Checking a location
Noise, public transport, radon, fibre, climate and vacancy – what makes a location and how to check it before you move in.
12 Nov 2026
Sunshine hours in Switzerland: climate by town
The sunniest places to live in Switzerland are in Ticino and Valais: Locarno-Monti averages 2,228 hours of sunshine a year, Sion 2,158 and Lugano 2,120. Zurich-Fluntern gets 1,694 and Lucerne 1,530 hours, according to MeteoSwiss climate normals for 1991–2020. In winter, the fog layer over the Swiss Plateau decides whether you see the sun at all.
7 min read
12 Nov 2026
How to check fibre at a Swiss address (2026)
To check whether a Swiss flat has fibre, enter the exact address in a provider’s availability checker, look at the federal Broadband Atlas (OFCOM), and find the fibre wall socket (OTO) with its OTO-ID in the flat itself. According to Swisscom, about 57% of Swiss homes and businesses had fibre to the home (FTTH) at the end of 2025.
8 min read
12 Nov 2026
ÖV-Güteklasse explained: Swiss transit classes A–D
The ARE's public transport quality class (ÖV-Güteklasse) rates how well a place is served by public transport, from A (very good) to D (low). It combines mode, weekday frequency between 6am and 8pm and straight-line distance to the stop. Class A needs, for example, a rail hub with trains more often than every 10 minutes within 500 m.
8 min read
12 Nov 2026
Noise in Swiss flats: how many decibels are allowed?
In a Swiss residential zone (sensitivity level II), the legal limit for road and rail noise is 60 dB(A) by day and 50 dB(A) at night, measured at an open window. Around 740,000 people live above it. Neighbour noise has no decibel limit: quiet hours (often 10 pm to 7 am), house rules and consideration apply.
13 min read
12 Nov 2026
Radon in Switzerland: map, reference level, testing
Switzerland’s radon reference level for homes is 300 Bq/m³ as an annual average (Radiological Protection Ordinance, Art. 155). The federal radon map (FOPH) shows in four classes how likely a building is to exceed it. Only a measurement gives certainty: dosimeters for at least 90 days in the heating season. Radon causes 200 to 300 lung-cancer deaths a year.
9 min read
12 Nov 2026
Swiss vacancy rate 2026: 0.93% and what it means
On 1 June 2026, 45,493 homes stood empty in Switzerland, 0.93% of the stock – the sixth fall in a row and the lowest rate since 2010. Zug is tightest at 0.20%; Jura has the most choice at 3.35%. For flat hunters this means: decide fast and check the initial rent.
7 min read