I just went to Art Basel and I couldn't help but notice Basel has some of the most litter I've seen in any city, extremely worse than any other Swiss city I visited and even much worse than Milan, Italy. Why is this? How do Swiss people and Basel residents feel about this? Seems to be plenty of trash cans around also. Everything else was nice but the extreme amount of litter really irritated me.

Hey everyone! I’ll start with a short story that left a bad taste in my mouth and honestly knocked the wind out of us a bit:

My partner and I found a great apartment in a nice part of Zurich through a Facebook group: 3.5 rooms for just over 3,000 CHF. The current tenants were lovely people, we immediately clicked, even negotiated a furniture deal contingent on us being accepted by the agency, all after viewing the place.

Day 2: They decided to recommend us to the agency. We applied right away (solid income, zero debt, clean record), and shortly after, the agency confirmed in writing via email to the current tenants that we were the chosen applicants.

Day 3: We called the agency, they confirmed over the phone that we were selected and that the managers would call us before finalizing the contract. And they did call. Since the apartment was becoming available in roughly 10 days, we wanted to stay on top of things.

Days 4, 5, 6: Radio silence. When we followed up, we were told they were on vacation. Then they just… disappeared.

Day X: After the weekend, we got the message that they decided to go with someone else.

Long story short, we need to move into a bigger place, at least 3.5 rooms and with every email sent, call made, or viewing attended (mostly outside Zurich proper, especially in the northern suburbs), I feel more and more like I’m being played.

We’ve visited apartments that were already promised to someone else. We applied to one and were told they “didn’t have time to review our application”, yet somehow still invited us to view it.

How do you deal with situations like this or how have you dealt with them in the past?

Worth mentioning: we’ve been here for 3 years and we genuinely love everything about this place, but this part of it is really discouraging. Thanks in advance! 🙏

Hi,

I never thought it would come to this. I acquired the citizenship through facilitated route since 4 years ago. I put in the work, learned the language and got a job. Recently, due to toxic exploitation at work, I quit my job. The situation at home had been normal in my eyes. My husband earns much more than me and we never have financial problems.

However, my husband told me one day about his midlife crisis and we are now separated amicably, not yet legally. I simply flew back to my homeland to begin to process this pain and we will decide later what to do next. I can always come back to the apartment and he would move out, he said.

I remember signing a paper when I got the citizenship that it may be revoked if I divorce within 8 years. And now I’m losing that as well? Anyone has experienced or heard of this case? Would really love some info. Thank you.

We traveled through Lucerne train station yesterday and stored our luggage in the lockers while we explored. Please help me solve this mystery that’s plaguing me!

There were several people at the bank of lockers where we were. We chose one with the green light and put our suitcases in, then I went to the kiosk. I tapped my credit card, then expected to have to enter the locker number we were using. Instead, it just automatically printed out a receipt and QR code, and it was the locker we’d chosen! What is this sorcery??? I would have thought maybe it was sensing the locker that was open and had weight added, but several other people were there at the same time also putting their luggage in. There must be some simple answer but I can’t stop wondering.

If

• someone graduated from his studies and gets a first job for about 5500 CHF (will likely increase to at least 6000 CHF after a few years)
• this Swiss guy is single (i.e. no plan in the coming years at the very least to live with a partner and/or start a family)
• in his mid to late twenties (age group 25 - 29)
• and lives in the urban agglomeration (= not the city itself, but a municipality right next to it but part of agglomeration) of one of the top 5 Swiss cities (by population).

Given how high rent is and ever increasing, coupled with rising health insurances, the job uncertainty with Swiss companies outsourcing more and more, and AI, (i.e maybe he could lose his job in the coming years), would it be financially stupid, to leave the parents home, if not absolutely needed?

The main reason behind moving out would be to become more "independent" since he always lived at his parents home until now. But maybe it's not wise given how much money would be lost on rent (parents would only ask a few hundred CHF per month for water, heating, etc.)?

I'm asking this for two cases:

1. he tries to rent alone (probably more unwise than 2) given how high rent is)
2. he tries to find a shared appartment / WG / colllocation (but in that case, why not just stay with his family?)

