First time to Switzerland - and feeling a bit FOMO about my itinerary please help! :)

IMHO: we've been in that part of Switzerland 5 or 6 times and it sounds like a lot. One thing I'd keep in mind in March is that the weather can be great and then it can turn horrible in just a few minutes. (We've actually had the authorities kick everyone off the Jungfraujoch and close down the trains from Grindelwald to Wengen for a day.) Not to dissuade you, we've also had some of the most glorious days ever. But do take it into account as you plan. But also keep in mind that Swiss trains run like clockwork, it's not a huge country, and the view from train windows can be really, really pretty...

Were I going to do this trip, here's what i'd do:

Day 1: ZRH → Lucerne lunch → Wengen. This is the biggest change from your original itinerary. I personally think that were this my first trip to Switzerland, I'd want to get to the mountains as soon as possible.
Days 2–5: Wengen base (Wengen has some GREAT sledding - so does Murren, but the Lauberhorn route is world-class!)
Day 6: Wengen → Zermatt (sleep Zermatt)
Day 7: Zermatt
Day 8: Zermatt → St. Moritz (sleep St. Moritz) (This leg is long if you ride the classic Glacier Express routing—think 8 hours end-to-end)
Day 9: St. Moritz day
Day 10: St. Moritz → Tirano → Milan. Another long train day, but as I said, windows, great views, etc.
Day 11: Fly

That's four hotels and four train journeys in 11 days, but it is very doable and will give you a great taste of the country. Be sure to pack as light as you possibly can!

Personally, I much prefer Wengen to Zermatt, but you could trade a day in Wengen for another one in Zermatt. I also prefer to base in Wengen and visit Lauterbrunnen and Murren from there. We just did that in late September and it was glorious!

Whatever you choose, I hope you have a great time — and love Switzerland as much as we do!

Oof da that’s a lot :)

I think if you’re set on the long scenic trains + Zermatt, Wengen + Luzern & you plan to return to Italy later, then a compromise is your time in Milan. Milan is an extremely bustling city and is going to be a jolt to your system after the idyllic nature immersion of Switzerland. Also, remove your mountain day trip from Luzern and just focus on the town of Luzern and then concentrate your mountain activities in Wengen/Zermatt. There are tons of options from Wengen as a base, so 4 nights there isn’t too much.

I’d suggest something like this…..

*Luzern 1 night
Explore the historic center + Musegg wall, recover from jet lag, scenic train ride to Wengen

*Wengen 4 nights
Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, skiing, sledding, Thun, optional Jungfraujoch if you want to explore the ice world + winter activities along the glacier, etc.

*Zermatt 3 nights
Gornergrat, Matterhorn GP, ski, sled, etc
Glacier Express

*St. Moritz or Pontresina 2 nights
Perhaps a spa day to relax or more winter activities
Bernina Express and head straight to airport hotel

*Milan airport hotel 1 night

I generally agree with reducing time spent in Lucerne.

I would also, perhaps, make a choice between Zermatt and St Moritz. It's a hard choice. Zermatt has iconic views, but St Moritz has a broader range of activities in the region with fantastic toboggan runs. I think I would lean towards St Moritz, but not staying in St Moritz proper. Pontresina and Samedan are very charming.

If you go to the St Moritz area, don't miss Bergün and the toboggan runs there. It's unique. Also, go to the top of Muottas Muragl for more tobogganing and winter hiking, and explore the valleys south of Pontresina (Roseg or Morteratsch).

I have to agree with LADTM, as this plan sounds ideal. I also prefer Wengen over Zermatt, just my opinion. Actually, I prefer Wengen to just about anywhere else in Switzerland.

Side note; MXP is a full hour from central Milan by bus and 45 minutes by train. If you
have an early flight out, you'll either need to stay near the airport or wake up at the
crack of dawn.

Not so much in Switzerland, but in Italy, keep tabs on potential transportation strike
activity.

Thank you all so much!!! Waking up to all this great info is such a relief!!! Thank you!! Love these ideas!

Packing light for a trip that needs winter layers and accessories is going to be tough! Is traveling with the checked size baggage not doable on the trains? Idk if I can fit 10 days worth of clothes & winter accessories in a carry on unless we have a place with laundry somewhere along the way. lol

I also felt like Wengen seemed better than Zermatt and more clean of an itinerary, but my husband has his heart set on Zermatt and taking a scenic train.

For Zermatt some of the hotels seem to require 3 night minimums, so we were thinking about Relais & Chateux Schonegg and spending a day just relaxing at their outdoor heated pool, the spa etc and exploring the village. - a good mid trip reset.

Great advice on Milan thank you!! I was thinking if we stayed an extra night, we could go see a show at the Opera to end our trip in a nice way, however, Milan does feel totally random at the end. I looked into changing our flights to be roundtrip out of Zurich and avoid having to hike on down to Milan, but the flight would only have just under a 2hr layover in JFK and it doesn't feel like enough time to clear customs, claim our luggage and recheck bags to get on the next flight.

Would anyone vote skipping St. Moritz and getting off the Glacier Express in Andermatt and going down to Lugano for 2nights and then arranging a car pickup from there to MXP for an 11am flight - thinking we gotta get there by 8.

Also Wengen, realized there are no cars there, is it not advisable to not stay near the train because otherwise you are potentially dragging all of your belongings thru the snow for a 15 min hike to the train? Do you recommend AIrBnB vs. Hotel in Wengen? I've found both options but if its a small town, may be nice to have a kitchen to cook some meals and laundry access if we are there for a few nights.

