Does Vastu work in Switzerland?
Yes. Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Switzerland as in India, so its guidance applies to a flat in Zurich as much as to one in Hyderabad. The compass correction is small, about 4° east in Zurich. What shapes a Swiss reading is that most households here rent, so the report leads with fixes that need no landlord approval, and that Swiss listings count rooms their own way: a 3.5-room flat has an open living-dining-kitchen area counted as a half room.
Swiss homes, read correctly
The report uses the names on your plan and reads them the way a home here is built:
Swiss listings count the rooms and add a half for an open kitchen-dining area or a large hall. The report reads every room and space on the plan, whatever the count.
Wohnen, Zimmer, Küche, Bad, Dusche/WC, Reduit and Waschküche; séjour, chambre, cuisine, salle de bains and réduit; soggiorno, camera, cucina and bagno are all understood.
The Reduit inside the flat is scored as a store room. Cellar and attic compartments sit outside your flat's outline, so leave them off the plan.
A laundry inside your flat is read as a utility room. A shared laundry in the building is outside your flat and is not scored.
Read as outdoor areas. Traditionally best: North, North-East or East.
The door into your flat, not the building entrance, is the main door. Its position on its wall (the pada) is checked from the plan.
Renting in Switzerland: Vastu without changing anything
Most households in Switzerland rent, and the flat is handed back in its original state, so building work is rarely an option. Vastu still helps in two ways: choosing the right flat before you apply, and arranging the one you live in. Choose Renting in the tool and every fix in your report is one you can make yourself: which room is used for what, where the bed and the desk go, colours, lighting and keeping the north-east and the centre clear.
From the listing on Homegate, Comparis or the agency's site.
Listing plans often have no north arrow: match the building on a map.
Check two or three flats side by side before the viewing.
Use the no-cost fixes once you move in.
New to Vastu? What it is, in brief
Vastu Shastra is a traditional Indian system of architecture and home layout, set out in Sanskrit texts such as the Mayamata and the Manasara. It divides a home into eight directional zones around its centre and suggests which rooms and activities suit which zone. Many Indian families use it when they buy, build or arrange a home, and so do people of other backgrounds who are curious about how a home is laid out.
Kept the lightest and least cluttered part of the home; a good place for prayer or quiet.
The zone traditionally linked with Agni, fire, so it is the classical place for cooking.
Linked with weight and stability; tradition places the main bedroom and heavy storage here.
It is a cultural tradition, not a science, and it does not promise outcomes. VastuIQ shows what the classical texts recommend, measured accurately for your home and your city, and you decide what to do with it. Most of the report's fixes need no building work: they are about how rooms are used and arranged.
Owning a flat (Stockwerkeigentum, PPE)
Owners of a flat in Stockwerkeigentum (PPE in French-speaking cantons) share the façade, the roof and the stairwell with the other owners, and changes there go through the owners' meeting. Pick Own it (building rules) and the report keeps those parts out of its fixes; anything structural is flagged "If renovating" for you to raise with the meeting. Separately from Vastu, in Zurich the midday sun is only about 19° above the horizon in December, so in a valley or a north-facing flat the classical wish for a light north-east is best met with lighting and pale colours.
Compass vs true north in Switzerland
Across Switzerland a compass points about 3–4° east of true north. Your score uses the exact figure for your own city.
| City | Compass vs true north | Daylight, mid-winter to mid-summer |
|---|---|---|
| Basel, Basel-City | 3.4° east | 8.4 – 16.0 h |
| Baden, Aargau | 3.6° east | 8.4 – 16.0 h |
| Winterthur, Zurich | 3.7° east | 8.4 – 16.0 h |
| Zurich, Zurich | 3.6° east | 8.5 – 16.0 h |
| St. Gallen, St. Gallen | 3.8° east | 8.5 – 16.0 h |
| Zug, Zug | 3.6° east | 8.5 – 15.9 h |
| Lucerne, Lucerne | 3.6° east | 8.5 – 15.9 h |
| Bern, Bern | 3.4° east | 8.5 – 15.9 h |
| Fribourg, Fribourg | 3.3° east | 8.5 – 15.9 h |
| Lausanne, Vaud | 3.2° east | 8.6 – 15.8 h |
| Geneva, Geneva | 3.1° east | 8.6 – 15.8 h |
| Lugano, Ticino | 3.7° east | 8.6 – 15.8 h |
Calculated for 2026 with the World Magnetic Model WMM-2025 (NOAA / British Geological Survey) and NOAA solar equations. "East" means a compass points to the east of true north.
Check one home, or compare your shortlist
- Score out of 100 and its band
- Your top three issues
- True north correction for your city
- Every room scored, with no-cost and low-cost fixes
- Your floor plans with the zones at true north
- Centre, front door and pada
- Action plan, 90-day plan and checklist
- Two or three homes side by side
- Which home fits Vastu best, and why
- Plus the full report for the home you choose
Prices are charged in US dollars and your bank converts them; local amounts are a guide.
Vastu in Switzerland: questions people ask
Does Vastu work in Switzerland?
Vastu Shastra is organised around directions, which are the same in Switzerland as in India, so its room-by-direction guidance can be applied to a Swiss flat or house. What matters is setting north correctly on the plan and reading the rooms properly. Vastu is a tradition; it does not promise outcomes.
What does 3.5 rooms mean for Vastu?
Nothing in itself: the count is a Swiss listing convention, where an open kitchen-dining area or a large hall counts as half a room. The report reads every room and space on the plan by its direction.
My lease forbids any changes. Is a Vastu report still useful?
Yes. Set the tool to Renting and nothing in the report touches walls, fittings or paint you would have to restore on move-out. It works with what you can move: which room sleeps whom, where the bed and desk face, what stays out of the north-east and the centre.
Do I need to correct my compass for Vastu in Switzerland?
A little: about 4° east in Zurich, 3° east in Basel, 3° east in Geneva and 4° east in Lugano (World Magnetic Model). VastuIQ applies it automatically.
My plan is in French or Italian. Does that matter?
No. Common room names in German, French and Italian are understood, and on the confirm screen you see how each room has been read and can change it. The report is in English.
Can I compare flats before applying?
Yes. Use Compare 2–3 homes: the side-by-side comparison is free, and Home Buyer Compare (US$79, about CHF 65) adds a PDF that ranks the homes and includes the full report for the one you choose.
Vastu for homes in other countries
Written by Manoj Jangra, founder of VastuIQ. Last updated 20 October 2026.
Vastu Shastra is a traditional and cultural practice. VastuIQ reports are not engineering, legal, financial or medical advice and do not promise any outcome.