Four Swiss youths have set a new record speed for visiting all of the country’s 26 cantons, turning the trick in 17 hours and 19 minutes, all on public transport.
The friends, aged 15 to 23, started in Bellinzona at 6:13 on Saturday morning, finishing on Sunday evening at 23:32 at St. Meurice in Valais canton. Along the way, they covered over 1000km of rail and bus routes. And they did it on the cheap, using youth passes and day passes.
The previous record was 18 hours and 31 minutes. Some purists may quibble: the old record was set before the 57km Gotthard Base Tunnel opened, cutting significant time off the scheduled route. But since the time savings is about an hour and they beat the record by an hour and twelve minutes, it’s been accepted by Guinness World Records.
