Mar 12, 2014 - 5:58 PM
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.
Last modified on Dec 28, 2014 - 12:53 PM by Arno