First time to Switzerland

We were. advised by many friends not to stay in St-Moritz rather in nearby Pontresina which we were so glad that we did. Pontresina is a charming town with many of the painted houses. There are nice hotels and good restaurants. And when we visited St-Moritz we were glad we weren’t staying there.

Thank you, Suki.
We choose St. Moritz only because the Glacier train leaves from there.
Is there a property you would recommend in Pontresina?

I have not been to Lugano, but some other posters mentioned that is an expensive resort town and not as scenic as spots on Lake Como which are a lot less expensive. I would not want to stay there as a base to visit Italy when I could stay in Italy.

If you want to visit Milan, you could go there straight away after you arrive in Lugano on the Gotthard Panorama Express. Stay 2 nights in Milan, that will give you a full day there, then take a train to Varenna and stay 3 nights there. You can visit Bellagio by ferry from there. Then continue to Tirano and the Bernina Express train to Pontresina. It is a short train or bus ride from Pontresina to St Moritz to get the Glacier Express.

Consider Montreux or Vevey rather than Lausanne.

You could also tighten this whole trip up by going directly from Zurich airport to Luzern as soon as you get off the plane. Its only a 75 minute direct train ride. If you want to visit Zurich, save it for the end of the trip.

I can only offer input based on my RS Best of Switzerland tour - my first European trip and first solo trip. Unless you are interested in Zurich, the train straight to Lucerne was super easy and left from the airport.

I loved Lucerne! I don't know what day trips you have planned, but I'm assuming Mount Pilatus, and I'm hoping Mount Titlis in Engelberg (on a clear day). Staying in Lugano was nice but not my favorite location of the trip. I enjoyed Lausanne for sure. And, Murren - it's everything you hope it will be - and more! I also really liked Bern. Our tour only stayed one night, and I would have preferred to stay another full day. Our trip only stopped in Zermatt for a few hours. It was lovely, and I could have stayed one or two nights.

Looks like it will be a wonderful trip! Have fun!

I will “second” Sam’s suggestion to make a loop through Milan, Varenna, and Pontresina (via the Bernina Pass route), instead of spending 4-5 nights in Lugano.

Thank Lola and Sam, your information is very helpful!
I was hoping to avoid as much hotel changing as possible.
Wifes bags are just too much of a burden as she over packs:-)
How is getting across the border and back?

You may not even know you are crossing a border.

As far as packing goes, look at a few Rick Steves packing videos, especially ones specifically by and for women.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEGHdQGz0ug&t=22s

You are already scheduled in 8 locations over 3 1/2 weeks. Getting to/from Muerren is going to be challenging if you are overburdened with luggage. Besides, if you eliminate Zurich and Lugano and replace it with Milan and Varenna, you have no net change in the number of stops.

We are also planning a first trip to Switzerland and looking for ideas and options. Specifically looking for any festival ideas and things that we absolutely must do. We plan to visit from Oct 19 to Oct 28. Fly into and out of Zurich. We also plan a couple days in London (plan to fly in and out of Zurich as well). Our intent is to make either Lucerne of Bern our "Home Base" again looking for suggestions.

Would we be better off to go to London over the weekend or sometime during the week?

Any lodging referrals in either Lucerne or Bern? We would be ok staying in either place for a couple of nights as well.

Also we have been looking at the RailEurope Pass and are wondering if this would be a better choice than buying point to point tickets for each trip.

We really want this to be a fairly laid back and relaxing trip. We do not like crammed full trips, but rather enjoy slowing the pace down.

JC, you’ll probably get more responses if you make a seperate post instead of adding on to an existing one.

RC, I noticed you are in the Murren/Wengen area for the last weekend in Sept. We were in Wengen for that same weekend a few years ago (2018) and were so delighted to enjoy both the cattle parade descent and a delicious and very entertaining Cheese Festival on that Saturday. Alpen horns, great food options, crafts, wonderful atmosphere... Please confirm with visitor's center the dates for this year. Highly recommend if you can make the dates work.

Maybe 3 nights in Murren and 2 in Bern, rather than a single night in Bern. Bern's worth a day, and why rush around right before your international flight home.

Angelp - Thank you!

@Angelp thanks for the recommendation! I'll be in Mürren at the same time as @RC and will have to check it out