Feeling overwhelmed planning my first Trip to Switzerland

When all else fails, go to Google Maps and look around. I find that can help me overcome a mental block.
I can reassure you that Lucerne for three nights will be lovely. Have you gone to the SBB website and done as instructed? It is best to figure it out now and not wait until you need it!

This video will show you how to use the SBB app:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtVY7L4qlBQ

There’s plenty to keep you busy in lucerne for 3 days. In fact, here’s another good video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2St3R344S04

If you click on my name, you can find the links to my Switzerland trip reports. Lots of ideas in those for things to do in and around lucerne.

The train system is very easy and you will be able to figure it out. Also, the train employees at the stations spoke English for the most part.

I like your idea of staying in Lucerne for 3 nights. Otherwise, skip Lucerne and spend your time in Berner Oberland. Grindelwald would not be my choice for that area, you could consider Murren, Wengen or Lauterbrunnen Valley.

I don't like the one night stay idea, you will spend a lot of time on trains and you could end up with bad weather in a town and not see anything.

I did, When I added Lucerne to Jungfraujoch travel time is 8 hours and 11 minutes one way, it doesn't seem like a wise decision to stay in lucerne if traveling to that area.

There are several nice day trips to mountains that you can do from Lucerne. Alternatively, you can go to a mountain town. With such limited time, you are not going to get everything you want. With only two full days, I would stick to Lucerne and plan a return trip.

We prefer to do our Alps visits to the Tirol Region in Austria. It seems as if travel is just easier in Austria, and it's so easy to get into the mountains from Munich. Also less expensive than Switzerland. It's all the same mountain range.

We seem to make it to Italy and Greece almost every year. But we're past due for a Bavaria and Austria trip. We are going to hit Budapest and Lisbon for the month of February.

Lucerne is great, so stay there the three days, and the Swiss rail system is a joy to use. Many Swiss rely on public transportation solely and don't even own a car.
Based in Lucerne, you can take an hour lovely boat ride to the cogwheel train to Mt. Rigi, about a half- day adventure.
You can watch the sunset after an open air Cabrio cable car to the summit of Mt Stanserhorn, only 45 minutes one way.
You can walk along the town wall, and do a walking tour. Lucerne is charming.
Most folks purchase a half-fare card, but I like the convenience of the STP. Note when looking at prices on the SBB app, it is assumed one has at least the half-fare card. The rail system is expensive but is clean dependable, and on time.
Enjoy!

I would pick either Luzern or Grindelwald (or somewhere there in that area). Otherwise you'll eat up most of your short visit on trains and in rail stations waiting for trains. Jungfraujoch is not a place you can stay - it's a point on top the mountain and it will take a lot of time just to get there and back even from Grindelwald. You can check train schedules and times on the SBB.ch/en website.

Luzern is easy to get to - 1.5 hours by train from the rail station in the Zurich airport. I'd prioritize the mountain visit which will take up most of a day. The weather up top may dictate when to go. The in-town sights are OK but not priority, IMO.

I am also feeling overwhelmed with a similar trip! I am planning 3 nights in Switzerland in February ,coming by train from Frankfurt, and need to fly out of Zurich on the late afternoon of the last day. This is with my husband and 2 teenage children. I think we want to stay in Luzern but also want to see a snowy (hopefully) mountain village, which is my son's request. I thought that the day trip to the Rigi might be enough, but wondering if there is a better scenic/impressive mountain town to visit?

I did read there is a scenic train from Luzern to Interlaken, that runs frequently and you can take a train from there to some of the mountain towns. https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/luzern-interlaken-express/
I wonder if its realistic to do a day trip to this area from Luzern or if its too much? Or should we spend a night near there- Does anyone on the forum have an opinion on whether its worth spending one night in a town like Lauterbraun?

Any thoughts or tips are appreciated! Also looking for a hotel that has family rooms in Luzern. Thanks!

@elchoipac it is better if you start your own thread, more people will see your specific questions and be able to help you.

Although there are a few dwellings on Rigi, I would not call it a scenic mountain village, certainly not in the way that Wengen and Mürren are.

Luzern - Interlaken is very beautiful. The train runs hourly at :06 (look at SBB.ch).

It is realistic to do this as a day trip. To go all the way to Wengen is 2h 35 min, about one hour longer than Luzern - Rigi Kulm, so it just depends on your own preference as to how long a day trip should be (I would certainly do it!).

