We moved to Switzerland 2.5 years ago with our 3 children. It is an expensive country particularly for service and repair calls. The supermarkets are very good but do not offer the wider range that the German ones do. However most foods can be easily bought. The medical facilities are good as are the roads. Public transport is clean and efficient and I would recommend taking advantage of the many offers that particularly, the rail networks provide.

There are a lot of rules and not much leaniency shown eg. speeding fines even when doing only a few kms over the limit.

Also when leasing a house or apartment, there is an inspection done when moving in and when vacating. The moving out one is expensive as professional cleaners are recommended. Where there are double windows, the outer pane is removed and must be cleaned between the two panes..things like this.

I know a lot of people have problems with their landlords and complaints from neighbours about noise. Use of washing machines, flushing toilets is restricted after certain hours in some complexes so be prepared to live within those boundaries. Living in a house is more autonomous.

Switzerland is breathtakingly beautiful in any season and Zurich is a lovely city. However, graffiti is a problem which is a shame.

Alcohol can be consumed at 16 which I think is too young. Smoking is unfortunatley popular but as of recently, is now banned in Zurich restaurants. We were surprised this had not been done years ago.

The Swiss have this tendency to stare for longer than (to me) seems socially acceptable! Everyone notices it so it`s not just me but it happens and can be a little intimidating. In general, they are very polite and greet you at all opportunities. English is quite widely spoken although not one of the 4 official languages.

The pre-schools encourage independence by having children walk to and from school unaccompanied but wearing a fluroscent vest. This is the Swiss local schools, not international ones. It`s a nice idea but fraught with potential problems I would think and I know a lot of foreigners don`t feel comfortable with letting very young children out on their own.

A lot of dogs are allowed in stores and restaurants and on public transport and in hotels.

The shopping is good but expensive as mentioned earlier.

All in all, Switzerland is a nice place to live and has a lot of interesting cultural traditions. Also skiing is easy to do here as the slopes are within a reasonable drive of Zurich.

Just be prepared for all the rules.

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