First of all ,I would re-write your post like this so i did not become hated lmaooooooo "I am about to move to exciting Geneva for a new exciting job opportunity. I would like to live though on the exciting french side ( hope you would not hate me for that excitement) and just wondering how to get myself excitely started. Where to look for an exciting apartment and how it works.":)))

Secondly, i would tell you from the little i know that in order to live on the French part you need a car.So are you prepared to buy a car?and as you are not resident yet you cant buy one with swiss plates unless you bring your car from your country..i would not advice you to stay on the French part as its not convinient..If you rent on the annemance side, it will take you long time to travel to your work...for Ferney Voltaire is far & also Divonne..so see where your work is based,unless is not far from those places then go for it and google the places you want to find a flat basically..the rent difference is neither so big anyway so in my opinion stay somewhere within Geneva...but again tell us where around your work will be based so we know exactly in order to advice you...

where is the beer?lmao i dont drink but cheers 

Hi Denis,

John made a couple of good points so let me add to that:

* John is right - you want to live on the right side of the city to save travel time. If you want to know more tell us where you're going to work. The largest French towns around Geneva are: Douvaine, Annemasse, Saint Julien, Thoiry, Gex, Ferney-Voltaire and Divonne-les-Bains. 

* I don't agree with John that the price differences are small - they may be huge depending on what you're looking for. 

* Nevertheless expect things to be expensive.

* Does your company help you to find accomodation? If they are willing to pay for a search agency that will help a lot.

* Either way it may take a while to find a permanent place; Geneva's housing market is crowded. ALso, apartment owners can turn down anyone they don't like. 

* The best way to start is probably by coming here for a 1-2 days and agree with an agency that they show you around (or rent a car and drive around yourself). 

* People post apartments on Glocals but I'm not sure how many and whether it would help you.

Thank you for your replies. Well noted. My area would be Geneva airport.

Maybe you know some agencies I can check with, websites to get a picture of what to expect. I have looked in google and Glocals classifieds, but more sources more opportunities. Thank you.

@John P: I am sure Edward can drink your beer or I ll buy you a coffee;)

Hi Denis

Since you'll be at the airport you should definitely consider Ferney Voltaire, since it's a very short bus or cycle ride away, it'll be cheaper than Geneva and you'll avoid the nightmare of the Swiss bureaucracy around renting.

Andy

Hi Denis, 

I live in St Genis Pouilly, which is just past cern and over the border in France. Yes it is only a small village compared to Ferney Voltaire and Gex etc but there is still stuff happening and its a really friendly place to live.

You can take the 'Y' bus directly from the village to the airport so that would be okay and this bus also goes straight to the tram stop at cern which takes you into the city. However, I have friends that live in the city and life just seems so much easier for them, especially for nightlife/social events/making friends. Also I would say that a car is probably a must if you are going to be travelling outside the bus times or going further afield. 

For me personally I enjoy the quaintness and quiet of the village and having the city there if I need to go there, but the downside of this is that when I socialise with my friends that live in the St Jean area of Geneva I either have to stay at theirs, take the last tram, or pay the 55chf for a taxi home! 

Hope this helps. 

Fiona

I don't think anyone mentioned the work/residence permit implications of living cross-border... 

Also just to add, this is the agency that I found my apartment with: 

http://www.landecy.fr/pages/fr/locations.aspx?pg=1

It was quite expensive at first as they wanted a agency fee, first months rent and a months rent as a deposit so it was alot to pay up front. 

Fiona

oh crumbs, yeah I don't work so I'm not sure about that! 

Depends on where you are working maybe? My husband is at cern and they sorted this out for him, it wasn't a problem.