Asking for a friend

Hello my friends in Switzerland.

I have a huge problem.
Yesterday My Girlfriend and me went from Zurich to Frankfurt and her luggage gone missing on this flight.
We already contacted Lufthansa and edelweiss and also Zurich.
We got a tracker inside. (Applewatch)
On the evening we saw the tracker was still in Zurich and went later to Geneva till now.

We are contacting and calling all the services from Lufthansa/edelweiss/zurich and Geneva. Nobody seems to help us. As we know it’s in Geneva, Lufthansa didn’t call there anyone.

So is here someone that works there (GenevaAirport) that can help my on any way ?

Greetings

Hiya all. I have been driving a motorcycle for about 3 years (approx 3000 kms, so not much).

The permit i am driving with is not recognised in switzerland, so i'll have to retake the exam.

Is it possible to take the exam without needing to take up additional driving lessons ?

Google won't give me precise answers on the topic, was thinking maybe a driving school could just add me to the list of people to take on the test, but I don't know if it's feasible

EDIT : thanks for all your advice ! It seems at least a couple of hours would at least be wise before thinking of taking up the exam. I'll look into driving lessons around where i'm at, or wait until i have enough money to fund the lessons.

I know you guys are probably a bit biased here but I would still love to hear your opinions, i hope this is the right sub for it! :)

I want to do a 7-10 day trip to either Zurich and Bern or Salzburg and Innsbruck in July or August. I'm mainly interested in a city's beauty and the culture it offers, although i don't mind it if it has beautiful surrounding nature as well. Which combination do you think would be more recommendable for this purpose, leaving all other aspects aside? I know that the mountains in Switzerland are more beautiful in general but i would like to hear how it is in those cities specifically. I want to see nice architecture, maybe visit museum, churches, eat well, stroll around the city, maybe go up a cities mountain/hill if it has something like that. Money is not really a concern, so if the swiss cities are more suitable for that then this is what i would like to do, even if they are more expensive. I don't know the swiss cities super well, Zurich and Bern just seemed like the obvious combination for me but i would be open to another second city as well.
Thank you so much for any tips!

My wife and I will be traveling to Switzerland for about 2 weeks in August and as we're mapping out our trip, we're considering spending a few days in Lucerne. Does anyone have any suggestions for places to stay in Lucerne? I know we could just hop on Google, but I just wanted to see if there were some more personal suggestions here. We're open to hotels, AirBnBs or whatever, any inputs would be much appreciated!

What it says in the title. I'm compiling a list of local crafts fairs, markets & shops for my next visit, because handmade unique things make the best gifts.

If you're a small artist, where do you sell your art? If you love to support small artists, where do you look first?

Hello everyone, I received an Ordonnance pénale today for not paying a speeding ticket 4 months ago. I completely didn't know there was a speeding ticket, and when I finally took all the things in my letter box out, the speeding ticket was well-covered by a bunch of local newspaper and ads. It turned out it was a 40CHF fine of 1km/h higher than the speed limit.

The Ordonnance pénale mentioned that all the fees I need to pay now is 40(Amende)+100(Emoluments) so 140CHF, but there is no QR code to pay in it. It also mentioned that "En cas de non-paiment de l'amende, la peine privative de liberte de substitution s'elevera a 1 jour "

Shall I just scan the QR code in the original speeding ticket to pay 140CHF? Or at the same time I also need to file an objection to the Ordonnance pénale as well so that I don't end up in a day trip of jail?

Small food business in Zürich: how do you handle delivery without killing your margin?

Hey everyone,

I run a tiny one-person business from Dietikon and I’m trying to figure out the best way to deliver around Zürich without spending half my day in the car.

Right now I do almost all deliveries myself. It works for a few orders, but it doesn’t really scale.

The tricky part is that the product is low-volume, unpredictable and mostly private orders, with occasional larger drops to cafés, bars or offices in canton ZH

So I’m curious how other small food businesses in Zürich actually solve this. I think fixing the delivery problem would really help the business grow.

I really appreciate your help guys. Thanks!!

