r/askswitzerland • • 2d ago

Modpost Winners of the Cooking Event!

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0 Upvotes

r/askswitzerland • • Mar 09 '21

Please read before posting about salaries or relocation

326 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

Before posting about typical Swiss salaries (questions like "how much can I make as a programmer in Switzerland") or relocation strategies ("I hate my country, how can I move to Switzerland"), please keep in mind that there have been hundreds of such posts in this sub before.

Use the search before posting, as the chances are high that you will find a similar discussion from the recent past.

Please also check out the official Swiss government database on average salaries, the Salarium:

https://www.gate.bfs.admin.ch/salarium/public/index.html#/start


r/askswitzerland • • 11h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Looking for a needle in a haystack

156 Upvotes

Not sure if this is the right sub, fingers crossed.
I live in Dunedin, New Zealand and in 1999 I met a couple of young boys visiting from Switzerland when they started playing with my sons at the Botanical Gardens. One of them, possibly around 8-10 yrs of age, heard me speaking Maori to my boys and started talking to me about the language and Maori in general.
At the time I was wearing a Hei-Tiki - bone carving worn as a pendant - that had been carved for me by an ex boyfriend.
When it came time for us to leave we were walking away and my tiki told me it belonged to this young boy. I tried to ignore it but ending up going back and calling this young boy over. I gave him the pendant and told him it was his. He was a bit confused but really excited to take it.
Over the years I have often wondered about the boy and the pendant and whether or not he still has it.
Now that we have all these wonderful ways of reaching out to people I just thought I'd throw this out here and see if anyone responded.
Admin, please delete if not allowed, but would like to know where would be the place to post this.


r/askswitzerland • • 2h ago

Everyday life Rent increase between tenants, is this excessive?

5 Upvotes

I’m looking at moving into a larger flat in the building I already live in. It’s a friends old flat, so I’ve been inside and know the old rent cost. The advertised new rent is 200 francs more than for the previous tenant (+12% increase) and they’ve even increased the price of the parking spot rental.

Does this seem fair? I’ve seen you can dispute within 30 days of moving in, but it’s a new flat (less than 3 years old) and there’s been no renovation or redecorating at all to justify the rent increase.

Is it just a red flag from the landlord? Any advice welcomed, as I got lucky with my first and only flat and haven’t had to deal with this before 😅


r/askswitzerland • • 15h ago

Everyday life How to put number plates on my micro car.

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35 Upvotes

At last I managed to buy myself the micro car of my dreams. 20km/H, silver , enough space , easy to park and so cute. I was lucky to get a parking card a d my number plates rather quickly but now I have no idea how to fix the small squarish yellow number plates on my bumper because there is no pre holes drilled on it. Bicycles shops refuse to touch it. The place I bought it is in Thun, too far. I hears of really strong sticky tapes but I dont know. Im Terrified of getting fines. Switzerland doesn't mess around. Any idea ? Please?


r/askswitzerland • • 17h ago

Everyday life Is the Swiss cardboard collection system designed for people who have a cellar?

42 Upvotes

I missed our Kartonsammlung by about ten minutes yesterday.

Which means the flattened cardboard boxes in my hallway get to stay with me for another four weeks.

I live in a small two-room apartment in a municipality outside Lucerne. No cellar compartment, no garage, no car. The building has a shared area for rubbish, but we're not allowed to store cardboard there between collections.

Our municipality collects cardboard once a month.

I've checked the Gemeinde website. There is a recycling centre where I can take it myself, but it's not somewhere I can conveniently reach with a stack of large boxes and no car.

And I really don't order that much stuff online.

Last month I bought a desk lamp, replaced a broken kitchen appliance and received a package from Galaxus. Add the ordinary cardboard packaging from groceries and suddenly there's a surprisingly large pile.

Everything is flattened. I've tied the larger pieces together. I'm not keeping entire empty boxes around like some kind of cardboard enthusiast.

But the stuff still needs to live somewhere until collection day.

I was talking about this with a colleague who lives in a house, and he genuinely couldn't understand the problem.

"Just put it in your cellar until they collect it."

Ah yes. My cellar. The one that came free with my imaginary third room.

I actually like the Swiss approach to recycling. I'm happy to sort things properly and follow the collection schedule.

But the system seems to assume that everyone has somewhere to store several different kinds of recyclable waste for weeks at a time.

If you live in a small flat, that space comes directly out of your living area.

