Lausanne to Lugano

The fastest connections will show up when you enter your info at www.sbb.ch/en. Note, you do not want any routes that go to Milan, since you will need to pay for the Italian portion. Most show going through Luzern or Zurich.
A route with more changes will show up if you specify "via Domodossola". That would be a train to Domodossola, then a change to the Centovalli railway (FART) to Locarno, then trains to Lugano. Although Domodossola is in Italy, this route is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.

To find train routes in Switzerland, go right to the source - Swiss Rail: http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html Just plug in "Lausanne" and "Lauterbrunnen," and you'll get the route options and prices. Be sure to adjust the time (it defaults to current date and time in Switzerland, which may be the middle of the night). To see all the changes and stops, click the plus sign.

Before purchasing any rail pass, unfortunately you have to do the math. Use the Swiss Rail website to find prices for full fare tickets for trips you are definitely going to take. That's the only way to know if a Swiss Pass or Half Fare Card will save money. If it's going to be close price-wise, get the Swiss Pass, as it gives you the convenience of not having to buy separate tickets each time.

Note that the price on the first screen will say "from xxxCHF." That's the price with the Half Fare Card - click Fare/Buy and choose "no reduction" to see the price without any card or pass. You don't need to enter any other information to see this price.

eileen,

The Bahn.de website also has good information on the rail solutions from Lausanne to Lugano (although you won't be able to buy tickets there).

One of the quickest and easiest trips seems to be a departure from Lausanne at 09:50, arriving Lugano at 14:50 (time 5 hours, one change in Lucerne). There are numerous other solutions on that route with varying travel times and number of changes. I normally choose a mid-morning departure so that I have time to enjoy breakfast at the hotel (which I've probably paid for). I also don't like to arrive too early at the new hotel, since the room may not have been serviced yet.

Thanks so much for all your input. It's been really helpful and I'll check out those websites.
Happy travels!