Hello everyone,
I am considering a move from Frankfurt to Basel and wanted to ask whether anyone on the forum has experienced living in both cities and could perhaps offer some insights on what some of the major pros/cons of each city are. I have been rather unsuccessful finding info on this topic in the forums (at least not for recent comparisons) but if there is a thread you could point me to that would also be great.
Just to be clear, this inquiry is only about "livability". Everything is sorted out careerwise, and cost of living, career prospects, etc... are not really a concern.
If this info would help your response, I am in my mid-30s and single, no kids, no pets. Have lived in quite a few countries, done the big cities but not particularly interested in that lifestyle anymore. Entertainment consists of cooking, playing music, watching the occasional movie, I like spending time at home, go to bed before midnight, get up early.
When I venture out, that's mostly walking for hours, dining, attending a performance, maybe a bar ever so often but only if I can chat or if there's live music, no clubbing, pretty low key really. When it comes to restaurants, I can live with a limited range, as long as there are at least a couple of options towards the fine dining end. Love nature as an idea, haven't systematically lived the "outdoors" dream but can get on it.
I find Frankfurt to be a nice, safe, functional city. Somewhat cosmopolitan I guess, haven't blended in with the local crowd so it's mostly people from work for socializing. I am happy with the range of options in the city, but I am having a hard time getting used to what I perceive as an utter lack of (easy) charm or good taste (personal opinion, that's all, there are exceptions). English gets me a long way here, with very rare instances of having to rely on a friend for translation (e.g. setting up furniture delivery dates).
Some concerns about Basel (1) stories about noise complaints scare me a bit, I am respectful of my surroundings/neighbours, but I do have guitars, listen to records, watch movies and do my laundry on Sundays (2) I like walking for hours and like seeing people out on the streets, not that Frankfurt is the capital of foot traffic, but neighborhoods like Bornheim, Sachsenhausen do it for me, can I find that in Basel? (3) is it easy to drive around the city, find parking? This is mostly for shopping during the weekends, foot/tram/bike works perfectly well otherwise (4) language, with a combo of English/French can I function well in the city? Besides access to the locals at a more personal level, what would I be missing out on due to language issues (i.e. no German or Swiss German)?
I'll stop here. Please let me know if you would like more info to get a better sense of what kind of a response I am looking for, and thank you for reading.
Cheers!
I am considering a move from Frankfurt to Basel and wanted to ask whether anyone on the forum has experienced living in both cities and could perhaps offer some insights on what some of the major pros/cons of each city are. I have been rather unsuccessful finding info on this topic in the forums (at least not for recent comparisons) but if there is a thread you could point me to that would also be great.
Just to be clear, this inquiry is only about "livability". Everything is sorted out careerwise, and cost of living, career prospects, etc... are not really a concern.
If this info would help your response, I am in my mid-30s and single, no kids, no pets. Have lived in quite a few countries, done the big cities but not particularly interested in that lifestyle anymore. Entertainment consists of cooking, playing music, watching the occasional movie, I like spending time at home, go to bed before midnight, get up early.
When I venture out, that's mostly walking for hours, dining, attending a performance, maybe a bar ever so often but only if I can chat or if there's live music, no clubbing, pretty low key really. When it comes to restaurants, I can live with a limited range, as long as there are at least a couple of options towards the fine dining end. Love nature as an idea, haven't systematically lived the "outdoors" dream but can get on it.
I find Frankfurt to be a nice, safe, functional city. Somewhat cosmopolitan I guess, haven't blended in with the local crowd so it's mostly people from work for socializing. I am happy with the range of options in the city, but I am having a hard time getting used to what I perceive as an utter lack of (easy) charm or good taste (personal opinion, that's all, there are exceptions). English gets me a long way here, with very rare instances of having to rely on a friend for translation (e.g. setting up furniture delivery dates).
Some concerns about Basel (1) stories about noise complaints scare me a bit, I am respectful of my surroundings/neighbours, but I do have guitars, listen to records, watch movies and do my laundry on Sundays (2) I like walking for hours and like seeing people out on the streets, not that Frankfurt is the capital of foot traffic, but neighborhoods like Bornheim, Sachsenhausen do it for me, can I find that in Basel? (3) is it easy to drive around the city, find parking? This is mostly for shopping during the weekends, foot/tram/bike works perfectly well otherwise (4) language, with a combo of English/French can I function well in the city? Besides access to the locals at a more personal level, what would I be missing out on due to language issues (i.e. no German or Swiss German)?
I'll stop here. Please let me know if you would like more info to get a better sense of what kind of a response I am looking for, and thank you for reading.
Cheers!