settlein
Log inBuild my free plan

Belonging takes time.

Feeling at home is about more than admin, and there is a lot you don't know you need to know. Relocation help usually stops after the first few weeks. settlein stays, so you feel settled, not just registered.

Augustinergasse, a narrow old-town lane in Zürich with painted oriel windows and flags
Augustinergasse, Zürich

Everyday Swiss rules nobody tells you

All year

Rubbish bags, recycling, quiet times, Sundays and the shared laundry.

Much of daily life runs on local rules: how rubbish is collected, what goes to recycling, when it should be quiet, and how the shared laundry works. They differ by commune and building, so the answer is always local.

  1. Ask your landlord for the house rules (Hausordnung) and the laundry rota.
  2. Find your commune's waste and recycling calendar, and which bags or stickers it uses.
  3. Check what is expected on Sundays and public holidays.
  4. Introduce yourself to your neighbours. It makes everything above easier.

Badi season

Summer

Lake, river and pool baths, and whether a season pass pays for your household.

In summer, Swiss towns spend their afternoons at the Badi: lake baths, river baths and pools with a lawn and a kiosk.

Whether a season pass is worth it is arithmetic: count the visits you will realistically make, then compare single entries against the pass on your town's price page. Zürich's pages are linked below as an example of what to look for in your own town.

  1. Find your town's summer baths page and pick two within walking distance.
  2. Check 'Badi aktuell' on the day: water temperature and whether it is open.
  3. Compare single entry against the season pass on the price page before you buy.

GA or Half Fare?

All year

The travelcard question every household argues about. A worksheet, not an opinion.

The GA and the Half Fare are SBB travelcards. What each one covers, and which pays for you, depends on how you travel. SBB's own pages set out the details.

We do not reprint the prices. They change, and SBB's page is the one to trust.

  1. List a normal month: commute, weekends away, the airport, visits.
  2. Price those journeys at full fare on the SBB app.
  3. Multiply by the months you will actually travel.
  4. Compare that total against the GA price, and against half of it plus the Half Fare price (both on SBB's own pages).
  5. Check the one-month GA for a heavy month, like the first summer.

Your first ski season

Winter

Where to go on a Saturday in February, and how to check the snow before the train.

You do not need to be good. You need a resort you can reach, a snow report you trust and a friend who knows where the fondue hut is.

  1. Check the official snow report the evening before.
  2. Look at the travelcard question first. It changes which resorts are cheap to reach.
  3. Rent for your first weekend. Buy after you know you will go back.

Hiking from the end of a bus line

All year

Yellow signs, marked routes and the national map that plans them for you.

The yellow hiking signposts are part of a national network. SwitzerlandMobility maps the marked routes, and many start and end at a bus stop or station.

River swims

Summer

Organised river swims happen in several towns each summer; Zürich's Limmat swim is the example here. Look for your own.

The Zürcher Limmatschwimmen is a registered event with a date, a route and rules set by the organiser. Registration opens on their site.

Outside the event, river swimming has its own safety rules. Read them before you jump.

Races: marathon, 10k and the December run

All year

Races with registration links, for people who run and people who want an excuse to. Zürich's are the examples; every region has its own.

Signing up for a race is a good excuse to find a running group. Dates and fees are on each organiser's page.

Autumn and winter sport to watch

Winter

Ice hockey and football: pick a local club and go to a match.

Ice hockey and football are the two big spectator sports, and a home match is an easy way into local life: the songs, the scarf, the sausage at the break.

Fixtures and tickets change every week, so we don't reprint them: each league's own site lists its clubs, and each club sells its own tickets.

  1. Find the club nearest you on the league's site.
  2. Check the fixtures and ticket page on the club's own site.
  3. Go once with a colleague who supports them. It is more fun with someone who knows the songs.

Christmas lights and the markets

Winter

Christmas lights and markets: every town has its evening; Zürich's 'Lucy' is the example here.

The Bahnhofstrasse lights have a name and a switch-on evening. Go once with the crowds, then once late on a weekday.

What's on this month

All year

Events across Switzerland, then your own town's calendar.

Tourist offices publish the most complete event calendars. Start with the national one, then find your town's own. Zürich's is linked as an example.

Build my free plan
Belonging · settlein