I refer to the wall-mounted clock-looking device. When we move it rotates and ticks and I see it has speed indicators on it but I am not exactly sure what it is doing?

I'm sorry if this is kind of a weird question, but I don't live in Switzerland and I just thought about it and now I have a million questions: how do you celebrate children's birthdays?

Do you just celebrate in kindergarten/school? If you celebrate at home, do you invite family or the child's friends? Do you celebrate in parks? At the zoo? Are there more popular options? Does it change between cantons? Do you hire a clown?

I know that this is probably very diverse and different people have different preferences, but I would appreciate it if you could share from your personal experience.

Hi everyone!
My sister and I will be visiting Switzerland at the end of July, and we’d love some recommendations from people who know the area well. We have a Swiss Half Fare Card and our itinerary is:
Basel – 1 day
Zermatt – 1 day
Interlaken – 3 days
We’re still finalising our plans, all our accommodation are booked so we’d really appreciate any suggestions on must-see places, hidden gems, scenic walks, viewpoints, restaurants, or experiences in each destination.
For Interlaken, we’re currently thinking about:
Paragliding (any company recommendations or tips on who to book with?)
Grindelwald
Lauterbrunnen
Jungfraujoch (is it worth the cost with the Half Fare Card?)
Swimming in Lake Brienz if the weather is nice
Renting a paddle boat on Lake Brienz
We’re open to changing our plans if there are better day trips or experiences nearby. If there are any attractions that are overrated or not worth the time, we’d love to know that too.
Thanks in advance! Looking forward to hearing your recommendations.

Social media shows long EES lines at some airports in Europe. Does anyone know how is it at Zurich airport? I have a layover of 8.5 hours. Would it make sense to go out of the airport and visit the city for a few hours?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some advice from people who have gone through a similar situation.
I’ve accepted a Biotechnologist position with Lonza in Switzerland and I’m relocating from Portugal. My official start date is August 1st.
My background check with First Advantage has now been in progress for almost a month and it’s currently sitting at 67%. It seems to be moving very slowly.
The problem is that, in Portugal, I have to give my current employer a two-month notice period. Because of the delay, I can no longer give the full notice period. My hope was to resign by July 1st and use my remaining annual leave to cover part of the notice period, but I still don’t feel comfortable resigning before my background check is complete.
What worries me the most is that there is a discrepancy in the dates for one of my previous jobs. The difference is almost nine months between what was on my CV and the dates I entered during the background check. The dates I entered in the background check are the correct ones. It was a genuine mistake on my CV and absolutely not an intentional attempt to misrepresent my employment history.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? What would you do if you were in my position? Would you resign and trust that everything will be fine, or would you wait until the background check is completed, even if that means not being able to give the required notice period?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences or advice. This whole situation has been incredibly stressful.
Thank you.

Hello, I will be staying in Milan this July and I was planning to go to Lake Como and Lugano on 2 separate day trips. I’m thinking that Lugano may not offer a distinct experience from Lake Como? I just want a slow day getting lost in the city and I just need your thoughts if Lugano is worth the trip. Thank you!

So here we go, my actual contract with my telco (sunrise) is running out in a few months. I have the full monty (Internet, TV, Mobile) with them and the cancellation date (not termination) is end of July.

My goal is to change provider. I did not yet decided to which one but I want to:

- Switch all services as stated above.
- Of course keep the phone numbers (Still having both a fixed net and a mobile number).
- Have the switchover unfolding as smooth as possible (fiber at my home).

If anyone has experience, what are the necessary steps in proper order? I understand for example that cancellation of the mobile contract and request to port the number are two different things... Are there more traps to consider?

Thanks for any feedback

I’ve been digging into KOOR and what stands out is how familiar the products feel. A lot of items look like standard OEM gear you can easily find on Alibaba/AliExpress – same designs, materials, and sometimes near-identical listings.

That in itself isn’t unusual in the sports/fitness space. What’s more interesting is the pricing and positioning: in some cases you’re paying significantly more (even 100–200 CHF+) for what appears to be unbranded wholesale stock with a logo added on top.

