There aren’t many countries that are small enough to run across, yet big enough that it’s a challenge.

But Liechtenstein, a country you’ve only heard of because it sounds funny, is ideal for this. It’s about 16 miles long and there isn’t much to do besides hiking anyway.

So, on a detour from Lucerne to Zurich, I spent my afternoon traversing the length of the tiny country, remarking at the scenery, and making a friend or two along the way.

Unceremonious

Borders in Europe are notoriously unremarkable, but the road that takes you from Switzerland into Liechtenstein at the southernmost point takes the cake. Swiss and Liechtenstein flags were plopped into the ground next to the road.

“Welcome to Liechtenstein!” signs were nowhere to be found.

Instead, towering mountain ranges were all around me. About half of Liechtenstein’s territory is a big mountain range and it's probably why they’ve avoided capture during their country’s history.

I hardly saw anyone as I passed through the southernmost town, Balzers. Perhaps because it has a population of less than 5,000. But I did see fancy cars everywhere. Audis and Mercedes-Benzes seemed to be the baseline, with many families flaunting Porsches, Ferraris, and more.

No one seemed to struggle financially.

Visiting (Almost) Every City

I couldn’t tell you much about Balzers, but that was even more true for the next town, Triesen. With a population of similar size, it was equally quiet, albeit with the same mountainous backdrop.

I picked a beautiful day to do this. It was sunny and warm, which is not always the case during April in Europe. With the Alps all around me, I chugged along Road 28. Highway 28? Street 28? I’m not really sure. But it served as the main road through the country and was accompanied by a nice bike lane I ran on.

After Triesen, I arrived at Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein!

Compared to Balzers and Triesen, Vaduz was an absolute party! On my journey through the capital, I ran past world-renowned sights like Kathedrale St. Florin, Pfarrei Vaduz, and all 15 tourists who had stumbled into the micro-nation.

Balzers to Vaduz took me about 50 minutes of running and represented the halfway point. As I passed from Vaduz into Schaan, I stopped for some lunch.

The Liechtenstein Economy

Plans to eat some typical Liechtensteiner food for lunch were foiled by the prices for food. What amounted to “Swiss food with a twist” was priced at 30 or 40 euros. Devastating.

At this point, I realized that I would quickly get priced out of Liechtenstein society if I stayed for long.

Instead of bankrupting myself, I stopped at a little mom-and-pop restaurant called Subway. I heard they have this $5 footlong deal, but it must have been false advertising because my sub cost 28 euros!

Sheesh.

As I ordered, I chatted with my new Liechtenstein friend Lea, the Subway employee taking my order.

“I’m running across the entire country today,” I mentioned casually, partly to justify why I asked for double meat.

“Really?” she replied, “Like just for an ego boost or something?”

Damn. She got me.

Second Leg

The sub slowed me down as I walked it out for an hour to let the food digest. But we were still making progress! The sun was shining, I had passed through Schaan, and I bade goodbye to Road 28 which was veering off in a different direction.

From here, I ran along the Rhine River which serves as the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland. I passed through Bendern and Ruggell and was surprised to see other people biking and running along the path.

Liechtenstein had come alive!

My compatriots spurned me toward the finish line even as my footlong weighed me down. The people, the scenery, and the resolve to boost my ego gave me the motivation I needed in the final few kilometers. Soon enough, I saw the most beautiful sight of the day (besides Lea)–the Austrian border!

This one was even less ceremonious than the Swiss border. I even had to check Google Maps to confirm I’d made it. But the GPS doesn’t lie. 16.4 miles later, I had run across Liechtenstein!

I would’ve loved to say I treated myself to a nice cold beverage afterward, but the nearest supermarket was a 30-minute walk.

But nothing could dampen my enthusiasm at seeing the entire country of Liechtenstein. Though brief and nearly bankrupting, it was a journey I’ll cherish for life.

:)