Lucerne: 3 nights in July; Itinerary; lodging; Bernina Express

Hotel Beau Sejour was very enjoyable. Immaculately clean; helpful staff; quiet location; great breakfast on their terrace and a pretty walk along the lake to the Old Town. Best of all was the air-conditioning in the rooms. It was definitely needed during our visit. At the time of our visit, their price point was more reasonable than the hotels in Old Town.

no it does not start or call in Luzern. Is is narrow gauge and has to run only on narrow gauge track which start at Chur. You need a train from Luzern to Chur.

I see you are looking for ideas for a few nights in Switzerland after your Croatia cruise. What kind of experiences are you seeking? Your other thread asks about staying in Luzern and whether you should hire a guide or rent a car, and mentions “We are in our 60’s”. That actually doesn’t say much about what you want to do: hike, shop, ride bikes, relax at a spa, explore quaint villages, dine in fine restaurants or local mountain huts, visit a castle . . . It’s all on offer.

I will start by saying that there is no need for a guide or a rental car; in Switzerland it can truly be said “the journey is the destination” because the transport to scenic spots by train, mountain lift, and/or boat is half the fun.

One example of this is the Rigi round trip, which is a loop from Luzern (or other spot along the lake) by boat to Vitznau, then a cogwheel train ride to the top of the mountain at Rigi Kulm (made famous for Mark Twains story about “sunrise” from there in “A Tramp Abroad”, Chapter XXVIII.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5785/5785-h/5785-h.htm#p294

If that doesn’t come through, it is pp. 189-203 in the Penguin Classics edition, with the actual “sunrise” experience on p. 197.

After time at Rigi Kulm you ride on the same little train back down to Rigi Kaltbad, a small community with hotels, restaurants, and an amazing day spa with an outdoor mineral pool with a view:

https://www.rigi.ch/en/shop/tickets-summer/queen-of-the-mountains-round-trip

https://en.hotelrigikaltbad.ch/wellness-spa

There are also easy and more difficult hiking trails from there. Whatever you choose there, you can when finished ride the cablecar down from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis, a small town on the lake, where you can ride another boat back to Luzern. Or take a bus and train if you prefer.

https://www.rigi.ch/en/attractions/weggis-rigi-kaltbad-aerial-cable-car-ede2785b61

I went into detail about this excursion just to provide an example of things one can enjoy in Switzerland, without a guide and without a car. Their tourism infrastructure makes it easy and seamless.

But to provide more ideas, we need to know whether you want to stay put in one place (likely Luzern? Or Berner Oberland?), or move around. If the former, there are other nice excursions from Luzern, or you could skip Luzern and Rigi and head straight to a Berner Oberland village such as Wengen or Mürren, and enjoy easy or strenuous walks or hikes, ride a cablecar up the Schilthorn or a small (and very crowded train) up the Jungfraujoch to Top of Europe.

https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/jungfraujoch-top-of-europe/

https://www.interlaken.ch/en/experiences/poi/schilthorn-gondola-cable-car

(Personal opinion: The Jungfrau is very pricy, and crowded, and there is an ice palace similar to the Jungfrau one closer to Luzern if you opt to stay there).

https://www.titlis.ch/en/activities/glacier-cave

If the Bernina Express interests you, and you don’t mind moving around to a different hotel each night, you can do a nice multi-day loop from Zurich. Head to Chur from Zurich, and overnight there. Next day, take the Bernina Express (or a regular train on the same track) over the Bernina Pass and down to Tirano on the Italian border.

From there, you can either (a) continue by train to Varenna on Lake Como and overnight there, then take the train 1 hour to Milan and transfer there to a train heading back to Luzern or Zurich. Either way, you can elect to stop for an overnight in Lugano, a Swiss city on the lake of that name.

Or (b), continue on the Bernina Express by bus from Tirano to Lugano for an overnight, and head back to Luzern or Zurich from there.

Note that for most people it works to spend the last night before their Zurich flight in Luzern, as it is just over an hour by train to reach the airport terminals.