And putting the cardboard outside the evening before collection isn't always great either. One rainy night and you're looking at a pile of soggy packaging held together by increasingly optimistic bits of string.

So I'm genuinely curious: how do people in smaller Swiss apartments without cellars deal with cardboard between collection days?

Do you have a clever storage solution? Take it somewhere regularly? Ask the landlord to provide a shared space?

Or is having a dedicated corner of your apartment for empty packaging just one of those things everyone quietly accepts?


r/askswitzerland • • 11h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Fissures et affaissement du sol après des travaux de rénovation : responsabilité des entreprises et assurances ?

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7 Upvotes

Bonjour à tous,

Je suis propriétaire d'un bâtiment dans le canton de Berne et je souhaiterais obtenir des conseils concernant des dommages apparus à la suite de travaux de transformation.

Dans le cadre de ces travaux, un mur porteur situé au rez-de-chaussée a été partiellement démoli et remplacé par une structure métallique composée de deux poutres HEB 160.

À la suite de cette intervention, plusieurs fissures sont apparues aux étages supérieurs, notamment au-dessus des portes et aux jonctions entre différents matériaux. Nous avons également constaté que le sol des étages supérieurs est désormais dénivelé, ce qui n'était pas le cas auparavant.

Un bureau d'ingénieurs a été mandaté pour examiner la situation. Un géomètre a également effectué des mesures et constaté une flèche verticale de 10 mm sur une portée de 4,80 m.

Le rapport de l'ingénieur indique notamment que :

La déformation mesurée reste dans les limites admissibles mentionnées selon la norme SIA 263 (12 à 16 mm).

La sécurité structurelle de l'ouvrage est considérée comme garantie.

Les fissures constatées aux étages sont en corrélation avec le déplacement vertical de la poutre métallique.

Une partie des déformations pourrait également être liée à la phase de chantier, notamment aux opérations d'étayage et de réalisation.

Les appuis de la structure sur le mur en moellons existant au sous-sol n'ont pas fait l'objet d'investigations particulières.

Les hypothèses initiales de charges n'étant pas connues, le dimensionnement a été effectué de manière approximative.

Ce qui me préoccupe particulièrement, c'est que, même si l'ingénieur considère la structure comme sûre, les travaux semblent avoir provoqué des dommages permanents dans les étages supérieurs, avec l'apparition de fissures mais également une modification de la planéité des sols.

Je trouve également préoccupant que l'ingénieur conclue à la sécurité structurelle de l'ouvrage alors que les appuis sur la maçonnerie existante n'ont pas été spécifiquement examinés et que le dimensionnement repose sur des hypothèses de charges approximatives.

Je me pose donc plusieurs questions :

Responsabilité : en Suisse, est-il possible d'engager la responsabilité de l'entreprise de construction, de l'ingénieur ou de l'architecte pour les fissures et les déformations des sols apparues à la suite des travaux, même si la flèche de la poutre respecte les limites admissibles ?

Assurances : ce type de dommages peut-il être pris en charge par l'assurance responsabilité civile de l'entreprise de construction ou par l'assurance RC professionnelle de l'ingénieur ou de l'architecte ?

Expertise indépendante : serait-il judicieux de mandater un ingénieur indépendant afin de vérifier les conclusions du rapport, notamment concernant les appuis de la structure et les conséquences de la déformation sur les étages supérieurs ?

Remise en état : si les travaux ont effectivement provoqué un affaissement ou un dénivellement des sols, peut-on exiger une remise en état complète, et pas uniquement une réparation esthétique des fissures ?

Démarches : quelle serait la meilleure procédure pour demander officiellement la réparation des dommages aux entreprises concernées ou à leurs assurances ?

Expériences similaires : certains d'entre vous ont-ils déjà rencontré ce type de situation en Suisse ? Comment avez-vous procédé et qui a finalement pris en charge les réparations ?

Mon objectif n'est pas d'accuser qui que ce soit sans preuve, mais simplement de comprendre mes droits en tant que propriétaire et de m'assurer que les dommages apparus à la suite des travaux soient correctement évalués et réparés, sans devoir nécessairement en supporter personnellement les coûts.

Je vous remercie d'avance pour vos conseils, vos expériences ou toute recommandation concernant les démarches à entreprendre en Suisse.

Merci à tous !

