Lucerne, Locarno, Lugano?

Lugano will be easier to get to than Locarno from Luzern. Also easier to get back to Zurich as there are a lot of direct trains.

Sam, We'll probably be going to Lugano or Locarno from Lauterbrunnen. Would you still recommend Lugano over Locarno?

If that is the case, I'd say Stresa, Italy. Same lake, lower cost. Italian food at Italian prices.

Yes! I've JUST been reading about Stresa--sounds wonderful. Do you recommend going directly from Wengen-Lauterbrunnen to Stresa, and if so which ones of the other places would you omit?

Not sure what areas you referring to to omit. You said you would go from there to Luzern, right?

Sam, Departing Zurich July 2. Don't have to go to Luzern but thought it would make sense en route back to overnight in Zurich. Others under considerationwere Locarno & Lugano.

If you go to Luzern, there is no need to spend a night in Zurich. You can get direct trains from Luzern to Zurich Airport in 1 hour.

Sam, Excellent trip planning help--thanks! Last questions (hopefully). Trains from Wengen-Lauterbrunnen to Stresa will take about 3 1/2 hours? Then we want to take the ferry to the car-free Isola Pescatori for the peace & quiet & a nice hotel. Will that be an easy transfer (from the train station to the ferry)? And how long does the ferry ride to the island take? We don't want to make our day too long or tiring.

If you were to stop in Stresa for a couple of days it's very easy to do a day trip to Locarno via the scenic Cento Valli Railway and then returning by Ferry. Stresa is close to Domodossola which is not far from the Swiss border, so getting back to Zürich will be easy (I didn't check on the travel times).

Both Locarno and Lugano are beautiful cities and it's hard to make a decision between them, but of the two I'd probably lean towards Locarno. On a day trip to Locarno, you can visit the impessive Madonna del Sasso Franciscan Monastery, browse the shops around Piazza Grande, try your luck in the Casino (Lugano also has a Casino), or take the Cable Car to Cardada / Cimetta for some incredible scenery (a bit pricey). There's a viewing platform not far from the cable car station at the top (the viewing platform tends to "sway" a bit if it's windy but don't worry, I'm sure it's quite sound). As I recall, there's a hotel & restaurant right beside the top cable car station, which has an outdoor patio overlooking the lake. It's a great place to have a fine meal or a "cool one" while watching the Paragliders sail past.

Stresa also has some great sightseeing opportunities, including the beautiful Borromeo Islands (especially Isola Bella) and Mount Mottarone.

Looks like you will have to get going at the crack of dawn with a 6:26 departure from Wengen, getting you to Stresa about 9:30. There is a long gap between trains with fewest connections, next one is early afternoon. You can also get to Locarno via lake boat.

Sam, Regarding your last post about the 6:24 departure from Wengen to get to Stresa, are the train connections better from Luzern? In other words, would it be easier, although longer, to go from Wengen to Luzern to Stresa?

It's not clear how long you will be spending in one of the lake destinations, it's a long way to travel for a couple of days or so from Lauterbrunnen. If you are keen on doing so, I would settle on Stresa, as recommended, a charming small town with a number of restaurants. When we were close to that side of Lake Maggiore, we visited Stresa, the three islands, the garden at Villa Taranto, the village of Cannobia and the town of Locarno, which edged Lugano for appeal by my lights. I was not overly impressed by Arona. If you can afford the taxi ride (public transport may be too tedious?), I highly recommend a day trip to Orta San Giulio, the prettiest of all the villages in the Italian lake district: a nice waterfront and side streets, a tiny, achingly beautiful island a short ferry ride from it's pier, and pleasant walks along the lakefront to the north and above the village in the grounds of the Sacre Monte.

Gunderson, Thank you for your suggestions. If we leave Wengen at the crack of dawn on June 28, we''ll arrive Stresa by 9:30 assuming we make our train connections. We'll have 2 days there during which we'll be staying on Isola Pescatori. Others have recommended doing a day trip to Locarno--I love Franciscan Monasteries so will probably do this on one day. On the other we hope to spend some time on the mainland and maybe also to visit one of the other islands, possibly Bella. We don't like to cram too much in, rather preferring to savor the sweetness of being where we are. We look forward to walking Isola Piscatori in the early mornings and evenings and having dinner both nights at our hotel.