Man visits all 26 Swiss cantons by public transport in less than 17 hours

Expats and locals often compare how many Swiss cantons they've visited in their time in the alpine nation - but how fast can you see all 26 by train? Thanks to a couple of record breakers from St. Gallen and Zurich, we now know it's possible to visit the length and breadth of Switzerland in under 17 hours.

The Swiss Train Challenge

First coined by the Scouts in Neuchâtel in 2016, the Swiss Train Challenge has been delighting transport nuts for years. To complete the challenge, travellers have to use public transport to set foot in all of Switzerland’s 26 different cantons - passing through cantons does not count, but simply stepping outside the train quickly during a stop does.

Thanks to the density of the rail network in Switzerland and the fact that almost all trains run on time, passengers have been able to set foot in every region in less than a day. However, to get the fastest time, it requires a lot of running and attempting connections only seconds-long.

The original record holder was a Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) timetable planner from Sarnen, who visited every canton in 19 hours and 45 minutes. This was beaten by four young people from Ticino in 2017, who used the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel to slash the record down to 17 hours and 16 minutes.

The stakes were ramped up further in 2018, when students from EPF in Lausanne used a specially developed algorithm to create a mathematically perfect route of 16 hours and 54 minutes, but a delay in Bern saw them cancel the attempt. Three French-Swiss then set the next best time, of 16 hours and 55 minutes. 

A note: the “official” record of 15 hours and 30 minutes, completed in 2020, is discounted as the man who completed the route only passed through and did not set foot in every canton.

Group of strangers attempt to smash the 26-canton record

Finally, in March 2025, Christoph Brändle made his attempt to beat the record time. Unlike previous record setters, Brändle created a route where, in many cases, he would have less than a minute to change trains or buses. Having picked up a friend from Zurich and two strangers from eastern Switzerland who wanted to join, the band of adventurers set off at 5.25am from St. Maurice to Geneva.

From Geneva, they then travelled to Lausanne, Neuchâtel, Kerzers and Biel/Bienne, before winding their way to Basel. “Only after that does it become complex, especially in eastern Switzerland," Brändle noted. To make sure each canton was covered, the group had to take several buses to get to Appenzell Innerrhoden, Ausserhoden and Glarus, before hopping back on the train.

Group visits every Swiss canton in record time, despite delay

Sadly, the record attempt almost faced disaster in central Switzerland. After making their minute-long transfer in Lucerne, their train was then delayed on its way to Arth Goldau in Schwyz, and they missed their onward connection.

Luckily, despite being 30 minutes delayed, the group managed to take the next train to Ticino, and instead of stopping in Zurich as planned, they chose to travel to the tiny town of Langwiesen, Canton Zurich, as their final stop at 10.04pm . Despite being 21 minutes later than planned, Brändle and his group secured a record time of 16 hours and 38 minutes.

What is the fastest way to visit each Swiss canton by public transport?

Want to try the route yourself? Here are the details of the theoretically fastest route:

1. St-Maurice (IR1804, 5.25am)
2. Geneva (IR90, 7.05am)
3. Renens (IC5, 7.41am)
4. Neuchâtel (IR66, 8.32am)
5. Kerzers (S35, 9.06am)
6. Lyss (IR65, 9.30am)
7. Biel/Bienne (IC51, 9.48am)
8. Basel (IR27, 11.16am)
9. Lucerne (S5, 12.42pm)
10. Alpnachstad (S5, 12.59pm)
11. Lucerne (IR26, 1.18pm)
12. Arth-Goldau (IC2, 1.49pm)
13. Bellinzona (EC16, 2.47pm)
14. Zurich (S25, 4.43pm)
15. Ziegelbrücke (S17, 5.28pm)
16. Sargans (IC3, 6.03pm)
17. Landquart (IC, 6.18pm)
18. Sargans (IR13, 6.35pm)
19. Heerbrugg (B226, 7.08pm)
20. Heiden (B222, 7.35pm)
21. Rheineck (S4, 7.56pm)
22. St. Gallen (S1, 8.22pm)
23. Ending in Stein am Rhein at 9.43pm

In a statement, Swiss Federal Railways praised the attempt. "We congratulate the team on this fantastic achievement. The careful planning, athletic dedication, and necessary perseverance are impressive," they wrote. They concluded by hoping that amid the adrenaline-fuelled checking of timetables and station maps, the team were able to stop and enjoy the journey.