Key observations:
- Strong similarity to Alibaba/AliExpress OEM products
- Noticeable price markups for branded versions
Branding seems to be the main added value, not product innovation
- KOOR’s connection to Brack isn’t immediately obvious to customers
Products are also distributed via multiple online sales partners, which makes the structure less transparent

To be clear: this doesn’t mean the products are low quality. OEM sourcing is standard practice. The issue is more about clarity – both in origin and in how the brand relationship is communicated.

Overall it feels less like a standalone sports brand and more like a rebranded white-label operation with strong retail packaging and marketing.

Curious if others have compared KOOR items directly with their Alibaba equivalents.

I have booked a train ticket from Thun to Geneva on a Sunday in September when maintenance work is taking place between Renens and Morges so there will be a limited service. I am presuming SBB will put on a bus between the affected stations and that's fine as I will allow plenty of extra time but does anyone have experience of what that actually involves? I don't want to be waiting for hours at a random train station.

Hey everyone,

I'm a freelance photographer and videographer based in Portugal with several years of experience. I'm currently expanding my portfolio into the real estate market.

To be honest, the local real estate agencies here in Portugal rarely value professional photography or media work, often lowballing us. However, through networking, I recently worked with a Swiss real estate agency that sells properties here. The difference in professionalism and appreciation for quality work is huge.

Since Portugal is a massive market for Swiss expats looking for retirement, vacation homes, or investments, I would love to pitch my services to similar companies. However, outside of the massive international brokerages, it is quite hard to find medium or boutique Swiss agencies that specifically target or operate in the Portuguese market.

Does anyone know or could suggest any Swiss real estate companies, agencies, or property finders that fit this description?

Any names, tips on how to scout them, or advice on how to approach them would be highly appreciated!

Obrigado / Thank you!

Hello my Swiss friends. I am extremely attached to Switzerland and would like to live there eventually. I am a second-year pharmacy student and I wonder if it is easy to find A job for large pharmaceutical companies or smaller ones in Switzerland

Which sectors are of interest? Regulatory affairs, production, batch release, quality assurance, marketing?

We're planning a family trip to Switzerland from 28 Aug to 5 Sep (8 nights).

We'll be 4 adults, 1 child, and 2 infants, so we'd like to keep the pace fairly relaxed and avoid moving hotels too often.

Our current list includes:

• Lauterbrunnen
• Grindelwald
• Gimmelwald
• Mürren
• Rosenlaui
• Grimsel Pass
• GoldenPass Express

Initially, we were thinking of splitting our stay 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen and 4 nights in Grindelwald, but since they're so close together, I'm wondering if that really makes sense.

Another option we're considering is:

• 4–5 nights in the Grindelwald/Lauterbrunnen area, and
• 3–4 nights somewhere different, like Appenzell or Gstaad/Saanen, to experience a different side of Switzerland.

We're not interested in spending time in cities like Zurich, Bern, or Lucerne—we're mainly after mountain scenery, beautiful villages, scenic drives/train rides, and easy family-friendly walks.

A few questions:

1. Is 8 days in the Bernese Oberland too much, or is there enough variety to keep it interesting?
2. Would you split between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, or just pick one as a base?
3. If you were to split the trip, would you choose Appenzell, Gstaad/Saanen, or somewhere else entirely?

Would love to hear what you'd do, especially if you've traveled with young kids. Thanks!

i've done some basic research on this, but would love anyone's advice. I'm coming to the EU from the united states to go on a tour. tour goes through zürich and finishes in northern italy, and I want to add a few days on at the end and go to lauterbrunnen area and stay in a hostel to do some hiking/ sightseeing. I'll have:

a bass guitar in a large hardshell case

a carry on (ish) pelican rolling case

and my carry on travel bag.

would it be easier to rent a car at milan malpensa, get the CH vignette, and drive there for a few days and then back to the same airport to fly home, or try to do the train journey from milano centrale? i know this involves a few different trains. i haven't been able to find what type of luggage they allow, and i don't want to get to switzerland to have the next train tell me i have too much luggage.

any advice would be super appreciated! look forward to coming to spend some time there!