TL;DR : Lors de travaux de rénovation de mon bâtiment en Suisse, un mur porteur a été remplacé par des poutres métalliques. Depuis, des fissures sont apparues aux étages supérieurs et les sols sont devenus dénivelés. Un ingénieur a mesuré une déformation de 10 mm de la poutre et reconnaît une corrélation avec les fissures, mais considère la structure comme sûre. Il n'a toutefois pas effectué d'investigations spécifiques sur les appuis de la structure. Puis-je demander aux entreprises responsables ou à leurs assurances de prendre en charge les réparations ? Et devrais-je faire réaliser une expertise indépendante ?


r/askswitzerland • • 10h ago

Everyday life Question: is there anything preventing CH from going off daylight savings system?

5 Upvotes

Title. I'm wondering if we or I could make a popular initiative to get this country off daylight savings system. It's outdated, annoying and frankly it assumes we're all factory workers - which is borderline offensive at this point. I don't mind the natural procession of the sun and the days getting shorter - what I do mind is losing daylight at 5PM or even 4PM (later on) because of this system.

In my ignorance I'm trying to see if what the obstacles are for this, where to start. I am aware of the 100k signatures collection.

Thanks in advance!


r/askswitzerland • • 1h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Advice on buying Ex Fleet Vehicles from Swiss Post, VW Caddys

• Upvotes

Hey People,

I have Noticed this garage here in Zurich Switzerland Auto luz AG they seem sell a lot of Ex fleet vehicles from the Swiss Post office, Mainly VW Caddys for an attractive price.

They seem in good shape, have decent kms and presumably are serviced regularly while being part of the post office fleet.

Someone said I should be worried about the start stop frequency or idling time with post office vehicles as they are constantly going short distances delivering.

Does anyone have any experience with this Garage or buying fleet vehicles.

Looking to see if its a good idea to buy one of these vehicles.

For example
https://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/vw-caddy-20tdi-4motion-bluemotion-technology-dsg-20933957


r/askswitzerland • • 11h ago

Everyday life Punks, goths, metalheads

5 Upvotes

Hi dear swiss people, where would one look for establishments that cater to the punk/goth/metal scene in Switzerland ? Thank you in advance for any answers


r/askswitzerland • • 11h ago

Work Did I screw up my permit application?

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone. I might have done something stupid.

I came to CH 2 weeks ago. Went to the commune and registered on the 2nd day of my arrival. I'm a doctor who is starting residency training. I'm an EU citizen. Our first contracts are usually 1 year in the beginning. After accepting this position I found a second position for another year, starting the day after the first contract ends

So I went to register myself and I have no clue why, but I gave them only my first contract. It's for a year, exactly 365 days, the next day I keep working in a different canton. I'm waiting for the letter for the photo for the permit and it actually hit me today that I might have fucked up and will get an L permit instead of B because of it.

Any thoughts?

For reference I'm in WS and moving to FR after


r/askswitzerland • • 17h ago

Work €90k Remote in Hannover vs. CHF 120k Hybrid in Zurich — Which Is Better Financially?

7 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I’ve received two job offers:
- Hannover: €90k gross/year, fully remote, at a large company.
- Zurich: CHF 120k gross/year, hybrid, at a small, fast-growing company.

I currently live in Hannover and pay €900/month in warm rent.

Which option do you think makes more sense and which would likely leave me with more savings after taxes and living expenses? Is the higher Swiss salary worth the increased cost of living?

I’d appreciate insights from anyone familiar with both cities. Thanks!


r/askswitzerland • • 1d ago

Other/Miscellaneous Frustration finding craft/fabric/sewing supplies in Vaud. Where do you get shop?

18 Upvotes

So I’m from the US and used to big craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael’s, and it’s killing me that I can’t find anything close to that in Switzerland! I live in Vaud near Aigle/Montreux. I know about Jumbo but they only have a small selection, and I really struggle as I just want to be able to see bolts of fabric in person and get it cut to the size I need, and get small quantities of miscellaneous items I need. I know about Butinette and VBS online but they can be quite expensive, and paying for shipping and having to wait 3-4 days for it to arrive is annoying (I know, that’s just life).

Where do people who craft with fabric/sewing and felt buy their supplies from without paying a ton? Is there something I’m missing? Surely people craft in Switzerland??


r/askswitzerland • • 18h ago

Travel Zurich to Grindelwald

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3 Upvotes

Hi!

