Are you moving to a new city?
Visit Flatfox to find out more about cities in Switzerland
Visit Flatfox to learn what makes each city in Switzerland unique – we have a lot of helpful tips for you if you're planning to live in a new city or just visiting for the day. In addition to information about the city, we also provide statistics, photos and insider tips to help you dive a little deeper. The "Cities of Switzerland" series can be useful when you are looking for the ideal city to move to next. We hope that you can see yourself living in one of the featured cities and that we can support you in your decision of finding a new home and a new city.
Easily find an apartment and look forward to living in a new place!
All cities: Zurich | Winterthur | Basel | Berne | Lucerne | Lausanne
Zurich – The busy financial center of Europe
Zurich is probably the liveliest city in Switzerland. It’s no wonder that so many people move here: there are multiple job opportunities in various industries and lots of options for things to do in one’s free time.
A variety of apartment designs can be found in Zurich: from Art nouveau to modern, renovated apartments, cosy studios/shared flats or trendy maisonette apartments – if you're lucky, you'll also find an apartment with a roof terrace that you can use for barbecue evenings with friends.
In the city of the well-known blue trams, you can also swim in the lake in summertime, shop on Bahnhofstrasse, enjoy a cappuccino in a café with a courtyard, try exotic food from all around the world or enjoy the romantic view of the city from Uetliberg. When it's warmer, organisers host outdoor parties, street food festivals and other events for all ages.
Winterthur – Small, but almost like a big city
Winterthur is often referred to as the cultural city of the Canton of Zurich. Especially the various annual highlights such as “Albanifest” at the beginning of July, the Music Festival Weeks in August and the “Afro-Pfingsten” Festival contribute to this description.
However, Winterthur offers much more than just cultural events. The small but beautiful old town invites visitors for some shopping or a cup of coffee in one of the intricately decorated cafés. Many historical buildings can be found in the midst of more modern architecture and showcase the enormous variety of the city. Whether small, fine and historic or new and modern, there is a suitable place to live in every corner of the city that will surely correspond to your taste.
Thanks to its excellent public transport, long-distance train connections to Germany and its geographical proximity to the city of Zürich, Winterthur is a popular place to live. The various locations of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and its students also breathe life into the city. Go ahead and explore the city yourself - we’re sure you will love it.
Basel – The city of culture
Basel is the place to visit, especially for art and culture fans. Every year, the world renowned “Art Basel” fair takes place, which has brought the city an international reputation. Basel also gets its cosmopolitan flair from its location on the Rhein, with the international “Rhein-Hafen” and the border triangle with France and Germany.
Living in Basel is also advantageous because of the climate. With 300 days of sunshine a year, Basel is the sunniest city in Switzerland. Even the high fog, which bothers many other regions in Winter, usually leaves Basel untouched. The banks of the Rhein, which invite avid swimmers in Summer and the many green spaces create an almost mediterranean atmosphere. Over the next few years, many areas in the “Rheinhafen” area will be redeveloped, attracting many technology and IT companies, as well as companies from the creative sector. Thanks to the variety of offers, there is something for everyone in Basel, whether for young party-goers, families or retired people.
Berne – The capital of Switzerland
Berne is both the capital of Switzerland, as well as its political centre. It is here that the Federal Council regularly convenes in the “Bundeshaus”, one of the most important historical buildings in the country and an integral part of Swiss national heritage. The numerous sports, cultural and political events add even more life to the capital city.
Berne lies in the “Aare”-loop, located in between the local mountain “Gurten” and the “Bantiger” in the heart of Switzerland. The city has a beautiful historic core, which is even part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage. The people of Bern are particularly known for their leisureliness – on average they are only half as quick as the people in Singapore, one of the fastest cities in the world. So if life is a little too fast-paced in other places, moving to Bern might be an option for you. The proximity to the “Aare”, which invites visitors from out of Bern, as well as the locals to “Aareböötle” in Summer, the short distance to the beautiful mountains and the historic old town make Bern a truly unmissable city in Switzerland.
Lucerne – The gateway to Central Switzerland
The city of Lucerne lies on the northwestern shore of Lake Lucerne and is surrounded by the “Pilatus”, “Stanserhorn” and the “Rigi”. The residents of this picturesque place can count themselves lucky - the proximity to the lake, the surrounding alpine paradise and the mix of traditional and modern elements that characterize the city leave little to be desired.
Lucerne is the social and cultural hub of central Switzerland and attracts countless tourists every year, who not only visit to marvel at the lake and the alps, but also to stroll around the old town and visit Lucerne’s many jewellery and watch shops. It also has something to offer for architecture enthusiasts. The well-preserved medieval “Musegg” wall with all its towers, the KKL and the train station, built by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.
