Hey guys - stupid question for most of you I know... but I'm looking at my options for places to stay. Is it fairly easy to get around the lake?
What I mean is if I'm working in Pfäffikon SZ, but living in say for example, Kusnacht or hombrechtikon (just names I've read off a map), is there a sort of boat service that could take me across the river? or is it the case of even though i can see Pfäffikon... It's still going to take me an hour to get there

Meilen > Horgen is possible.

The SBB planner takes account of boats too http://www.sbb.ch/en/

tups, your second option - although Hombi via Rappi should be not-too-bad.....

Thalwil would be my choice.....actually, scrub that, I could walk to work from where I am living if I worked in Pfäffikää

It is possible but not ideal as believe you will have to transfer. Though the SBB trains run to Raperswil and you can change to another train to Pfaffikon,

Much more ideal to live on the same of the lake as would be one train line.

there is a car ferry across the lake. its a bit dodgy at the moment as a car recently fell off it. captains fault they say. no i think its good though never been on it. on the list of must do`s. sorry have no idea where from or too. i am sure someone knows. welcome to the forum and hope to meet up when you get here.

Thalwil is where you want. Thalwil has fast trains and many of them that go in both directions (doh!) without stopping at every station. It's also a tax friendly and marvelous community.

thanx. so i am not the fastest on a computer

TBH Tups if I were to work in Pfäffikon (SZ) I'd live in Rapperswil. The commute is easy and it has a nice quay side and great view of the mountains. Zürich will take 40 mins is a bit of a downside.

We looked at Thalwil but it's not for me personally, there is not enough there.

Both ends of the lake - the town of Zurich and Rapperwil - are notorious traffic bottle necks - which is why the Meilen > Horgen ferry does so well. But this is basically a car ferry and there are no rail stations handy at each end - and costs CHF8.50 for a car and driver one way.

I suggest you run journeys through mappy.com (for car) and sbb.ch and see the journey times and number of changes...

You have 3 possibilities to get from one side of the lake to the other. 1 - Go through the city. 2 - Take the ferry from Meilen-Horgen. 3. Drive over the Seedamm at Rapperswil. The best way depends on where you are and where you are going as well as the time of day.

Doesn't matter. You can be on a train to the HB in Zurich in about 10 minutes, so you really don't have to be in Thalwil other than to sleep.

My girlfriend lived in Hombrechtikon and commuted to Richterswil by train for years. It took her a fair bit of time but was not too awkward.

If you lived in Rappi the commute to Pfaffikon would actually be quite pleasurable providing you don't drive!!!

Thats what I was thinking - I'm looking in Thawil and Horgen primarily but just can't find anything at the mo...
I'm there in 3 weeks so looks like i'll be a hotel for the first month or so...

Also, consider Kilchberg or Ruschlikon.

Something else to take in to consideration is the tax rate payable where you live

http://www.steueramt.zh.ch/html/steu...adio_STEUER=on

The other side of the 'river' is actually a very good bet - it also gets more "sun time" when the sun sets over the Uetliberg ... IMVHO it's cheaper and better than the Thalwil/Horgen/Wädenswil side

Wädenswil, Bäch, Freiebach, Au (ZH), Richterswil - they're all close.

But beering it up and taking the [night-]train home with the other bozos ain't everyone's idea of fun.

I assume you'll be living the liquid dream so closer to Zurich city is better - you have pals over here already, right?

Definitely go for Thawil.

There are frequent trains, and you are in the middle of Man Inv. (cough) I mean Pfaffikon and Zurich.

I know what you mean, and understand why people live there. I just don't want to live somewhere due to it's proximity to somewhere else, you may as well just live in the "somewhere else".

Thanks for that - I'll have a look there too!!

Urm what??!? how who? when did i mention man inv??