Northern Italy and Switzerland itinerary

How about three nights in Lake Como,
then to Tirano, Italy, to catch the Bernina Express regional trains to Pontressina, Switzerland, (5,000' elevation)
( -go mountain biking, hike to a glacier, ski chair lift to the summit Alp Languard,)
Onto Murren and the rest of your itinerary.
Instead of the last night night in Zurich, you could stay in Lucerne, (unless you have an early morning flight.)

You have a nice amount of time in your destinations. I think once you're in Switzerland, you will fall in love and won't get enough. Also, you won't be as hot in the Swiss mountains. And you have cogwheels trains, funiculars, gondolas , ski lifts, cable cars, and paddle boats to experience- as thrilling for a nine- year old as for a sixty- nine year old.

Have a great family trip.

You've got to be the 50th person I have seen that is planning (or planned) a trip to go directly between Varenna and the Berner Oberland. That is an awkward journey to do in a day. So I will propose another options.

From Varenna go to Tirano then on to Stresa on Lake Maggiore. That is about half way, with some interesting things to do there.

PS. I was also going to suggest what Pat just outlined. It is still a long haul from Pontresina to Muerren, but could be worth serious consideration. Perhaps take the Glacier Express train as far as Brig, then peel off and head to Muerren.

I'm confused, Sam. Why would someone in Varenna travel east to Tirano, then back west (beyond Lake Como) to Stresa?

I am not confused because they are two, mutually exclusive options. If you go to Pontresina, then you go back to Brig and on to Muerren. I was thinking of this to start, but thought better of it as going from Varenna to Stresa, then Muerren is a lot less travel. Then Pat mentioned it, so I thought maybe it could be a viable option for a scenic train junky.

Like I said, the number of people who plan Varenna to Berner Oberland or reverse is truly stunning.

The journey between Varenna and the Berner Oberland is not that awkward, honestly. If you take one of the direct Milan-Spiez trains, it takes less than 5 hours and two transfers from Varenna to Interlaken Ost. I am not counting the last bit into Mürren since this is common to every route.
This being said I agree that Stresa would be a lovely 2-night stay. The Borromean islands are amazingly beautiful, and the landscape is different from Lake Como.

I have never met anyone who regretted staying longer in Ortisei. It, and the Jungfrau Region/Lauterbrunnen Valley are our two favorite locations. Period. 7 nights in Mürren is great. Make it 6 in Ortisei and you won’t be sorry, you have so many places you are going already. Don’t add another. And I agree with Balso on the Varenna to Mürren transfer. Not that bad and a train day can be fun. Nothing like it in North America.

I would add a night or two to Varenna. I would also consider time in Lucerne.

To answer your question about spending two nights in Verona, I would say yes. Two nights will give you one full day and (depending on arrival and departure times) part(s) of another day or two. It is a wonderful town with many things to see and do. Other than a quick peek (if that much) "Juliet's Balcony", in my opinion, is a waste of time. It was constructed well after what legend says happened, and was built just as a tourist attraction.

I would add those days to Ortisei.

Thank you all so much for the advice and info!! I really appreciate your expertise.
Pat, Pontresina looks beautiful in photos. I had not considered that previously. Thanks for the great idea.
Sam, to your point that Varenna to Murren is an awkward day of travel...One other thing I was considering was going from Varenna to Locarno, staying in Locarno 2 nights and then taking the Centovalli train to Domodossola, then up to the Bernese Oberland from there. I don't know if that would be any less strenuous than the Varenna to Murren (via Milan) route or not. Does anyone have thoughts on that?

I think ultimately I may end up adding the 2 nights to the Dolomites as a couple of people suggested. I've done enough reading on this forum to know that most people advise not adding extra locations to avoid extra travel days and packing/unpacking as many times. Plus, the Dolomites look pretty great! :) Again, I really appreciate all the advice from everyone!! Thank you!

CK, thanks for getting back to us, as it's always fun to watch how itineraries evolve. Hope you're enjoying the planning.
Safe travels!

