Living in Basel: an expat guide

A sizeable number of international families live in Basel — mainly American, South American, British, and German, although there are people from all over the world. Families are scattered all over the two half cantons of the city — Basel Stadt (in town) and Basel Land (the suburbs).

A relocation agent is a must to show you a good mix of rental properties in different areas, and they will also try to 'place' you in a suitable community for your needs. You can also opt to look around in France (very popular with Brits) or indeed Germany (not so popular) if you so wish, to see how they compare.

Renting an apartment or house

Unfortunately living in Switzerland comes at a price. Most families live in rented apartments (at least at first) because there is a huge shortage of houses. You may be able to find a modern 'row house' (terraced house) with a small garden of your own for a relatively reasonable price, but they do tend to be snapped up like hotcakes.

There are many good-sized apartments available and they usually come with an extremely high standard of cleanliness, communal green areas, and well-kept playgrounds. All communities tend to have a nearby school (Swiss state school) and proximity to a supermarket.

In the suburbs, especially in the wealthier, greener areas, it feels very safe and it is normal to see children of all ages walking to and from school on their own and children playing together without adult supervision, almost like going back in time.

Finding home help

Babysitters and nannies are very hard to find in Basel. You might be lucky enough to move into an expat community with a babysitting circle set up but otherwise, you could look for help through the volunteer-run Basel Children's Trust or through word of mouth.

Reliable cleaners are easy to find but as with everything in Basel, not cheap! Same thing with electricians for putting in your light fittings when you arrive (apartments and houses are rented as standard without light fittings). If any problems arise in your rental apartment or house, you will have a number to call or a 'Hauswart' (caretaker) living close by who will sort everything out for you. And as with most things Swiss, problems will be sorted efficiently.

Healthcare and doctors

Basel's largest industry is pharmaceutical/chemical, so this is undoubtedly why medical services here are terrific with clean, efficient hospitals and a large number of chemists and doctors in both the centre of town and the suburbs.

Another excellent thing is that you can choose which doctor you go to, you're not limited to the nearest place. However, there is a price to pay. In Switzerland, all medical care is paid for privately and everyone must have health insurance, which can be quite costly. Dental costs are not covered and can be extortionately expensive (albeit very high standard). Many people go to neighbouring France and Germany to get their teeth done!

Basel is great for families. There's a wide choice of parks, green spaces, and playgrounds, all maintained to a high level of cleanliness. Park im Grunen, located near Reinach, is probably the largest, known locally as ‘the dinosaur park’ due to the giant and very realistic dinosaur next to the lake. The park has a restaurant, a large activity play centre with climbing frames, slides, swings, and also tennis courts, outdoor swimming pools (for summer use), botanical gardens, a nice cafe and wine bar, loads of green space, and parking on site.

Another hangout for many families with young children is Schutzenmatt Park, which is small with lots of swings (baby swings too), slides, a large climbing frame, little wooden huts to play in and in summer, and an alfresco pizza place (albeit a tad on the expensive side), sometimes with jazzy music and paddling pool for children.

Basel is great for families. There's a wide choice of parks, green spaces, and playgrounds, all maintained to a high level of cleanliness. 

Kannenfeld Park in the city near Allschwil is also excellent with fantastic futuristic climbing areas, slides, seesaws and swings, and three outdoor table-tennis tables available. All parks are accessible by tram and bus. Amongst the huge number of pretty fountains in the city is the famous Carnival Fountain (Tinguely Fountain) outside the Basel Theatre.

One of the best outdoor places to go with children is the immensely popular Basel Zoo (most families buy an annual family pass). The Zoo is easily accessible by tram or bus and almost feels like a park rather than a zoo due to lack of cages and lots of greenery. There is a brilliant large family cafeteria for lunch, with tables inside and out.

Visiting museums and the theatre

Basel is a very arty city and hosts the world-renowned Art Basel fair. You are spoilt for choice with a wide range of excellent museums and theatres. The Museum of Fine Arts (Kunstmuseum) in the centre of town and the Fondation Beyeler Museum in Riehen are two of the most popular. The Vitra Design Museum in nearby Weil-am-Rhein (across the border in Germany) is also well worth a visit.

If theatre is more your cup of tea, the English language theatre regularly stages London and Broadway productions.

Markets, fairs, and carnivals

Basel plays host to loads of interesting family events all year round. Basler Fasnacht (the Carnival of Basel) is a big deal and takes place over three days in February/March each year. `Morgenstreich' starts at precisely 4am on a Monday. All lights in the city are switched off and the 'Cliques' march around Basel with lanterns. It's quite a spectacle! The afternoon parades on Monday and Wednesday are not to be missed, with ridiculous costumes, papier mâché masks, drums, piccolos, and floats throwing flowers to the ladies and sweets and toys to the children. Tuesday is a special children's carnival.

Make sure you stock up on supplies a few days before it all starts as the whole of the city shuts down, including all the shops, for several days. Many people deliberately book short breaks away during the festivities and come back when things are back to normal.

Herbstmesse, the annual autumn fair, has something for everyone and has been a major event in Basel for hundreds of years. Big wheels and other fairground rides suddenly appear around the city, particularly in front of the Cathedral ('Munster') and in Messeplatz. Hundreds of pretty wooden huts transform Petersplatz into days gone by, selling all sorts of regional delicacies from food to wooden toys. Try the raclette (melted slabs of cheese with boiled potatoes) — divine on a chilly autumn day. Also, the traditional fried sugary pastries.

Finally, as the end of the year approaches and the temperature dips, usually with accompanying snow showers, the old town transforms itself into a magical setting for the Christmas markets. The fruity smell of warm Gluhwein (mulled wine) lingers in the air enticing you to buy locally produced fayre and traditional trinkets from beautifully decorated traditional stalls.

Shopping

Basel has a good mix of small boutique shops located around the beautiful cobbled streets of the old town and modern high-street stores in the main shopping street (Freiestrasse). The most upmarket department store is Globus in Marktplatz which sells everything from posh food and designer clothes to fancy household accessories.

Pfauen (part of Coop group), Coop City, and Manor are the other department stores and they all offer a good range of decent typical department store items. Alternatively, head over to Stucki, a multi-level shopping complex close to the German border. If you want more choice, you can easily head to much larger Zurich for the day or explore the nearby shopping centres in Lorrach (Germany) or Mulhouse (France).

Regarding food shopping, the city has an excellent food market in Marktplatz, open most days including Saturday mornings, selling fresh fruit and veg, regional specialities, plants, and organic produce. Big supermarket chains are found throughout the city centre and also in all the surrounding villages. Otherwise, nip over to France or Germany where all the glories of huge supermarkets like Carrefour are a short car journey away.

Meeting new people

The Swiss tend to keep themselves to themselves and are very family-orientated, usually spending their spare time in the evenings and weekends doing things with their children (think bike rides, backpacking on long hikes with barbecues in the forest, sporting activities, etc). Therefore, unless you are at least initially holed up in an expat community (where you won't be able to get away from the convivial English-speaking barbecues, pot-lucks, children's birthday parties, etc) you may find yourself a bit isolated.

However, if you are prepared to make the effort, there are English-speaking clubs and groups that you can join to make new friends. Centrepoint represents the international community in Basel and has lots of information and contacts.

For parents, there are numerous playgroups and coffee mornings offered by groups such as the excellent Basel Children's Trust. 

If you have school-age children, your best bet is making some friends at the school gates or getting involved with school activities (especially if your children attend one of the international schools).

All in all, Basel is a very pleasant place to bring up your family – clean, safe, plenty of green spaces, close to the mountains and lakes, peace and quiet, and a slower pace of life.