Living in Fribourg

The Canton of Fribourg

Whether you want to swim, hike, discover new traditions, or tour a medieval town, the canton of Fribourg will have what you are looking for!

Canton of Fribourg

Fribourg’s central location is also convenient when it comes to reaching other cities and regions. From Fribourg, you can reach:

  • Bern in 20 minutes
  • Lausanne in 1 hour
  • Geneva, Zurich, or Basel in 1hr30

The City of Fribourg

The city of Fribourg combines the charm of its Old Town with the convenience of modern infrastructure. With its many city walls, churches, and historic bridges, it is a paradise for history enthusiasts!

After a walk across the historic part of town, you will find that the capital of cheese fondue also has a lot to offer in terms of good food.

City of Fribourg

Restaurants

 

Everyday Life

  • Groceries

    The main grocery stores are Migros, Coop, Denner, Lidl, and Aldi. Most of them offer an online-shopping service with home delivery.

    Grocery stores are usually open from 08:00 to19:00. They close later on Friday (20:00 or 21:00) and earlier on Saturday (16:00). The grocery stores located in the train station have longer hours and are open on Sunday.

    Migros 

    Coop

    Denner

    Lidl

    Aldi

    For locally grown produce, you can also visit Fribourg’s Farmers’ market on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

  • Public Transport

    The Swiss public transportation system is safe, reliable, well developed, and used by everyone. There are very few places you cannot reach using public transportation.

    • The SBB (CFF in French) is the Swiss Federal Railway company. Each canton then has its own local “branch” of public transportation; in Fribourg, it is called TPF.
    • You may consult schedules and buy tickets for your bus, train, tram,funicular, or boat rides on the SBB website or app.
    • You may also go to the SBB desk, which you will find at any major station, including that of Fribourg, to purchase one of the passes they offer. Here are the two most popular passes:
      • If you purchase the Half Fare Travelcard, you can use the SBB system for half the normal price. This pass costs CHF 190 for a year.
      • The GA Travelcard will grant you access to the whole Swiss public transportation system (a few exclusions may apply for privately owned transportation companies, especially in the mountains). This pass costs approximately CHF 4000 for a year. Monthly can be requested at the counter (approx. CHF 355/month).
  • Car

    Fribourg is primarily designed to be navigated on foot, by bike, or by bus. You may thus find it complicated and expensive to have your own vehicle, but a car can be useful when it comes to outdoors activities or if you live in a rural area.

    If you are bringing your own car from abroad, you will have 12 months to register it with the Office for Circulation and Navigation (OCN).

     Note that your vehicle will need to be appropriately insured.

    If you are staying in Switzerland, you can claim a Swiss driver’s license within 12 months of your arrival (information in French or German).

    Parking
    • Good parking spots can be hard to find, even at your home. Often, parking needs to be added to your monthly rent and costs usually depend on the location of the parking spot.
    • There is no free parking in the city center, but you will see that there are many parking lots to choose from.

    If you are not interested in importing or buying your own car, the car-sharing company Mobility might be an interesting alternative.

  • Cycling

    Biking can be a good mode of transportation in Fribourg. Most roads are equipped with a bike lane, and it is easy to find a safe spot to park your bike.

    With your Campus Card, you can subscribe to a Publibike plan that will allow you to use the public bikes (both electric and traditional) you will find across the city.

  • Water

    In Switzerland, it is safe to drink tap water.

  • Waste Disposal

    Switzerland has specific rules when it comes to waste disposal (in French or German).

    The following information applies to the city of Fribourg. If you live in another municipality, the rules, official trash bags, and schedules will be different. You will receive the information you need when you register with your city.

    You will have to use the official blue garbage bags, which you will find in every grocery store, to dispose of your non-recyclable waste. Garbage trucks will collect the bags on Monday and Thursday mornings.

    Paper and cardboard will be collected on Wednesday mornings.

    Recycling is strongly encouraged in Switzerland. You will find 15 recycling stations across the city where you can dispose of used glass, PET bottles, aluminum and cans, clothes, and oils.

  • Mobile phone and Wi-Fi providers

    Whether you need a prepaid SIM card or a yearly plan, the main Swiss telecommunication providers are Swisscom, Salt, and Sunrise.

    These providers often have bundle offers, so you may want to choose the same provider for your Wi-Fi and mobile phone.

    Some grocery stores also offer plans (Migros, Coop, or Lidl, for example).

    If you wish to compare the various providers’ offers, MobileZone may be able to help you.

  • Emergencies

    Be sure to remember the 112 for all emergencies.

    112 is the European standard emergency number that will connect you with the local emergency services, who will then dispatch your call according to your needs.

    To reach the appropriate service directly, here are the main three emergency numbers in Switzerland:

    • Ambulance: 144
    • Police: 117
    • Fire Department: 118

    The main hospital in Fribourg is the Hôpital Fribourgeois (HFR). This is where you will find the largest (but also busiest) emergency room. The Permanence Médicale Fribourg also offers urgent care without appointment during the week and may be a good alternative.