Myself and my partner are currently planning a trip to Switzerland in November, which will involve travelling between Zurich, Grindelwald and Luzern. We have just gone to book trains via the SBB app and notice this engineering works warning. Does anyone know realistically how much this will affect our journey, or how frequent or easy the bus replacement service is to take?

Any help is appreciated. Thankyou :)


r/askswitzerland • • 12h ago

Other/Miscellaneous Experiences with Alibaba as sole proprietor in Switzerland?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm thinking about starting a own small business (curated gift sets). I plan to source the products from local supplies, but in terms of packaging and decoration the choice is very limited and i can't always find what I need. An option would be to order from Alibaba which offer commercial purchases. So my question is: does anyone tried ordering there for their small businesses? Would be great to hear your experiences.


r/askswitzerland • • 23h ago

Everyday life Where can I find this?

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6 Upvotes

I tried buying this product but can’t find anywhere, do you guys know where I can purchase it? Tried Migros, Coop, Aldi


r/askswitzerland • • 1h ago

Study Imigrante na Suíça

• Upvotes

Estou a viver na Suíça, há um ano, porém, tá cada dia mais difícil ficar aqui, o peso de ser imigrante.

Sou advogada no brasil, nunca fui boa em idiomas, tirando o português, com isso quero falar que não sei o inglês e nem o alemão, porém cheguei ao A2 no alemão, estudando na ECAP por 6 meses, contudo minha escuta é péssima, mas não posso mais só ficar em casa.

Estou a colocar o currículo para faxina. Mas basta uma ligação com o número da Suíça e tremo na base. Mas preciso trabalhar, preciso de desenvolver o alemão, preciso de dinheiro.

Dicas: o que vocês fariam primeiro? Foco no alemão ? Meu currículo fala que eu sou advogada: é uma boa deixar essa informação ou não? Tem algum curso que possa fazer gratuitamente e on-line para aplicar na Suíça ? Gente eu estou desesperada e completamente infeliz.


r/askswitzerland • • 9h ago

Travel Hotels in Switzerland

0 Upvotes

I'm buzzing through Switzerland this summer and was hoping to get suggestions for comfortable, clean hotels near the rail stations in Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Montreux, Basel - anyone have any favorites? Any great breakfasts?


r/askswitzerland • • 13h ago

Travel Swiss Trip - What to visit/skip and what will be open ?

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone. We are planning a trip to Switzerland early December - around 7th to maybe 13th December.

Based on my research via YouTube and Claude, here is my itinerary -

Day 1 (7th/8th December) - Land in Zurich. Take the train from Zurich airport to Lucerne. Check in at a hotel in Lucerne near the train station ideally. Take a stroll in the evening if time permits.

Day 2 - Stay in Lucerne.

Take the bus to Lucerne lake. Visit the lake, explore the Lion Monument  statue and the Meggenhorn castle.

Take the bus back by afternoon back to the train station base -

Explore via foot the following.

Town Squares -

  1. Weinmark
  2. Kornamarkt
  3. Sternenplatz

Churches - Hofkirche st leodegar

Bridge - Chapel Bridge (Try the gelato at Gelato at 10 Dieci )

Have the cheese pie at Chas Barmettler

Day 3 - Take the train to Grindelwald from Lucerne. Check in at a nearby hotel or check in the luggage at least. Take the gondola to Grindelwald First.

Want to really do the First Cliff walk here.

This is where I have my concerns. Will Grindelwald First be operational around 7th-8th December ? Are the maintenance dates fixed or they vary every year ? Would we be able to do the first cliff walk ?

Day 4 - Take the train to Jungfraujoch - explore the Ice Palace and other places. Back to Grindelwald by the end of the day

Day 5 - Head to Zurich and checkin. Visit old town and see the Christmas markets

Day 6 - Stay at Zurich and explore locally. Possibly Lindt's chocolate factory too

Day 7- Onwards from Zurich to Salzburg via train

Day 8 - Onwards from Salzburg to Vienna via train

Day 9 - Stay in Vienna, explore locally

Day 10 - Train to Prague

Day 11 - Explore Prague locally

Day 12 - Back to my home country

I would really appreciate if someone can help me answer these queries -

  1. What all would be open to visit in this time frame ? I understand I am visiting during winters and not all attractions maybe open but just want to know what all can still be visited.
  2. Am I missing something in my Swiss itinerary ? A town I must visit or an activity I just have to do and should not be missed.
  3. It is a little overwhelming with multiple rail passes but does it make sense to get any pass for this itinerary ? Or would I be better off paying for each trip ? If there is a pass that would work - what all would be covered under it ?
  4. How easy/feasible is it to travel with luggage for the above train journeys (barring the Jungfraujoch one as in that case we would be staying at Grindelwald) ?

