My June itinerary needs help

I really like your itinerary, and am SO jealous. Course I was just there last Sept, 2021....We couldn't go into Italy because at that time, transiting thru Heathrow would have required a quarantine in Italy. Then mandates changed.....

Which STP are you buying? I'm assuming 15 day flex pass? Remember that if you use the Pass for a discount, that it counts as a use day.

You can download the SBB app and check train times, but trains leave almost every hour for most destinations. The Swiss rail systems is superb for efficiency and ease of use, and maybe you'll find another of those 25% off sales. And- second class on a Swiss train is better than first class on many others.

The STP use on Mt Pilatus is only a discount; Mt. Rigi and Stanserhorn are completely covered by the STP. The boat ride to Rigi is covered, which is delightful.

We rode the regional trains for the Bernina Express route. We were then not required to reserve seats. The advantage of the regional trains are more flexibility of schedule; you can hop on and off; the windows open which allows better pix taking [no window glare]; and they are much less crowded [ social distancing for covid concerns], and you can change seats depending on where the spectacular views are. We passed the Panoramic trains, and it seemed every seat was taken.

Booking directly with the hotels usually results in discounts, especially if you mention Rick's name. We liked the Lucerne's Hotel des Alpes with view of the Chapel Bridge, and Hotel Bellevue in Murren, each of which had a fair cancellation policy.

You are so fortunate to be flying out of SFO, as you'll have so many options; Swiss Air has direct flights home from Zurich. I suggest using Flight Aware to check the dependability of the flights you are considering. For our Sept, 2021 trip, we were sold flights that hadn't flown in the previous 18 months. That resulted in 6 flight changes before we departed.

Have a great trip and again I am SO jealous!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/lucerne-62eb4d28-60ab-4837-b4b4-91a2486eb732

Hopefully the above Trip Reports may have some helpful suggestions. I linked all seven parts using the Comments sections.

Did I say I was jealous???? :)

To save yourself the time of one hotel change, I would eliminate the 2 nights in Bern and put 1 of those in Montreux and the other in either Montreux, Murren, or Lucerne. Bern is easily doable as a day trip from Montreux (1 hour and 38 minutes).

I’ve been planning my own June trip and have lots of ideas for Montreux. You can find those on this post:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/4-nights-between-sion-valais-and-lauterbrunnen-reservations

Carrie's suggestion is spot-on. Bern is nice, but you don't need 1.5 days/2 nights there.
Also, given the choice, from Montreux I'd rather do a day trip to Gruyères and the Caillier chocolate factory in Broc than to Bern. More "unique".

By the way, I answered you other thread regarding Pontresina to Montreux: I'd rather not break the journey, but you can use one of the Bern nights to break it if you'd like.

Noting I think you mean Tirano. Torino would be a mistake.

Yes to Tirano, not Torino!

This will be a lovely trip, and good use of a 15-day Swiss Pass ( not Flex as Pat thought). But you are going out of your way in some cases to utilize the named scenic routes, and missing one that should be included.

Take a look at the map of Swiss railways and you can see what I mean:

https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelpass.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_56

First, the Glacier Express: no need to ride all the way to the end at Zermatt, which is a detour on the way to Montreux, if you don’t have a night planned there. It would be a very long day on a train if you go all the way to Montreux by that route.

If you want a good chance to see the Matterhorn, then go to Zermatt and spend 2 nights there (substitute this for the nights at Bern), Then, to reach Montreux, return to Visp from Zermatt, and head to Spiez. There you can board the Golden Pass line and ride that to Montreux, likely with a change at Zweisimmen. This is the “classic” direction to ride the Golden Pass, due to the fantastic views down to Lac Leman as you descend from the mountains to Montreux. And you will have a chance to ride in the special panoramic cars on this section of the route. You can read about them and learn about reservations for the special cars:

https://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass

https://www.goldenpassline.ch/en/goldenpass-panoramic-2/

Even if the schedule does not work out and you ride a regular regional train, it is a great view and nice way to get to Montreux. Also shorter than the route via Martigney.

After Montreux, you can reverse the route to Spiez and on to Mürren, or go via Bern with or without a stop in the city on the way.

Then from Mürren to Luzern, do not go via Bern. Take the much more scenic route, continuing on the Golden Pass line from Interlaken Ost over the Brunig Pass.

For you last day of using the Swiss Pass, note the comments above on the validity for Rigi versus Pilatus. The Swiss Pass fully cover the Rigi loop, but coverage is only partial for Pilatus.

Wow! Thanks everyone for the suggestions - it’s a lot to consider but “I’ll be back” when I’ve thought this through.

Emily.

P.S. Pat, when you were in Switzerland last fall, we were in Budapest.

Emily, haven't done Budapest yet, but it's on the list. Safe travels!

Emily,
Like Pat, I am envious of your trip. We were one of several on the Forum that went to Switzerland last year.
Lola's advice:
"Then from Mürren to Luzern, do not go via Bern. Take the much more scenic route, continuing on the Golden Pass line from Interlaken Ost over the Brunig Pass." We took that route last fall after it was recommended on the forum. It was very scenic; no reservations necessary.
We did a day trip to Bern, from Wengen, when the weather forecast called for rain for practically the whole country. It was a good use of a day when the mountains aren't visible.
Not sure what your interest in Bern is, but as Carrie suggested, you might consider using those 2 extra nights at either Montreux or Luzern.

Agree with others, ditch overnighting in Bern. It’s worth a day visit but there are so many better places to be! If me, I would echo Carrie and add on in Montreux, one of our favorite places and lots to do or not do depending on what you feel like. Take a look at Carrie’s planned itinerary for her time there and that will give you some ideas.

Also don’t shortchange Zurich. Much to our surprise (having been to Switzerland multiple times but never staying in Zurich) we ended up really liking it. Th Old Town is great, the Lake is beautiful, the food and bars were excellent and the vibe is very even because there are many working folks and tourists both. We ended up loving it.