Or, depending on how important it is for you to go to Luzern, you could just head to Lauterbrunnen and explore the Jungfrau region for all three days instead.

@elchoipac and anyone else looking for mountain town day trips from Luzern on a tight schedule: don’t forget Engelberg is only 45 mins by train from Luzern. https://www.engelberg.ch/en/index/ Besides the village, there are good mountain experiences here too. The trip up to Titlis is covered by the Tell Pass or discounted with Swiss Travel Pass. Without a pass the full fare is expensive, but you do get 10% off with the Luzern guest card. Or go up from the other side of town to Brunni instead, which is much cheaper, and you can have lunch at a mountain restaurant, enjoy nice views, snow, sledding, etc.
Yes, Lauterbrunnen Valley and surrounding villages are beautiful and by all means go for it if you consider a must-see, but there are other perfectly good options if you can’t or don’t want to spend a whole day on the train. When I lived in Luzern, I often took visitors to “just” Rigi, Engelberg or Melchsee-Frütt and no one ever complained about the scenery ;)

Thank you for the replies, and you are correct @Swissnomad, should have started my own thread! I was thinking maybe my question would help @hcreekcc as well because I was also looking at the trip to the Jungfrau region.

After looking at options, I have decided that a day trip to Engelberg/Titlis is probably the best choice, and then a half day to Rigi, and we will hit Interlaken/Jungfrau area on another trip!

@hcreekcc : I did quite a bit of research and if you want to spend more time in the mountains, it might make more sense to stay just one night in Luzern, and then do the scenic train to Interlaken, and then train to one of the small towns to spend the night like Lauterbrunnen or Wengen. I looked at Lauterbrunnen, Hotel Oberland seemed reasonable. Good luck!

@hopper18, I certainly did not mean that there was anything wrong with the scenery at Rigi - I was just up there today and it was so beautiful (although cold and the wind was causing the snow to blow all around me, I was glad for my winter gear!).
I was thinking in terms of photography, actually. A typical quaint Swiss mountain village in the snow. I know that was one of the first things I wanted to photograph when I moved here…and I interpreted the question to be related to that. Engelberg also came to mind, but because it is in the valley and not so much on the hillside (like Wengen or Grindelwald), it does not photograph the same. A wonderful winter location though, for sure!

@swissnomad No worries, I didn't think you had anything against Rigi :) and I was more focused on the time aspect than the photography. Many people on the forum seem to think that they 100% must cram the Lauterbrunnen Valley region into every itinerary, even if they're only in Switzerland for 3 days. Yes, it's a great destination but it is a long day trip from Luzern or Zurich and if you have limited time, it might not be the right choice and that is OK. Luckily we are spoiled for choice here in Switzerland when it comes to scenery! To be honest, I lived in Switzerland for over 10 years before I ever stepped foot in Mürren, Wengen, or Lauterbrunnen myself. So I just want to reassure people that there are options and it's ok to skip a so-called "must see" place if it isn't right for your trip. And likewise, if you end up deciding the long train ride is worth it - go for it and enjoy!

On our first visit to Switzerland we spent four nights in Lucerne and did a day trip to Engelberg and then Mt. Titlis. It was absolutely spectacular and I still love looking at the photos.

On the last trip a couple of months ago, we stayed in Wengen. Yes the mountains are a tad higher and the villages a little cuter, but for the time you have I wouldn't waste all those hours on an expensive trip to Jungfraujoch. Go to Titlis instead, you will love it.

@hopper18 Absolutely - I have certainly gone to the Lauterbrunnen Valley…a LOT, but I live in the Berner Oberland, so it is in my ‘neighbourhood’; but when I first starting looking at this forum and told my Swiss partner that people here will literally tell everyone to cancel any plan they have and go to Mürren, he laughed hilariously. This is his home turf and he just didn’t get it. There are so many far less busy places to go that are equally as beautiful.

Having said that, @elchoipac has s teenage son who wants to see a snowy mountain village. Won’t find that on Rigi. I sometimes also think of social media for people this age (perhaps incorrectly) and the Lauterbrunnen Valley is still quite a hot spot for that. February, if there is snow in the valley and the sun lighting up the waterfall (at around noon, or early afternoon)...beautiful!