Mountain - Alp Views and Visibility in December

Mountain weather is always a mystery.
We were in Lucerne Dec, 2019, and on a cloudy day, decided to go to Rigi, as the boat ride is beautiful, and the cogwheel train is fun. Half way up, the cloud cover was so thick that we could barely see 50 ft. Suddenly, there was a magnificent blue sky, and fresh powder snow. We were above the clouds, and had a surreal viewing experience. Had we been actually staying in Lucerne, the hotel would most likely had a live video feed of the peaks, and we could have decided based on that. Some of the peaks may actually have online video cams you can access yourself.
The Swiss Xmas markets aren't as elaborate as the German markets. The Zurich main train station has the largest indoor market in all of Europe. The markets in Bern are very nice; I expect the Lucerne markets are smaller, but as they opened after our visit, so we didn't get to explore those.
If you can, take the train to Strasbourg, France, for a spectacular Xmas experience.
Have a great trip!

Also, note that most Christmas markets close by the evening of 23rd December. Some stay open on the 24th, but that's a quiet day, and only a handful keep going to the end of the month.

Are you planning on staying in Luzern the entire time? The Matterhorn is not exactly a day trip from there.

Some of the best mountain scenery is in the Lauterbrunnen and greater Jungfrau Region. You could spend a few nights in Luzern then take the scenic train to Interlaken and go on to Wengen, Mürren, or Lauterbrunnen for some immersive mountain time. With 10 nights, I stay in two locations only.

Where will you arrive and depart? Are you hikers? There is a lot of winter wandern I’m Switzerland where groomed trails facilitate easy walks in the mountains. We did that one winter and I”d love to go back at that time of year.

Thank you Pat! Mt. Rigi is definitely on our list with your suggestion of the boat ride :) Since we're arriving in Zurich and staying one night, we'll check out their Xmas market if it's up and running.

Thanks Balso! Good to know that about the Xmas markets.

Hi Laurel - We were planning to stay in Lucerne and use it as our base. Looking at the Swiss map and with a suggestion from another Swiss travel forum it was suggested to have Bern as our home/hotel base. Bern "offering easy connections to mountain resorts as well as to other cities like Basel, Zurich, Lucerne, Neuchâtel are all reachable within 1 hour of travel." I had read Bern is not a nice or quaint as other areas. Thoughts?

Thank you to myswisslife as well. The live webcams will be most helpful.

I'm not sure about the wisdom of staying in a city in the Swiss lowlands for the duration of your stay. What falls as snow in the mountains falls as rain in Bern, Luzern and the like.
I'd rather use two bases: let's say Luzern for 3 days (so that your partner has a chance to see Xmas markets), or Bern (larger city than Luzern, but quite charming nonetheless. No lake, though), then a place in the mountains for the remainder.

I agree Balso, maybe 2 bases would be best (variety is the spice of life). Aside from Bern, would Wengen, Interlaken, Grindelwald, Bern Oberland region also work?

Not Interlaken (still quite urban and at a low elevation), but both Wengen and Grindelwald would work well! Plenty of winter activities there, even for non-skiers.

Wengen is smaller, car-free, very charming, a bit higher in elevation.
Grindelwald is bigger, directly accessible by car, but is a more "happening" place with many restaurants.
I would aim towards Wengen for the novelty of a car-free alpine resort, but Grindelwald is perhaps a bit more centrally located for the winter trails and activities.

By the way, don't forget mid-top snow boots. They don't have to be super warm - sub-0 F temperatures are rare at resort elevation - but a good tread is necessary. Especially if you want to enjoy some winter hiking (winterwandern, highly recommended!) or tobogganing (watch out and check your insurance policy).

prior post larson link is actually to a post soviet russian internet domain address - caution advised until webmaster rules