Hi all, I am possibly / hopefully moving to Basel soon from Dublin. Well at least I will be if I get through the 2nd interview that happens this week. I've been told it's more of a formality though so here's hoping

Expect lots of enthusiastic newbie questions and comments as time goes on

Good luck with the job interview.

Feel free to look around, read all the stickies, and ask questions!

Best of luck with the interview! I hope all goes well so that you can relocate to beautiful Basel soon.

Hey thanks had the interview on Wednesday and found out yesterday that I got the job, so Basel here I come

Ok I hope the search button on this site is up to scratch as I'll be wearing it out over the next while..

Welcome to Basel! Although you are leaving a great city, i am sure you will like it here.

Let us know when you want to head to the irish pub

Thanks - I (and a lot of Irish people) normally avoid Irish pubs like the plague when I'm abroad. I much prefer checking out local bars to get a feel for the culture of the place I'm in. Irish pubs are usually more expensive than local places as well. Having said that I'll probably go just out of curiosity

Still go to the Irish pub because there u can look at it and the avoid it like the plague, right around the irish pub is the center of the basel social life, there loads of the other swiss pubs there and resutrants.
some advice about living in basel generally its a safe city especially in the touristy areas (barfuser platz to the train station). At night avoid spots where u are isolated from other people, including big parks and the rhine area by birsfelden.
Dont expect to make swiss friends men, be patient were not a very open people but if your consistently a good person we'll eventually call you a friend. We can be quite hostile to foreigner (especially the germans) so brush up on the local dialect.
I dont know what kind of sport fan you are, but if your a football fan there are several local clubs the biggest in FC Basel 1893, The baslers are very passionate about his club and things can get violent. there is also a rugby team called RFC Basel. THe Hockey club in cal EHC Basel. Going to games can be quite fun and a good way to socialise. they also generate a good atmosphere.
The public transport in basel is very efficient reaching most parts of the city, but it can be costly so i would recomend looking at getting some form of a ticket that allows you to take them without having to pay.
One thing i certainly recomend especially wen its still nice and warm as it is now is going swimming in the rhine, best spot to do this is in birsfelden, theres spots where you can get out every 100M or so, it really is very fun and a popular past time, its almost like the swiss version of a beach as you can chill on the meadow by the river.

I hope you enjoy basel if you need anymore information just write to me

Hey @maxvoegtli thanks for the info much appreciated...good to hear the opinions of a local I'm into football and rugby alright and would certainly love to check out an FC Basel game some time. Didn't know that rugby was played in Switzerland will check it out as well.

Hi Randomer...I moved to Basel from Sligo during the week, the furniture doesn't arrive until the end of the week but so far so good. Congratulations on the job and I hope the move works out...this forum is great for getting the basic information or verifying what others have told you. Once again welcome and Take care

Being here 5.5 yrs now I usually try to avoid the irish bar Paddy Reilly's myself, however whenever I go out most of my Swiss friends always want to at some point in the night head to Paddy's which I really don't like.
It's a good bar don't get me wrong, in fact judging by the crowds that do be there on a Friday and Saturday night it must be the busiest Pub in Basel. It is frequented by a lot of Swiss and expats and if your single seems to be a good place to meet your future bf/gf. I as well as 4 of my friends met our partners there.

It is a good place for you to meet others and get to know some locals as they can be fairly friendly in there. The food is also really good.

Anyway best of luck with the move and if you need to go for a drink let me know.

Hi, I'm from Louth and I moved here two weeks ago!! Good to hear a familiar accent!!
Good luck with your interview!!

I'm actually from Sligo originally...small world Been in Dublin a good many years though. I've just started looking for an apartment but I haven't made much headway with any of those rental websites and I have zero German. The Chrome browser will translate web pages but it doesn't work very well. Did it take you long to find a place? I'm looking for what we would call a 1 bed apartment reasonably close to town, but I don't know if that translates to a 1.5, 2, or 2.5 room apartment in Basel

Did I mention that I was actually joking previously, and that Irish pubs abroad are the thing I love most in the entire world

Cheers got the job so making the move in August, just starting the research now. How you getting on since you arrived...did it take you long to find somewhere to live? Any tips or pointers much appreciated!

! bed aprtment = 2.5 here in Basel, the numbers relate to all rooms in the house excluding bath rooms but includes the hallway. We were lucky that we had a relocation agent that made the househunting process quite easy....I would try and find an agent that speaks English and go from there. One thing I would say is don't go just by pictures online, and don't be pressured into signing up if you see something yopu are keen on. It is true thatv apartments go fast but don't go for something that is not quite right as moving isn't easy. Finally there are plenty or willing and able members on the EF that would be only too happy to help

homegate comparis these two websites you can put in english the first one is for housing and the second is for housing, insurance etc.. check for areas like 4053 Basel (Gundeli) just behind the main train station. 4054 Basel and 4051 Schutzenmatz are also a good area. 4123 Allschwil this is in Basel land, taxes a little cheaper but rent a little dearer so it adds up. these are all areas with really good transportation links to the city and it will take between 5-15 minutes by tram or bus depending where your staying. you should be able to get a 2-2.5 room apart for 1200CHF upwards depending on what you are looking for. Anything cheaper than this may be possible but it won't be of very good quality.

I;ve had 3 appartments in Basel and never had a problem moving into a new one and it never took me very long to find on either, but on the other hand I have heard otherwise. One thing to note for when it comes is when you move in make a snag list of anything wrong with the apartment no matter how small it is, even take photos within the first 3 days and send a copy by registered mail to the agency. This is supposed to be done but the agency will never tell you about it as they'll make money off u in the end. One thing for sure is that the agencies will find any excuse not to give you back your deposit when you move out. Also I use http://www.swisscaution.ch instead of a deposit, it is better and means you don't have up to 6k stuck in an account that you can't get back. Anyway this stuff is for later on when you actually find a place.

pm me with any other questions you have. also don't forget your lyons tea bags if your a tea drinker! Actually could you bring me some over too, i'm running out and won't be back home till xmas

Will do, good tip I always forget the tae bags when I go abroad...will try to squeeze in a few packs of Tayto as well

Congrats on getting the job! I look forward to seeing you around Basel next month.

Hey, congratulations on getting the job. May I ask who it is for? I'm moving to Basel on 27 July, for a year at Syngenta in the city.

Mike.

Well I got here yesterday and I'm staying in St Alban which seems pretty nice. I went for a wander yesterday evening and came across a bar called All bar one. It serves dark Leffe on tap which is one of my favourite beers. It cost 6.90 chf for a 330 ml glass which is about 5.90 eur currently. In Dublin a 250 ml glass costs 5 euro so by my calculations it's actually cheaper here..bonus

Haha, not every one would call switzerland cheap. But basel is the best part of Switzerland (i'll admit i'm slightly biased)
I hope you have a great time in the town.