Thank you, Pat! :)

Locarno sounds like a good stopover.

You can check the travel time from Domodossola on the SBB website. I can only say that it's a very worthwhile ride.

The trip from Varenna to Domodossola is not particularly quick. The fastest train takes 3 hr. 8 min.

Speaking of Locarno. . . There is another option for routing to Mürren that is our favorite between Switzerland and Italy. That is to take the Treno Gottardo, which connects Locarno with Luzern via the Gotthard Pass route, which is a scenic route over the Alps. From Luzern to Mürren you take the scenic Golden Pass route, which links Luzern with Interlaken Ost direct train with no changes on the way. From Interlaken Ost you take the local train to Lauterbrunnen, and then proceed to Mürren by either of the two cablecar options.

https://www.mystsnet.com/en/experiences/scenic-routes/treno-gottardo/

Use the buttons to view photos and a video.

Comparing the travel times for this route versus taking the Centovalli Railway to Domodossola and then to Mürren via Brig and Spiez, it looks like this (I am listing the times to Lauterbrunnen, as from there there is no difference between route):

Locarno to Domodossola via Centovalli Rail, 2 hours, no changes on the way
Domodossola to Lauterbrunnen, 2.5 hours with 2 or 3 changes on the way

Total travel time will depend on how long you wait at Domodossola for the northbound train to Brig or Spiez.

Locarno to Luzern by Treno Gottardo, 3 hours, no changed on the way
Luzern to Lauterbrunnen via Golden Pass Panorama Express, 2 hours 20 minutes, no changes on the way

Again, total travel time depends on how much time you wait to transfer trains in Luzern. Many people like to store their bags in lockers at the station and spend an hour or 2 in Luzern, maybe having lunch and a look at the famous Chapel,Bridge. There are lots on new lockers in the train station on the platform level, with easy access.

The route via Treno Gottardo does take an hour or so longer, but we feel it is well worth the time, due to the wonderful scenery. We just did this in September with family including 2 11-year-old grandchildren. Everyone loved the Treno Gottardo ride, especially all the waterfalls, and the little church you pass 3 times as the train switchbacks up ( or down) the mountainside

The Centovalli Railway is also nice (so I have heard; we have not taken that). But from Domodossola to Spiez you will spend a lot of time in two long tunnels under the Alps, rather than enjoying the scenery. These are the Simplon tunnel in Italy, and the Lötschberg Basistunnel between Visp and Spiez; efficient but not all that enjoyable.

You can see the routes, and the tunnels (dashed lines) on this map of the Swiss railway system. The named scenic routes are highlighted and numbered; look at ##5 and 7.

https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelpass.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_62

Note that there also a tunnel on the Gotthard Pass route, between Airolo and Göschenen. But this is much higher in the mountains and much shorter than two tunnels on the Domodossola route, and you miss very little in the way of scenery. You can also see on the map the switchbacks (at Wassen) and two spirals the tracks make on the south side of the pass.

Regardless which route you take from Locarno to Mürren, with 2 nights in Locarno you could spend the intervening day exploring the nearby Valle Verzasca. The Swiss Postbus provides regular service into the valley.

https://www.ascona-locarno.com/en/explore/valle-verzasca

Wow, Lola, thank you so much for all of this great info! I am so glad to learn of the Treno Gottardo option and that it avoids long underground tunnels that wouldn't be as scenic. I watched the video and looked at the photos on the link you sent, and it looks like a beautiful train ride! If we don't end up adding Locarno as a stopover and instead travel from Varenna to Murren via Milan, I think we will at least do the Golden Pass route between Interlaken and Lucerne on the final leg of the journey (after the 7 nights in Murren when we are heading to Zurich to fly home.) I am glad to know there are good luggage storage lockers in Lucerne. And we'll consider staying in Lucerne the final night before the flight home, if our Zurich flight home isn't early, as suggested by someone else earlier in this posting.
Thank you again everyone for the information and tips!! There are so many difficult choices to make when planning a trip like this, and your feedback is so helpful.