Fastest time to visit all Swiss cantons
- Who
- Gian-Luca Bähler
- What
- 15:30:00 hour(s):minute(s):second(s)
- Where
- Switzerland (Bellinzona)
- When
- 22 May 2020
The fastest time to visit all Swiss cantons is 15 hr 30 min and was achieved by Gian-Luca Bähler (Switzerland), in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on 22 May 2020.
The idea of attempt a record came about one evening in a bar with colleagues. Gian-Luca claimed at the time that he knew almost the entire public transport timetable of Switzerland, so he decided to put his knowledge to the test and turn that idea into reality.
Gian-Luca works as a train traffic controller, so is more familiar than the average person with the trains in Switzerland. Despite his extensive knowledge and expertise, the perfect route still took some time to calculate. He first analysed the geography of each canton and worked out the best places to stop and change trains. He says the best stops do to so were on the border of each canton. He also had to minimise transfers in case of missed connections and come up with multiple Plan B's just in case. He even took the season into consideration, as colder weather tends to result in more delays and interruptions.
On the day of the attempt, luckily only 1 out of 18 trains were delayed. The chosen route played out smoothly, even the one minute connection window in Lucerne was a success!
Gian-Luca's rigorous planning payed off in the end and he has achieved his very own Guinness World Records title. Congratulations Gian-Luca on being Officially Amazing!