Zurich is the Swiss expat move with a real change of scenery: the city speaks German, runs like clockwork and offers families a rare quality of life. The challenge is twofold: a budget among the highest in the world, and the language, which the French lycée and the francophone community help you tame.
Currency
Swiss franc (CHF)
Languages
German (Swiss German day to day)
Time vs Paris
None
Emergencies
112 (general), 144 (medical)
FIAFE network
The Accueil for French-speaking families
In each city, a volunteer-run association from the FIAFE network welcomes, informs and helps French-speaking families settling in.
Zürich Accueil
Since 1998
Since 1998, Zürich Accueil has kept French alive on the banks of the Limmat: coffee meetups, hikes, cultural visits, big yearly events like the egg hunt and the wine and cheese night, and a very active WhatsApp community.
Where to meet them
No physical drop-in desk: everything runs by email and through the online activity calendar.
Family events: egg hunt, wine and cheese night, Dîner Blanc
WhatsApp community and a list of francophone babysitters
Other support networks
Two large national networks also support the French abroad, each with its local chapter.
UFE
UFE Zürich
The Zurich chapter of the Union des Français de l'Étranger (UFEZ): welcome, mutual aid and social events for the French in German-speaking Switzerland.
The local French chamber of commerce (CCI France International network) is a real asset for work: networking, job offers and help to restart a career or start a business locally.
CCI France International
CCI France Suisse
The Franco-Swiss chamber has an office in Zurich: networking, job offers and practical support to settle professionally in German-speaking Switzerland.
To follow local life in French: news, what's on, good addresses and, often, a directory of French-speaking professionals.
lepetitjournal.com Zurich
MediaIn French
The Zurich edition of the online daily for French expatriates: news, events, classified ads and complete guides to living in Zurich (housing, school system, working, public holidays), with a newsletter.
The Zurich expat directory lists the French-speaking associations (Alliance française, Cercle francophone, Kiwanis Zurich-Romandie) and a few professionals; the health category has only one entry so far, and anyone can add an address.
The podcast of the French-speaking welcome association, for French speakers and francophiles in German-speaking Switzerland: portraits of expatriates, practical settling-in tips, culture and language, cinema in Zurich. Available on Apple Podcasts, Acast, SoundCloud and YouTube, alongside the association's newsletters.
The monthly letter of the first French-speaking centre in German-speaking Switzerland: evening talks, afternoon meetings, reading club, film club, workshops, library and games library, and the events of Zurich's French-speaking partners. Online archive since 2023.
Before you even land in Zurich, Facebook groups are the best shortcut: ask your questions, find a flat, a nanny, a second-hand stroller, and often your first friends.
Private In French
Les Français 🇨🇵 de Suisse 🇨🇭
48,000 members · ≈ 41 posts/week
Groupe dédié à tous les français de Suisse.
Groupe ouvert aux questions et débats autour de la Suisse et ses multiples facettes.
Vous souhaitez avoir de...
Everyone is welcome 😊.
We are all building up this useful group with useful informations about Expats’ life in Switzerland.
Your posts and comments can help others to find out how to register to the Municipalities, Schools, Family Doctor etc.
You can also advice from your knowledge and personal experience about Housing , businesses or jobs.
This is a group created for all the expats, expatriates and foreigners living, working or studying in Zurich. It's intended to be a place where people can exchange helpful information about living, working, studying in this fabulous city of Switzerland. This is not a place for advertising products or services, so any post about products on sale or offered services is going to be deleted and the user will be banned. This is not a place for discussing politics. The use of coarse, aggressive or disrespectful language is not tolerated
🌐 Zurich Expats – your community to connect, share and discover life in Zurich. Find tips on settling in, navigating local services, exploring the city, building networks, and making the most of your expat journey 🏙️✨.
#ZurichExpats #ExpatLife #RelocateToZurich
Access http://groups.inzuri.ch to see the full list of Facebook Groups.
Worldwide People in Zurich is the biggest and most active group in Zurich, which is part of a network of 40 Facebook Groups for different activities.
This group is created for friendly international and Swiss people living in the area of Zürich. Here you can make friends, exchange information, post events and have a good time together.
This is an English speaking group, so please post in English ONLY. This will help everyone to understand and not create any language barrier.
Please use our subgroups to post about specific topics.
