A Guide to Living Like a Local in a Serviced Apartment

How do you live like a local during your extended stay? Well, first of all, you should avoid hotels and stay in a serviced apartment instead. This is crucial for full cultural immersion, although it’s not enough. Thus, in this article, we will provide you with more practical tips on how to blend in with the locals and immerse yourself in their culture. Read on to find out more.

VISIONAPARTMENTS Wolframplatz offers prime access to Zurich’s main station, city center, and Shilcity shopping.

Selecting the Right Accommodation for the Best Cultural Immersion

The first thing you need to do is choose a good serviced apartment. Here, it’s important to look into both the equipment provided and the location.

Amenities

Your serviced apartment needs to have all the amenities you would expect at a regular apartment, like a kitchen or a washing machine. Why? This will basically make you live like a typical local—you won’t immerse yourself in the culture if you eat out every day, right?

Location

Unlike hotels, service apartments are often located in residential areas away from tourist centers. This is exactly what you should be looking for. If the area is mostly inhabited by the locals, it will have its own community, which you will be able to join during your stay.

Scenic view of Zurich’s historic Old Town and the Limmat River, with iconic landmarks and charming riverside atmosphere.

Living Like a Local—Our 5 Tips

You’ve chosen the perfect location for your serviced apartment—what’s next? We’ve prepared a few tips to help you immerse yourself in the local culture and become a part of the community. Take a look below.

Try Learning the Language

Naturally, not every stay will allow you to master the local language or even reach a communicative level. However, even learning the basics can help you live more like a local.

Not only will this enable you to understand people better, but it will also show them that you’re dedicated to learning their language, culture, and customs. In the end, this can lead the locals to become more welcoming (even if they already are!) and let you connect with them.

Understand the Culture

Living like a local abroad requires you to understand the local customs. This means that you should:

  • Research the local holidays:
    • What dates are important?
    • Why are they important?
    • How are they celebrated?
  • Get to know the social norms.
  • Participate in local events.
Old street in Zurich decorated with flags for the Swiss National Day celebrations, reflecting the city’s rich cultural heritage.

By doing so, you will truly start living like a local in your destination, even if you don’t know the language well or won’t make many friends.

Live Like at Home

Our local living tips need to include one crucial piece of advice: live as you would at home. This means cooking in your serviced apartment, getting groceries near you, sticking to your routine, and going beyond the amenities (like gyms) in service apartment blocks.

Here, it’s good to try local markets and small stores—that’s where the community chitchats and exchanges gossip. After all, for full cultural immersion, you need to become a part of the community.

Build Connections with the Locals

Another crucial tip regarding living in a serviced apartment abroad is to engage with the local residents. Don’t be afraid to small talk, join the events organized in your neighborhood, and make use of every opportunity to connect with them.

Culture is all about people, so you need to make friends if you want to truly embrace it. At the same time, remember about the customs and unspoken rules—in some countries, the people will be warm and open, but in others even a smile to a stranger might be perceived as something unnatural. That’s why you should always be careful when trying to make new acquaintances. 

If the local culture isn’t that open, your attempts to make friends might fail in the beginning— don’t feel discouraged if it is so. This might take some time, but you’ll surely get to know the locals around you if you try hard enough!

Make the Most of Your Stay

Finally, make the most of your stay! The time you spend in a given city or country is limited, so be sure to explore the location thoroughly, find all the hidden gems, and simply have fun. Yes, on an extended stay, you want to live like a local, but you can’t forget that you’re also a tourist, so mix these two worlds!

You should definitely take a stroll through Zurich’s charming Old Town, where historic landmarks and stunning views await at every turn.

The Takeaway

Should you try living like a local when staying at a serviced apartment? It all depends on you. After all, for some, it’s just the next step on their journey, while others might want to embrace their travels to the fullest. In the end, don’t try to force anything on yourself—coming to a foreign country and not immersing yourself in the local culture is also fine!

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