Christmas in Switzerland Itinerary help

Eventho I have done basically your itin in Summer , i think u are running. Realize that the weather is always iffynin Zermatt. U may be hotel bound. Be flexible espec in winter. ThenJungfrau may be not poss due to weather. Have an alternate, perhaps in the valley or Murren.
These are beautiful areas , for sure. Just be flexible and slow down to enjoy. For ie.I spent 4 glorious days in lauterbrunnen valley area and was never bored. I trained up and down it was wonderful.

Without plugging it into SBB.CH to check, I don't see how Day 2 is even possible, much less recommended. And you'll be jetlagged so probably fall asleep om all those trains and miss the scenery if not your stop.

SLOW DOWN. Pick 3 places maximum to sleep. You have 7 nights.

Go immediately to Lauterbrunnen and stay 3 nights. So much beauty and great transportation here you won't be bored.

Then chose between Montreux and Zermatt for 2 nights (one or the other, not both!), wrapping up in Luzern for 2 nights, which is close enough to Zurich to take a train to the airport the morning of departure. Given that itinerary for sleeping, slot in the scenic rides you want to take, but factor in time to eat, take scenic walks, and enjoy!

Ok I will alter the itinerary. I think it's important to mention I'm traveling solo so I dont want to be completely isolated.

I have to agree with the posts about slowing down and editing. Otherwise you will always be on your way somewhere instead of actually enjoying Switzerland.

I understand about not wanting to feel isolated. Day tours are a way to be temporarily part of a group while traveling solo. You might want to consider how to strategically place a few of these into your itinerary.

I saw a great series last year on PBS called Swiss Railway Journeys. It provided some great travel ideas and made me want to pack my bags immediately. If you haven’t already seen it, I’d suggest watching it

Understand that it will be the height of family ski vacations in Switzerland that week. You will not be isolated, your problem will be finding places to stay that won't cost an arm and a leg.

I completely agree with others that you are trying to do too much in a week. Pick 2 places, like Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt and stay 3 days each. You can get to Lauterbrunnen (or Wengen or Muerren if you can find a place to stay) from Zurich airport by train in a few hours. Going via Luzern is a little longer but more scenic.

Right now, your priority is to find places to stay in these mountain towns.

Zermatt did get snowed in for a few days in January last year when heavy snowfall forced closure of the rail line for a few days due to avalanche danger. That was unusual. People who needed to get out had to take a helicopter.

First, I question your choice of dates. One of the best parts of Christmas is the Christmas Markets. These end midday 24th December. You are missing these. 25th is a Public Holiday, many places will be closed, that is when Christmas ends. I would fly in Thu 20th (latest Fri 21st) to give you time to enjoy Christmas over the weekend.

You only have an afternoon in Luzern. Just enough time to do a circuit of the town, assuming you are not too tired from Jet-lag.

Day 2 is no hope. Titlis is a full day from Luzern, Jungfrau is a full day from the any of the places nearby. Neither can be combined with a travel day. Mountain trips depend on weather. Ideally you need a window of 2-3 days and then decide on the day depending on the weather. If the mountain top is in cloud, choose another day.

31st Dec in Zürich. That is a good plan. Fireworks and festivities at midnight.

In general, fewer places please. I count 6 nights in Switzerland. I recommend no one night stops (though 31st Dec in Zürich might be an exception), 6 nights is 2, maximum 3 places.

I've already booked my flight.. Al arriving direct December 25th and I will depart January 1st...

So far I have booked 3 nights in montreux and one night in zurich. I haven't booked accommodations for Dec 25-Dec 28th as I haven't mapped out where to go yet ...

Is there anything to see and do in lugano If I take the train to Como in Milan...or if Weather permits I can visit Zermatt and jungfraujoch?.

So far I have booked 3 nights in montreux and one night in zurich. I haven't booked accommodations for Dec 25-Dec 28th as I haven't mapped out where to go yet ...

Slightly confused here. In your original post you say "3) Day 3 : Dec 27 . . . . b) Train to Montreux ,overnight in Montreux", that is 4 nights in Montreux.
Assuming it is now 3 nights, with 3 nights still to be decided (25th, 26th, 27th).

Is there anything to see and do in lugano

Yes Lugano is nice. It is a lakeside town, and you could easily go there direct from Zürich airport on the 25th, and on to Montreux on the 28th. You can walk around the town, and take a boat ride on the lake. There are some pretty villages around the lake.
You can look up train times and prices on the SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) website: https://www.sbb.ch/en/
Times for dates after 9th December have not yet been published, but you can assume they will be 90% the same as at present. Public Holidays, including 25th December, have the same service as Sundays. Zürich Flughafen (the name of the station at the airport) to Lugano takes 2h30 and costs CHF 70.00 full fare 2nd class.

"If I take the train to Como in Milan" - don't understand that comment. It is a big lake, and it IS NOT in Milan. You could take a train from Lugano to Como town. But that is just one end of the lake. You could take boats from Como town to other places on the lake. Or a local bus from Lugano to Menaggio on the west side of the lake. I suggest you look at a map, not a road map, one that shows the mountains.

"...or if Weather permits I can visit Zermatt and jungfraujoch?." - Lugano to Zermatt is 6 hours by train. Lugano to Grindelwald is 5 hours. Then you have to get up the mountain. Both much too far for a day trip.

Thank you so much. I will forgo Lugano since it's too far from the other mountains and sceneries I want to visit farther west. So I still need to decide on where to stay 25-28th ...I was considering St. Moritz but it's so far east so perhaps Zermatt for 2 nights and one in a transition town..

Also, what kind of rail pass will I need for this itinerary...

By my interpretation, you actually have 3 nights open, 25, 26, and 27. You said you booked 3 nights in Montreux. From your original post, that is 28, 29, and 30, then 1 night in Zurich on the 31st, then the flight home on the 1st.

Given that, I'd say stay 3 nights in Muerren. You will really only have 2 full days there. Then you can take the Golden Pass rail line to Montreux. Try to stay someplace to include your Christmas dinner.

The 8-day Swiss Travel is 398 CHF 2nd class. It includes the ride on the Schilthornbahn to the top. It is included with the Swiss Travel Pass this year. After you fine tune things, you may find the Half Fare Card is a better value.