Unaccompanied minors train travel

Hello! This will be my first time going to Switzerland, and I was just wondering if there were any rules regarding minors traveling unaccompanied. I am 16 years old and will be traveling to 3 different cities in Switzerland with a friend who's 20 years old, just the two of us. We are planning on taking trains from city to city. Would I need a parent consent form, or a letter from my parents saying that they are consenting to allow me to travel? Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Hi ckan2, welcome to MySwissAlps,

This is what the Swiss Federal Office for Migration recommends unaccompanied minors (under 18) who enter or exit Switzerland: "To forestall any suspicion (e.g. abduction of children), the Federal Office for Migration (FOM) suggests that these minors carry a note of consent from their parents or custodian. This note should contain the particulars of the parents or custodian. In addition, it is recommended to include a copy of the parents' or custodian's valid passport or ID card with this note."

Now, this is about crossing the border, and not about traveling within the country, but I would recommend to just comply to these rules during all your travels. Most probably nobody will ask for it, but at least you've done all you can do. You best also check the requirements of the airline if you travel by plane.

As for the train trips, you and your friend you can look into the Swiss Youth Pass, which offers free traveling without the need to buy tickets for each trip.

If you need affordable accommodation, you can take a look at the hotel pages, which offer a mix of manually selected hotels and hostels ranging from very affordable to very luxurious (i.e. less affordable). Also we have a separate list of budget hotels.