Hi all,
I recently applied for a job in Zug, got the interview, offered the job and I've accepted it......in the space of 3 weeks. I start in March!!!!!!!!

Please can people throw in their two pennies worth on where to live....Lucerne or Zug??????
And do they understand a Brummie accent?

James

Errr..

Welcome to the forum.

Not actually knowing what a Brummie accent is, if it is anything like the Yorkshire Cheesemongers accent, you should be ok.

My lord, they even understand the Scots here(!)

EDIT: we do have a problem if you say oooop instead of up though..

It depends on what if you are single or with family. Having first lived in Zurich before coming to Zug, I must admit Zug is a bit quieter but that was fine with me as my husband and I moved with our 4 month old baby so that we could be close to work and not waste time commuting.

If you are single and want more action than perhaps Luzern is a better option. Of course there may be deferring opinions on this.

Whatever you choose - "Welcome to Switzerland"...

First impressions from someone who has recently moved to Zug from elsewhere in Switzerland :

Lucerne has lower rents and higher taxes, Zug has higher rents and lower taxes.

Lucerne definitely has a bigger town feel to it than Zug - but Zug is only 25 minutes from Zurich on the train, Lucerne is further.

Zug isn't a pretty town (the old town is tiny, the new town is ugly and soulless) despite the lakeside setting. Lucerne is excessively pretty, but it's also packed full of tourists. Both places offer very easy access to the mountains.

I live and work in canton Zug but I get the impression that the majority of my colleagues (both locals and expats) have opted for Lucerne, which may be an indicator. There are two fast trains and two stopping trains an hour between the two towns and both places have a good bus service, so transport isn't an issue.

More on Birmingham from the NY Times: 36 Hours: Birmingham, England.

Zug may not be the greatest place in Switzerland but it is well placed for trips further afield,
There are some nice bars in and around Zug. Shopping is adequate but Zurich is not far for more intense shopping.

Will you be driving to work or prefer trains?

You wont go far wrong with either place. I was in Zug for just over 2 years and never had any complaints. Good Luck

Hey James welcome...Lucerne I reckon...

Thanks to everyone with their suggestions......I must admit that when I had my interview on Wednesday in Cham...and my little stroll in Zug, the area looked a little bit anaemic. Perhaps because it was cloudy and drizzling.

My wife and I love old architechure....we also have a motorhome which we'll need to park. Is Lucerne a good location? Is commuting from Lucerne to Cham practical and cost effective?

I will also be flying out of Zurich with my job quite a bit.....would Lucerne to Zurich airport be quite a drag?

And.....the question that gets posted frequently...how much more is tax in Lucerne to Zug?

Thanks again....(btw I don't have strong Brummie accent like Ozzie Osborne)

James

Parking is a real problem in Switzerland. You're only allowed to park in designated parking places, anywhere that isn't marked as a parking place is a "double yellow" by default. Parking spaces are at a premium and can be expensive, especially in big towns like Lucerne. When visiting flats, make sure you take this into account - don't assume that it will be easy to find a space somewhere in a side-street in the neighbourhood, because it won't !

Lucerne to Cham is an easy commute by train, takes between 20 and 35 minutes with two direct trains an hour plus two others that involve changing in Rotkreuz.

I haven't done it by car myself, but I have numerous colleagues who commute by car from Lucerne to Rotkreuz (just next to Cham) and they seem to find it OK - you are going in the opposite direction from most of the traffic. Once you're on the motorway, it takes about 15 minutes.

Lucerne to Zurich Airport takes an hour by train, with one train per hour and some extra ones during the morning/evening rush hours. There are other connections with a change in Olten, which take about an hour and a quarter. Probably a real pain to do it by car as the airport is on the "wrong" side of Zurich - though again, I have not tried it myself.

It's hard to say exactly for taxes, as they are levied locally rather than centrally and so can vary a lot from one town to the next, even within the same canton. There are online calculators though, which allow you to input the name of your town and your salary and get an estimate of how much you will pay. I'm sure these are referenced somewhere on the forum if you search for them.

Hope this helps !

JUst outside Lucerne, I have seen a lot of camper vans and caravans parked up for winter, at the edge of one of the villages on the way to Engelberg. I have noticed these parks in other places too - it appears that people pay for parking on comercial sites, or the edges of farmland - the one I saw was close enough to get to and from by train from Lucerne.

What are your, and your wife's, regular hobbies/interests. That could help sort which place is best for you.

I come over in just over 2 weeks....can't wait.

I would pick for Zug, Baar, Aegeri, Cham, Walchwil or Rotkreuz if you are going to be working in Zug. The best thing about working in Switzerland is that you can live close to where you work without having to commute. I travel back to the UK for work every month and it takes 40 mins from Zug to the airport on the train or 30 mins by car in non peak times. Obviously further from Luzern.

Luzern is really touristy although very pretty. Zug new town is just like any other town in the UK (and switzerland) to be honest but the lake and mountain back drop is awesome and the old town is very pretty. I don't see anything wrong with it unless you think Switzerland is full of chocolate box chalet style towns, which it is not. They like knocking these down and building concrete modern apartments! Zug is also really well connected and easy to get about from. It is quite quiet but it depends what you are looking for. My husband and i are mid 30's, no kids and came from London. We used to eat out about 3 or 4 times a week on the way home from work or at the weekend, see friends, go to the cinema and theatre etc. We can do the same things here and do loads of outdoor activities as well. If you are mad clubbers who like to be out all weekend it isn't like that and you will probably be bored!

Oh and i wouldn't worry about your accent, there are people here from all countries with a real variety of accents.

Good luck with the move and welcome!
Sophie

Cannock and Brum are not too far apart accentwise - so any who've met DB would have a fairly good idea of what it's like
Dudley is the best though

It ayIt isn't Babbybaby Alf baerkedStupid Argy- bargyfight BlartingCrying BostinVery Good


I'm sure you would have heard him say 'bostin' a few times, no?

Not very good a posting links. Could anybody find a good one of Lenny Henry doing Dudley speak?


Re taxes. It is an expat's obsession to live in the areas where taxes are lowest - only to find that they have to pay loads more for everything else, be it a coffee, a basic meal or accommodation. We live in a slightly higher tax area where everything else is much cheaper, and I am sure we really are quids in, when all told. Welcome to Switzerland.

Whereabouts in Worcs mate? I used to live near Northfield, pram capital of the world!!!!

I'm also a Brummie, lived for 18 years in Ladywood, although don't have an accent! Be good to meet up with some fellow Brummies, love the accent, takes me right back home!

Small world! Frequented broad street on many an occasion!

Lucerne
- beautiful city
- absolutely huge (German...) "Stocker" bookstore
- yummy sandwiches (Confiserie Bachmann, close to the train station)
- river (Reuss) and lake (Vierwaldstättersee)
- KKL
- nicer dialect than Zug

Zug
- London Store (british and some US food)
- lake (Zugersee)
- cheaper than Lucerne (tax-wise), IIRC

My $ 0.02

Heh Redditch....2nd pram capital

London store went out of business....

There is not that much to do in Zug, but you are 25 minutes
from either Zürich or Lucerne.

We go to both places quite often. Because of that we prefer to
live here in Zug.

Lucerne is absolutely full of tourists but is a very beautiful
city.