Source
r/Switzerland•
BrokenAltimeter

How's life in Lausanne? Considering moving there

moving

So I'm currently living in Romania, but I'm really interested in moving to Lausanne for a variety of reasons, the quality of life being big ones.

I'm doing my due diligence and researching as much as possible, but I figure there are always things that you might not have thought about, so it never hurts to ask.

I've read about the low vacancy rate and stuff, so I'm asking, just how bad is it to find an apartment there? And how is life in general? What are some myths that just aren't true? What are some things I should be aware of?

One more thing, how's the safety? A lot of criticisms seem to be in that regard, things like high theft and such, although there are plenty of conflicting opinions..

Also, I do indeed speak/read fluent French, so I'm not worried about that.

Thanks!

Posted Sep 5, 2015, 7:26 PM UTC · edited

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nuephelkystikonZürich•

You're right about the vacancy rate, it's a nightmare to find a flat in Lausanne unless you're absurdly rich or have the right connections. There's some room in the agglomeration, though.

About safety, don't worry. Theft and other crime is as rare in Lausanne as it is in the rest of Switzerland.

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survivalnow•

I don't know man, Lausanne is a city i have never really felt safe in at night. Loads of drug dealers both in front of the train station as well as around the area Lausanne Flon. Has nobody else made the same observations?

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goodintent•

Drug dealers being around doesn't necessarily translate to a lack of safety. I lived in Lausanne for a while and saw the dealers hanging around but never really thought much of it...and nothing ever happened.

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limpkin•

drug dealers have never been a problem in Lausanne.
They'll give you an occasional hello but nothing else. They have everything to lose from bothering citizens.

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Staross•

I've been walking home alone at any time of the night and I've never been threaten in any way. Drug dealers are quite chilled usually, but it's true there was a lot of them at some point, it's a bit better now.

Otherwise you can get your bike stolen quite easily.

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mixblastFribourg•

Actually, Lausanne is supposed to be one of the least safe places of Switzerland.

Which still makes it pretty safe.

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markus_bVaud•

The apartment situation is a problem. It is very difficult to get the decent apartment for a decent price. When you move here, expect to pay too much for too little initially. Then you'll move on to something better.

Safety in general is good. There are no areas you will have to be genuinely scared to walk through at night. That you get mugged in the street is rare. Here the Swiss criminal statistics, you'll see that overall the western/French part of the country is worse then the east, except for the cities. But I do feel safe here. Criticism is a mixed bag. There are people who think the open borders made things worse (we get a certain amount of criminal tourists, spending a couple of days burgling homes, then vanishing back home), but most of it is not really founded on facts.

Overall, life is fine. Nature is gorgeous, lake, alps, everything is close by.

You'll have to find a job, but as you are fluent in English and French, this may not be a big problem. What domain are you working in ?

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BrokenAltimeterOP•

Thanks, yeah I can see the stats do show that it's not really that bad, I mean stuff is bound to happen in cities no matter where on earth you live.

What domain are you working in?

Automotive repair industry, ideally, I'd like to open a business like I have here.

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markus_bVaud•

There are plenty of small car shops around here. Starting out directly on your own may be risky. You will have to invest into the shop and build your customer base.

It may be easier to get employed as mechanic first and explore the opportunities. For example, my small shop, with essentially a single mechanic running it, is big enough for two or three. He may be open to an association to share fixed costs.

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toxoplasma_gandhi•

Accommodation is difficult but everything I have seen is nice once you find something.

A Facebook group posts rooms daily and they will be leased within a few days for any time in the coming months. So its possible to arrange something for the future when you arrive. It is Facebook: lausanne a louer bouche a oreille.

I think it's a safe place to live as well. Never had concern anytime.

For travelling it always annoyed me that I had to get a train before getting to the airport for about 1-2 hours and I think about 30-50 euro. Most flights alone cost and take this long so a trip abroad is always double the cost compared to somewhere closer to airports.

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BrokenAltimeterOP•

Thanks for the link, should be really helpful if time comes :)

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SwissBlissVaud/Valais•

Switzerland is very safe, even if Lausanne is above average in crime, it's still really safe.

We have 2 incredible festivals nearby. Montreux Jazz Festival (not only Jazz, very historic festival with big artists every year), and Paleo Festival (people come from all over Europe and camp there for a week, tons of fun).

Geneva is nearby, lots of outdoor stuff with Lake Geneva, the Jura mountains, and the Alps all nearby.

Very international.

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BrokenAltimeterOP•

Thanks for the reply, if I do move there I am definitely going to the Jazz festival :)

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SwissBlissVaud/Valais•

It's pretty expensive cause it's very historic and pretty small so you're up close with the artists.

I saw Sam Smith there this year, and other years BB King, Deep Purple, Santana, etc all go there often.

Paleo is the typical outdoor festival, tens of thousands of people in the middle of summer, lots of food and drink stands, lots of big concerts, and even if you don't like the music that year, the atmosphere is awesome.

Montreux Jazz Festival is mainly indoors and more high class, but a great setting on the lake with palm trees and mountains.

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roscocoltrane•
  • vacancy rate is really really low. It has been a problem for 10 years.
  • safety is fine. There are drug dealers but they will never make a move against you. They are just an annoyance to the eyes of honest citizens.
  • Life is fine, salaries are high, the lake is great, you can tour in the countryside on the weekend. No one will bother you except if you happen to have a bad neighbour like me.
  • High salaries, good medicine, available technology, fine food, safety, nice environment, full democracy, freedom, fresh air, powerless religions, even the tap water is good.

edit: wow, someone actually downvoted this comment. Un lausannois qui parle de la vie à Lausanne se fait downvoter, c'est marrant!

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limpkin•

il suffit de dire des betises pour se faire downvoter... pas forcément d'habiter lausanne!
Si tout les lausannois connaissaient la vérité sur leur ville cela se saurait ;)

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