families, have apartments with their own washer/dryer. The ones who use a common laundry room have what I consider to be a very practical wash plan.

Are you that desperate that you need to take an apartment with a 20-day wash schedule?

Mrs Doolittle,
Its a typo - i should have written "maybe we should NOT take that apartment". We are not desparate and can wait until we get an apartment with a better wash cycle. Sadly the apartment and the location is great - its the wash cycle - which i do feel is very important - is pushing this apartment out from our list.

Do keep it off the list.