Relocation St.Gallen - What to consider?

St.Gallen facts: 700 meters above sea level

St.Gallen is the capital of the canton of St.Gallen and has almost 80’000 inhabitants (as at the end of 2017). St.Gallen is divided into three districts, West, Centrum and East. These, in turn, are divided into districts. The county East has the highest population, the county Centrum the lowest.

At 700 meters above sea level, St.Gallen is one of the highest cities in Switzerland. The city owes its name to Saint Gallus, the founding father of the monastery of St.Gallen, around which the present city was built. St.Gallen is famous for the St.Gallen Openair, which takes place once a year in June. However, as it often rains at this time of year and the festival often sinks into the mud, the St.Gallen Openair has been given a nice second name: “Schlammgallen” (Schlamm means mud).

Relocation in St.Gallen: Do-it-yourself move or rather a professional moving company?

Before you start planning your move, you should consider whether you would like to do it yourself or hire a professional relocation company in St.Gallen.

Do-it-yourself relocation:

If you decide to move on your own, you will have a few tasks ahead of you. Especially relocation management, organization and planning are crucial for an unassisted relocation. At the beginning there are two questions: Do you have enough people to help you on the day you move? And what about the transport of your furniture? Do you have a removal van big enough for your moving goods?

We recommend that you ask around in your circle of friends and family in good time for moving helpers and it’s better to organize more helpers than not enough. That is recommended to avoid unplanned bottlenecks on the day of the move.

Then the question about the transporter: If your own car is not big enough for your removal goods, you have to rent a relocation van. Please note that your drivers license must be approved for driving certain vehicle sizes. You can find tips on how to rent a delivery van for your move here. MOVU also offers a 10% discount on all Hertz delivery vans.

Professional relocation company in St.Gallen:

If you want someone else to carry your furniture from the old to the new home, a professional relocation company is an option for you. A move on your own is cheaper, but a moving company will do most of the work for you. This means that you no longer have to worry about moving helpers and a suitable transporter.

Ask relocation companies in your region for offers for your move. Several offers help you to get an overview of the price-performance ratio. Make sure that the removal companies are adequately insured so that you do not experience any nasty surprises in the event of damage to property. A home visit is also a good way to get to know a removal company in advance. 

Organize packaging material in time

Take care of suitable packaging material in time and take your time to pack your household goods. The better you pack, the less time you need to unpack in your new home. You can easily order high-quality moving boxes online, for example at topkartons.ch. Sensitive objects are best protected with blankets, bubble wrap or newspaper. Protective materials are available in DIY stores. Download our packing list so that you can proceed step by step and never forget anything.

Parking space reservation for the move in St.Gallen

Unfortunately, it is not possible to park the moving van just anywhere in St.Gallen on the day of the relocation. For this you need – as in most other Swiss cities – a special permit from the St.Gallen city police. They are responsible for public parking spaces and you can get signs from them for a fee.

Call this number: 071 224 61 28 and note the office hours of the city police: Monday to Friday 07.00 – 19.00, Saturday 08.30 – 17.00.

How much does a move in St.Gallen cost?

You are probably wondering how much a move to St.Gallen costs. This question is generally difficult to answer, because first of all it depends of course on whether you carry out your move by yourself or engage a professional removal company. In addition, the size of your home (and therefore your household goods) and the distance between your old and your new home are decisive factors. In this article, we have calculated the average cost of moving with a professional moving company.

Relocation checklist for download: Everything at a glance

To keep track of your move, we have compiled a relocation checklist for you to download. Proceed systematically and tick off the individual steps one after the other. This way you don’t get lost in the chaos of your move and always keep track of everything.

Further information

Here you can find tips on finding an apartment in St.Gallen. In addition, we have written an article where you can learn more about the most important addresses in St.Gallen when moving.