# EVENTS - please check the events section in the group, we always have something organized for you! Remember that you can always organize events in the group and have our assistance if needed, but you can't advertise events from other groups or as a promoter of different locations.
# Advertising and posts about housing, jobs, selling are NOT allowed and will be deleted without warning. Use the appropriate subgroups for posts about housing, jobs, selling.
# Posts about politics, religion, offensive content or intentional ranting will be removed without warning.
# Posts about surveys and data collecting of any kind will be removed without warning.
# Breaking the rules can lead to BAN.
# Please do not use this group to sell, give away or exchange things. There are plenty of other groups specifically designed for that, other websites and the Marketplace function.
# Our subgroups:
English speaking Jobs group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/213842302135204/
Housing in Zurich group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/876801915677707/
Girls/Ladies only group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/411444748957098/
Pet sitters group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/449414605264191/
Photography group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1834691756801242/
Happy networking!
—Worldwide People in Zürich.
Dear Members,
Zurich Together is an international community that brings together people from diverse backgrounds in and around the Zurich area. Our aim...
Ce groupe a pour but de réunir les Français vivant et/ou travaillant en Suisse.
Partager vos expériences ou bons plans, demandez des renseignements sur...
Bonjour et bienvenue à toutes et à tous !
Ce groupe est dédié aux francophones et francophiles de Zürich et sa région. Ici, vous êtes libres de publier des informations, de poser vos questions, de proposer des événements et ainsi de suite.. Un seul mot d'ordre: ici, on parle français ! :)
About
-------
By focusing on public events and social gatherings in and around Zurich, we hope to bring an awareness of the "Expat Experience" and to...
Compiled from Facebook's public search, links checked in July 2026. Group sizes change all the time.
AEFE network
Accredited French schools
Schools accredited by the French Ministry of Education follow the French curriculum: your child can continue their schooling seamlessly, abroad and back in France.
Source: official AEFE directory, verified June 2026. aefe.gouv.fr
Tutoring and private lessons
To support your children's schooling across two systems, two solutions designed for expat families.
Axiom Academic
Private lessons and tutoring for expat families: French curriculum, IB and British curriculum, at home or online, with teachers who know the schools in your city.
On the schools front Zurich gives you real choice: the Lycée français international covers the whole curriculum in French, public school is free but in German, and international schools round out the picture.
Good to know
The Lycée français international de Zurich (AEFE partner) teaches around 1,150 pupils in Dübendorf, east of the city.
All 15 levels are homologated, from nursery to the final year: continuity with the French system is guaranteed.
Zurich public school is free and very solid; Kindergarten is compulsory from age 4, in German.
English-speaking international schools abound but are pricey: compare and plan ahead, waiting lists are real.
French-speaking community
Smaller than in Geneva, the francophone community in Zurich is all the more tight-knit: you find your bearings fast, with Zürich Accueil as home port.
Good to know
Zürich Accueil (FIAFE network) has run coffee meetups, hikes and big gatherings since 1998.
Its WhatsApp community and list of francophone babysitters help out day to day.
UFE Zürich completes the support network for the French in German-speaking Switzerland.
Around the French lycée in Dübendorf, francophone families cross paths every morning.
A place has closed, something has changed?
The arrival reflex
The apps to download when you land
Drop your bags, download these and you're set: the apps everyone in Zurich uses to get around, get things delivered and organise daily life.
Getting around
SBB Mobile
The Swiss Federal Railways app, the number-one reflex in Switzerland: live timetables and tickets for trains, trams and buses, Zurich's whole network included.
Zurich's own transit network (trams, buses, regional trains, boats): local timetables, zone calculation and ticket purchase for your everyday journeys around town.
Formerly eat.ch, the long-standing food-delivery platform with the widest reach in German-speaking Switzerland; the biggest choice of restaurants in Zurich.
Switzerland's big secondhand marketplace: buy and resell furniture, bikes and kids' gear. Perfect for kitting out your home affordably when you first arrive.
What mums ask when they arrive in Zurich, in short, sourced answers.
German-speaking public school or the French lycée: where do we start?
In Switzerland school is compulsory from age 4, with two years of Kindergarten, and Zurich's public school is free, in German, allocated according to your address. The Lycée français international de Zurich, in Dübendorf, covers the whole curriculum in French with a French-German bilingual pathway; it charges fees and fills up fast, so start enrolment several months before term. Our Schools and School fees pages detail both systems: /en/cities/zurich/school-fees/.