We didn’t care much for St. Moritz. Our least favorite on our trip to Switzerland. As for the “scenic” train the Glacier Express, we did this from St. Moritz to Zermatt. It was too long, a full day on this train and we couldn’t wait for it to be over. The Matterhorn was a must see for me. Otherwise we could have skipped Zermatt. We stayed four nights in Wengen and never wanted to leave. Just my experiences.

You can take full-size checked luggage on European trains — we did on our first Switzerland trip (Zurich, Wengen, Zermatt, Lake Como, Milan).

And then we learned. 😄

After wrestling giant suitcases up stairs, down ramps, onto trains, off trains, and into whatever super overpacked “luggage space” might or might not exist, my wife and I swore a blood oath: never again. We are now unapologetic, carry-on-only zealots — and life is better this way.

Here’s the thing: trains are fast, elegant, and civilized… right up until you’re trying to deadlift a full-size roller as the doors start to close.

Once we switched to carry-on rollers or backpacks, plus a personal item, everything got easier — smoother transfers, less stress, more spontaneity. We’ve done three-week trips like that and never looked back. In fact, just last September, we spent 17 days bouncing between Lyon, Chamonix, Kandersteg, and Wengen with carry-on only… and honestly? I could’ve (should’ve) packed one less pair of pants.

Real-world example: the train rolls into Lucerne. You’ve got time for a lakeside lunch. Do you want to:

• wrangle giant suitcases
• hunt down luggage storage
• and watch the clock…

or just grab your pack, hop off, stroll into town, eat well, and catch the next train?

Exactly. Pack light. If you have winter clothes, wear them. Your future self will thank you — probably over a glass of wine instead of a pile of bags. 🍷

@Paul: You’re a man after my own heart. My wife’s family started going to Wengen back in the ’80s, and we’ve been 5 or 6 times together — the last visit was nearly a full six days. It’s one of those places for us.

Her father’s family, on the other hand, is from Zermatt. Every other hotel, restaurant, or shop seems to have her family name on the door, and the cemeteries are… let’s call them "thoroughly represented" by her relatives. But, yes: we’ve very much done Zermatt.

Wengen, though? We’ll probably keep going back until we physically can’t travel anymore.

Have you been to Kandersteg? We finally made it there on our last trip and absolutely loved it — like a smaller, quieter cousin to Wengen. That said… Wengen still takes first place.

@Postcard Pursuits In Wengen specifically, we’ve always stayed at a hotel downhill from the station — and at this point we’ve been hosted by three generations of the family that runs the Alpenrose, which says a lot all by itself.

As for schlepping bags up and down hills: you don’t need to. Most hotels run shuttles from the station. We always let the hotel know our arrival and departure times and they send someone to grab us — easy, civilized, zero suffering.

Food-wise, the Bären, just uphill from the Alpenrose, is reliably excellent — especially if you like local wild game. We’ve never done an Airbnb or similar, but for self-catering there’s a small but perfectly decent Coop grocery just downhill from the station. (It’s not glamorous for sure!)

And since Wengen isn’t a rowdy party town, location really doesn’t matter much. - everywhere is reasonably quiet. By the station, uphill, downhill — you’ll be happy anywhere.

Did you also check leaving from Geneva? Leaving from Zurich or Geneva would free up some options. Nearly 2 hours is just fine to clear customs at JFK and I’d do it if it meant avoiding Milan, hands down.

You can certainly train travel with checked bags. We live in Mürren for our summers every year but also spend a few weeks in Austria, Slovenia, etc so every summer we do multiple long train travel days with 3 months worth of luggage. Obviously the less you have, the easier it will be, but as long as you limit to 1 roller that you are able to personally lift up steps and 1 backpack style personal item, you’re fine. Some of the trains have the old school steps up into them instead of the zero entry, so you have to be able to lift your luggage up and down those steps, as well as lift it onto the luggage storage racks.

In the winter I’d prefer a place near the train station in Wengen. There are plenty of options that fit that. For hotels - Maya Caprice & Hotel Baren are my favorites. For chalet apartments - look at Interhome, e-Domizil, Wengen Apartments, Alpine Holiday Services, chalet.MySwitzerland.com, airbnb, etc and just make sure to pick something within a 5 minute walk of the train station. If you’re unsure, post here and I can tell you if it’s a reasonable distance. They keep sidewalks/roads accessible during snow, so it’s not like you’re going to be walking through waist high snow with luggage :)

LADTM,

We stayed in Appenzell, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Wengen and Lucerne. Me, I’d head for Wengen and stay put. .

Have a great time. I want to repeat the comment about Muottas Murgl just east of St. Moritz (near Pontresina). We took the funicular up to the hotel/restaurant. The views are amazing. The food at the restaurant, world class. We were there in 2023 and had such a spectacular visit that we wanted to spend the night on the mountaintop when we returned this summer. So if you only have one night in the area, see if you can spend it at that hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Nolda last trip and it was a great value. This time we are staying in Pontresina near the path up to the glacier. Again, if you've only got a night, that might be the place to stay. It is near a train station on the route the Bernina Express takes. We were there in early June and St. Moritz was pretty quiet.

A reminder that the Bernina and Glacier Express are special trains with great service but you will see the same sights on other trains that are a bit less expensive and travel more frequently. That might make your schedule adjustable.

Have an amazing time.