26 Canton Challenge - Page 2

RetiredInNH · #21 01.10.2008, 17:15

	Quote:	dakman
	Actually,for us cyclists, goal could be to cycle to the highest road in each canton.

For a mountaineer (I make no claim to being one

) the equivalent would be climbing to the highest point of each canton.

Lofton26 · #22 01.10.2008, 17:34

As an avid hiker, I tried to walk a nice trail in most of the mountainous cantons. I missed hiking in places like Glarus and Jura, but I can always go back. I still have an extremely large backlog of trails I want to do, but luckily most are near my central Swiss home.

Starbug · #23 01.10.2008, 19:34

What I can suggest is using the post busses. I have gone on some wonderful trips with the post bus around Switzerland, you get to see places which you wouldn't get to by train or at least get a different perspective. I've done the following routes:

San Bernardino Route Express (Chur - Bellinzona)

Ticino Route Express (Wallis/Tessin)
and there is the 4 mountain pass trip, from Meiringen over the Grimsel to Nuefenen, from there to the Gotthardm, Andermatt and then Sustenpass back to Meiringen.

The Postauto site has lots of other ideas.

HeatherM · #24 01.10.2008, 19:36

	Quote:	Lofton26
	From Delemont to Herisau, I completed my own personal 26 canton challenge on Monday when I hiked over the Surenenpass and visited Stans, the capital of Niwalden, on my way home which was the last piece of the puzzle. It took me one month and I saw every cantonal capital, plus did tons of hiking and visited other towns that I was interested in. In the end, my favorite canton was probably Uri. I learned a lot about this nation and its history along the way. It's amazing how diverse Switzerland is for such a small territory. In the end, I think that's what surprised me the most. Even though I have traveled here before moving, seeing each canton really makes you appreciate the differences a lot more.

Well done on completing the 26-canton challenge! I very much agree with you that seeing each canton makes you appreciate the differences a lot more. Switzerland may be small, but there are surprises around every corner, and I love the fact that within such a small area there is such a range of languages, customs, and landscapes. I've been to every canton several times over now, and still manage to find something new and wonderful every time I travel outside my front door...

Heather

RetiredInNH · #25 01.10.2008, 19:41

	Quote:	Starbug
	... and there is the 4 mountain pass trip, from Meiringen over the Grimsel to Nuefenen, from there to the Gotthardm, Andermatt and then Sustenpass back to Meiringen.

Arguably the most spectacular trip in this country full of spectacular trips!!!!

ChrisW · #26 01.10.2008, 23:32

	Quote:	Starbug
	... and there is the 4 mountain pass trip, from Meiringen over the Grimsel to Nuefenen, from there to the Gotthardm, Andermatt and then Sustenpass back to Meiringen.

Do it on a bicycle and it is even more spectacular! The Alpenbrevet event is held every August, and more than a thousand cyclists tackle this and other shorter and longer routes.

Anyway, I have to agree about the post-buses. The trains are a great way to see the country, but by taking an occasional post-bus you can discover some of the more remote areas.

Deep Purple · #27 02.10.2008, 09:07

	Quote:	Lofton26
	From Delemont to Herisau, I completed my own personal 26 canton challenge on Monday when I hiked over the Surenenpass and visited Stans, the capital of Niwalden, on my way home which was the last piece of the puzzle. It took me one month and I saw every cantonal capital, plus did tons of hiking and visited other towns that I was interested in. In the end, my favorite canton was probably Uri. I learned a lot about this nation and its history along the way. It's amazing how diverse Switzerland is for such a small territory. In the end, I think that's what surprised me the most. Even though I have traveled here before moving, seeing each canton really makes you appreciate the differences a lot more.

Good to see that you achieved this. One of my mains loves about Switzerland is the enormous diversity of landscapes etc. in such a small country. I hope to catch up on some of my 'missing Cantons' around Christmas.

Rod

Deep Purple · #28 09.01.2009, 23:30

I have got my 'Canton total' up to 22. The only ones that I haven't visited are the two Appenzells, Jura and Geneva. I think that travelling through seven Cantons in one day was the most that I did.

Deep Purple · #29 07.05.2011, 15:05

I have got my total up to 25 cantons now. Just Jura to visit to complete the set.

You may be interested in this iPhone app to record your progress in visiting the different cantons. Swisshiker

It is just for fun rather than any practical applications. Each of the 26 cantons can only be unlocked on the map as you visit them. The GPS prevents cheating. This is really only suitable for iPhone rather than iPod Touch with wi-fi, as I have. I was in several cantons but could not unlock them as I was not in a hotspot. I only managed to unlock six of the 14 that I visited this time.

The app records your progress towards various challenges: Visiting the 26 cantons, Röstigraben, visiting enclaves etc.

As each canton is visited you are rewarded with some pictures from that area.