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City guide

Zurich

Switzerland

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.

Visit the association's website Email the association See the FIAFE page

What they offer

  • Coffee meetups for newcomers
  • Hikes and snowshoe outings around Zurich
  • 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.

    Visit the website Facebook page
  • Français du monde – ADFE

    Français du monde – ADFE Suisse

    The Swiss section of Français du monde - ADFE defends the rights of French residents in Switzerland and helps with their paperwork.

    Visit the website

The French business network

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.

Visit the website CCI country page

The online community

The Facebook groups to join

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 🇨🇭

    👥 43,300 members · ≈ 41 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔒 Private In English

    Zurich Housing

    👥 37,600 members · ≈ 9 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔥 Very active Public In English

    Expats in Switzerland

    👥 36,700 members · ≈ 78 posts/week

    View the group
  • Public In English

    Worldwide People in Zurich

    👥 28,200 members · ≈ 1 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔥 Very active Public In English

    Expats in Zurich

    👥 28,000 members · ≈ 148 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔒 Private In English

    Zurich Together

    👥 24,700 members · ≈ 9 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔒 Private In French

    Français en Suisse

    👥 23,300 members · ≈ 2 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔥 Very active Public In English

    🇨🇭Zurich Expats ⭑ Work, Life & Networking✨

    👥 22,600 members · ≈ 127 posts/week

    View the group
  • Public In French

    Francophones à Zürich

    👥 17,300 members · ≈ 15 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔒 Private In English

    Expats in and around Zürich

    👥 17,000 members

    View the group
  • 🔒 Private In English

    Expats World in Zürich

    👥 15,400 members · ≈ 7 posts/week

    View the group
  • 🔒 Private In English

    Zurich Expats

    👥 14,600 members · ≈ 2 posts/week

    View the group
💬 Explore the full group directory

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.

💰 Compare school fees

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.

    Discover Axiom Academic

  • IB Tutor

    Tutors specialised in the International Baccalaureate: online lessons in every IB subject, to aim for top grades from MYP to the diploma.

    Discover IB Tutor

Schools and education

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.

Children's healthcare

No French-style sécu here: every family member must take out their own health insurance (LAMal) within three months of arrival. Once insured, the quality of care is remarkable.

Good to know

  • Take out LAMal for each child on arrival: the legal deadline is three months, retroactive.
  • Child premiums are reduced and vary between insurers: compare before signing.
  • The Kinderspital Zurich is one of Switzerland's largest paediatric hospitals.
  • 144 is the medical emergency number; many paediatricians consult in English, some in French.

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.

Family outings and events

Zurich is a city of water and hills: lake and river swims in summer, sledging on the Uetliberg in winter, and the zoo to save every rainy Sunday.

Good to know

  • The badis, the public lake and river baths, are the family institution of summer.
  • The Uetliberg, the city's home mountain, is a train ride away: hiking in season, sledging in winter.
  • Zurich Zoo and its Masoala rainforest hall are worth the trip in any weather.
  • In April, Sechseläuten burns the Böögg, the winter effigy: a ritual children love.

These landmarks change fast: the MumExpat community will keep them up to date.

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.

    App Store Google Play

  • ZVV

    Zurich's own transit network (trams, buses, regional trains, boats): local timetables, zone calculation and ticket purchase for your everyday journeys around town.

    App Store Google Play

  • FAIRTIQ

    Swipe to check in when you board and out when you leave; it works out the cheapest fare for you. Ideal before you learn the zones.

    App Store Google Play

  • Uber

    Ride-hailing works well in Zurich alongside the (often pricey) taxis; handy for late evenings or when you have kids and luggage in tow.

    App Store Google Play

  • Bolt

    The Estonian challenger to Uber, live in Zurich and often a touch cheaper; many people compare both apps before booking a ride.

    App Store Google Play

Food delivery

  • Just Eat

    Formerly eat.ch, the long-standing food-delivery platform with the widest reach in German-speaking Switzerland; the biggest choice of restaurants in Zurich.

    App Store Google Play

  • Uber Eats

    Uber's food-delivery arm, well established in Zurich; if you already use Uber for rides, your account is ready to go.

    App Store Google Play

  • Wolt

    Finland's Wolt, a more recent arrival in Zurich, polished and reliable; restaurants plus groceries and small shop orders delivered fast.

    App Store Google Play

Groceries

  • Migros

    Switzerland's leading supermarket: the app holds your Cumulus card, offers, digital receipts and online shopping. A true everyday essential here.

    App Store Google Play

  • Coop

    The other Swiss giant, Migros's great rival: Supercard loyalty, coupons, in-store self-scanning and online ordering all gathered in one app.

    App Store Google Play

  • Farmy

    An online market for fresh, local and organic groceries delivered to your door in Zurich; handy for topping up without lugging heavy bags.

    App Store Google Play

Everyday life

  • TWINT

    Switzerland's peer-to-peer payment norm: settle a coffee, a babysitter or a school collection in a couple of taps. Absolutely everyone uses it.

    App Store Google Play

  • Too Good To Go

    The anti-waste app: surprise bags from Zurich bakeries, restaurants and grocers at a small price near closing time. Very active across Switzerland.

    App Store Google Play

  • Ricardo

    Switzerland's big secondhand marketplace: buy and resell furniture, bikes and kids' gear. Perfect for kitting out your home affordably when you first arrive.

    App Store Google Play

Coming soon: the full Zurich guide.

Verified addresses, paediatricians recommended by mums, a family agenda updated every week. Join the waitlist to discover the Zurich page first.

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