Resources for Geneva, canton Vaud & neighbouring France

Where to find . . .

just about everything you need in the Lake Geneva region!

This is our editors’ pick of practical information: where and how to find goods, services, information, people. Browse the categories list on the left, or use the search tool, top right, or find a resource by putting in the name of a city or region.

We spotlight resources that are especially useful right now or that are new. And when we add or change information for a resource you’ll find it mentioned under “newly updated.”

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

CH.CH, a government information site in English, has a Swiss emergency numbers card (pdf file) that you can print out and keep handy. Their web site provides several other useful medical services numbers, countrywide.

If you’re looking for a more encyclopedic list of resources, which several sites including social networks provide, please check our classifieds section.

Spotlight on:

• Know-it-all Passport classifieds
  

  The Know-it-all Passport book, which comes out every two years, offers a substantial collection of addresses and information about where to find things in the Lake Geneva region, but the web site linked to the book also offers classified ads. The book began life as a guide for mothers in the area, written by Lisa Cirieco, who grew up in Geneva in an American family. It has been expanded over the years and a special strength is some of the smaller community groups and activities that are hard to find elsewhere.

• English Forum, also good for “where to find. . .”
  

  The English Forum is Switzerland’s largest social network, with forums/discussions on numerous topics, but it is also a great resource if you’re looking for services, goods and ways to find the right people for all kinds of things.

  Use the search engine to find what you’re after. The site went through a low-traffic period after the death of the owner in an accident in 2008, but new managers in 2009 have built on the founder’s enthusiasm and the site offers a wealth of information from the community. A strength is that it is active in all parts of Switzerland, although this can make it harder to find information for a particular region until you’re used to using the site.

• Glocals.com social network guides
  

  Glocals.com, a social network that started out in Geneva, has produced, with help from local sponsors, basic information on some practical aspects to life in Switzerland. The short “Guides” provide bullet point that are easy to follow, mainly useful for newcomers to Switzerland on topics like banking and insurance. Glocals went Swiss-wide a couple years ago but one of its strengths remains the strong local base of support it has in Geneva, and the Geneva forums can be a good source of local information.

• Swiss social security, leaving Switzerland
  

  The Swiss government released in January, in English, new versions of two useful brochures for people working here who are considering relocating or retiring elsewhere. Both are in pdf format and can be downloaded:

  Social Security in Switzerland, January 2010 update

  Leaving Switzerland and Moving to an EU or EFTA country

  Additional information is available from the Swiss-EU Liaison Office.

• 3D glasses for free
  

  Switzerland is offering an unusual way to see the country: through 3D glasses, which the government will send  you for free. Request your pair from the Ch.ch site, which is a great resource for official information on Switzerland, and they will show up in the mail a couple days later. You can use them to view the members of the cabinet, Swiss scenery, and when you’re tired of three-dimensional Switzerland you can google “3D” and see the rest of the world.

• Cakes and cookies made for you
  

  

  Geneva-based Laura Moser makes beautiful classic cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more, but her specialty is custom designed cakes.

  All ingredients are fresh, not frozen.

  Most items need to be ordered in advance but a limited number of baked goods can be ordered with 24 hours notice.

• World Radio Switzerland (WRS) classifieds
  

  Updated link: If you haven’t visited the WRS classifieds pages in a while you’ll be in for a surprise: easier to user, visually more pleasing. Note that in April 2009 the radio station stopped running classifieds on air.

Newly updated:

• How to work out your Swiss salary
  

  It’s difficult in Switzerland to know what anyone earns, which makes it hard for many people to work out what their salaries should be, compared to the market. Some helpful official online tools: canton Vaud has a salary calculator, in French, as does Geneva, and the Union Syndicale Suisse has one, in French, German and Italian, for all of Switzerland. They’re imperfect and no calculator lists every job, but they’ll give you a relatively good idea of what value is put on various jobs, experience.

  The Swiss federal Solarium web pages give salary data for regions, by gender, foreigners compared to the Swiss, and more – keep in mind that “foreigners” covers a wide range of workers, with many of them in the hotel and restaurant industry, one of the lowest paid business sectors in Switzerland.

  TSR recently published a chart with salary indications.

• Philately: new Basel Carnival stamp
  

  The Swiss postal service, La Poste, begins issuing the new Basel Carnival commemorative stamp 5 January. You can order them online, in English. Great for collectors, or even as easy gifts for non-philatelists: these are particularly charming stamps. Background story on GenevaLunch

• Trendiest night spots in Lausanne
  

  Check out Nextstop’s brilliant list of all the trendiest night spots in Lausanne! (from Rambling Epicure, Jonell Galloway-White, on GenevaLunch)

• Sell or buy a home: timely resource
  

  Finding a home in Switzerland has never been easy, and the tight housing market in the Lake Geneva region makes it even more difficult. A web site that can might help you is Homes.ch, which has existed for some years, but owner Simon Allen has been adding new functions and marketing it more strongly. The site gives some idea of price trends and allows people to place free multi-lingual advertisements.

• Perfect gift for birdlovers
  

  The Swiss Ornithological Institute has just made life easier for anyone who wonders what that bird is, on Lake Geneva or up in the woods or out in the garden. It has published, in five languages, the Swiss Bird Guide, for CHF38, available online from the institute’s shop. The book features:

  • 500 colour photos, 256 pages, 105 x 18cm
  • Information of species exclusively in form of symbols, pictograms an graphics
  • Including CD with pictures and birc call (for Windows and Mac)
  • Introduction and bird names in 5 languages