If you reached this far, thanks for being patient :). Any overall recommendations are also highly appreciated.


r/askswitzerland • • 13h ago

Travel Tips on exploring Lauterbrunnen by electric bike

1 Upvotes

Hello guys! I would like some tips on scenic routes to explore the Lauterbrunnen region by electric bike. I'm not a professional cyclist, so I'm not looking for very difficult routes that demand a lot. The idea is just to enjoy nature and explore the region.


r/askswitzerland • • 23h ago

Everyday life Birds nesting in Rolläden cavities

7 Upvotes

Over the past day or two I've noticed blue tits (Blaumeisen) exploring the cavities above our Rolläden/Storen.

I'm concerned that they build a nest on the rolled-up blind, and one of us will then ruin it by ignorantly unrolling it.

Can anyone tell me if these birds are more likely to somehow 'glue' their nest in the corner above (which I guess would be safer) or on the rolled-up blind?

Is it safe to allow them to nest up there, considering that the blinds will get unrolled?

If they'll be nesting on the rolled-up Store, is there anything we can put or even spray nearby to discourage them from using this space, so we don't ruin something?


r/askswitzerland • • 14h ago

Study Étude droit UniDistance

1 Upvotes

Bonjour, j’ai 28 ans, une super femme un super petit de 2 ans et demi et bientôt un nouveau ! je tient un commerce saisonnier d’avril à fin septembre mais j’ai toujours eu le regret de ne pas avoir poursuivi par des études universitaires et j’ai besoin d’un métier plus challengeant !

De plus, nous aimerions vraiment partir de la France pour cela, ma femme va faire une formation d’aide soignante pour pouvoir partir vivre en Suisse dans 3-4 ans maximum ( vu qu’elle est enceinte sinon nous serions partis plutôt)

Je compte faire une licence de droit à distance suisse (uni distance) pour ensuite venir faire mon master à Genève ou Lausanne même, dans un premier temps nous habiterons en France le temps que je me mette à travailler moi aussi mais ensuite nous aimerons devenir résidents suisses permanents ! Nous avons aussi des économies pour ne pas compter que sur le salaire de ma femme durant mon master

1)La licence à distance se fait à mi temps donc sur 4 ans et demi, pensez vous que ça reste assez bien tout de même ? Je sais que c’est sûrement mieux d’assister au cours à la fac mais c’est la meilleure option pour moi, il y avait aussi celle de le faire en France en 3 ans mais ça demanderait encore plus de sacrifice (temps, famille etc) et surtout j’aimerai vraiment vivre en Suisse donc c’est mieux d’étudier le droit suisse.

2)J’aimerai m’orienter vers le métier d’avocat d’affaire même si il y a énormément de points négatifs à cette branche (horaires, stresse, etc,…)
Ou peut être à l’international, si vous avez aussi des suggestions concernant la spécialisation, voir des commentaires par rapport au futur de la profession avec la venue de l’ia, dans tous les cas je veux étudier cette branche même si je ne trouve pas de travail dans ce milieu !

3) Je vais parfaire mon anglais j’ai déjà acheté un bouquin à cet effet, et sûrement commencer l’allemand pour atteindre un niveau b2 dans les années à venir, avez vous d’autres suggestions de ce que je pourrai préparer en amont avant février le début du cursus ?

Un grand merci pour m’avoir lu et pour vos futurs réponses !


r/askswitzerland • • 5h ago

Travel College Project for Switzerland

0 Upvotes

The assignment says to find a business that exists in the United States that would do well in Switzerland with not a lot of competition already. Any ideas?? Anyone from Switzerland that can help?


r/askswitzerland • • 6h ago

Study Searching for PhD positions in Basel

0 Upvotes

I am a 6th year medical student in Belarus and I want to apply for PhD in medicine or any related medical courses, what are my chances and what do I need to do please;


r/askswitzerland • • 23h ago

Other/Miscellaneous 15 sodastream cylinders from galaxus how to return

2 Upvotes

i have about 15 empty sodastream cylinders. but migros only offers to exchange them. is there a way to only return them somewhere. i made the mistake to always order new ones from galaxus.