Source ↗How do I enrol my child in public school, and will they get help with German?
Once registered with the city, you come under the Schulkreis of your address, which assigns your child to a neighbourhood school; the City of Zurich's Volksschule explains how it works in fourteen languages. Children arriving without German get German-as-a-second-language support (DaZ), and the all-day school (Tagesschule) offers lunch and supervision until 16:00 on days with afternoon classes. Details on /en/cities/zurich/settling-in/.
Source ↗Do we need health insurance for the children?
Yes, for each of them: basic health insurance (LAMal) is compulsory for everyone living in Switzerland, children included, and there is no family policy. You have three months after arrival to sign up, backdated to your move-in date; after that, the canton assigns you an insurer with a surcharge. Compare insurers on the official calculator, it is all explained on /en/cities/zurich/health/.
Source ↗How do I find a paediatrician, ideally French-speaking?
Community paediatricians exist as in France and you choose yours freely, unless your insurance model requires a first point of contact. The consulate publishes no list of French-speaking doctors: search by language in the official Swiss doctors' directory (doctorfmh.ch) or on booking platforms, and call several practices as waiting lists are real. Our leads are on /en/cities/zurich/health/.
Source ↗Which number do I call if my child is ill at night?
144 only for a life-threatening emergency. For everything else, the Canton of Zurich's Ärztefon, 0800 33 66 55, free and open 24/7, assesses the situation and directs you to an on-call doctor, a pharmacy or A&E. The Kinderspital emergency department on Lenggstrasse is open day and night for children up to 18, and the Medgate Kids Line answers parents' questions at any hour.
Source ↗Which neighbourhood should we settle in with children?
French-speaking families follow the schools: the east of the city (Kreis 7, 8 and 12) and Dübendorf for the French lycée, the lakeside towns for the international schools. Lepetitjournal.com names Kreis 7, green and near the zoo, Oerlikon (Kreis 11) and Schwamendingen (Kreis 12) as family areas that are more affordable; the lakeshore and Seefeld remain the priciest. Our Settling in page reviews the neighbourhoods: /en/cities/zurich/settling-in/.
In order: book an appointment at the Personenmeldeamt to register the whole family's arrival within fourteen days (passports, lease, employment contract, marriage and birth certificates), take out health insurance for each person, open a bank account, enrol the children at school, then register with the French consular register, online, free and valid five years. Details on /en/cities/zurich/settling-in/.
Source ↗Do my children pay for the tram and train?
Up to the day before their 6th birthday they travel free, without a ticket, across the whole ZVV network. From 6 to 15, the inexpensive annual Junior card lets them travel free with a parent holding a valid ticket, in the region and on most trains and boats in Switzerland; it is free from the third child. Without the card, they pay the reduced fare.
Source ↗Nursery, nanny, childminder: how do you get a little one looked after?
Nurseries (Kita) and childminders (Tagesfamilien) are the two classic routes, and they are expensive. The City of Zurich subsidises part of the places according to parents' income and assets, for residents who work, study or are job-seeking: you apply online for the subsidised-care entitlement and the contribution factor, then find a place through the city platform. For school-age children, the all-day school and the morning and evening care take over.
Source ↗Is Zurich really that expensive for a family?
Yes for three items: housing, health insurance paid per head and childcare for little ones. The rest partly balances out: free public school, free transport up to age 6, free national museums for under-16s, free river baths and wildlife park, and salaries follow. Our Settling in page details the budget line by line: /en/cities/zurich/settling-in/.
Source ↗Where can I meet other French-speaking mums?
Zürich Accueil runs monthly coffee mornings where children are welcome, pushchair walks, museum visits for 6 to 12-year-olds and an egg hunt with the French lycée parents, and hosts a very active WhatsApp community. The Alliance française in Hottingen, the French Reformed Church and the school gates of the lycée in Dübendorf do the rest. Our addresses are on /en/cities/zurich/family-outings/.
Source ↗My child does not speak German: how will they cope?
Better than you: public school provides German-as-a-second-language support and little ones soak up Swiss German in the playground. The real challenge becomes keeping French: children's classes from age 4 and the Alliance française library, Zürich Accueil's children's film club and guided visits in French, the French Reformed Church's children's service, and the French lycée's bilingual pathway if you want both. Our addresses are on /en/cities/zurich/family-outings/.
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