Recommendation for Stopover town/city from Florence to Murren and from Murren to Zurich

What time is your flight out of Zurich?

We didn't book any flights yet.

You can play with routing for all manner of transportation options between two points with Rome2Rio.com, which is a great tool to help answer questions like yours. When I did a quick look at the route, I saw the first train change in Milan, which would be a very convenient place to spend the night-there are a ton of lodging options within walking distance or a short taxi ride of Milano Centrale, and it is (more or less) the halfway point for the train trip from Florence to Lauterbrunnen, then connect to the local, train from Lauterbrunnen to Murren. Transit time on R2R is 7.5 hours, which probably means more like 8.5-9 hours, not counting any pit stops for lunch or to get your land legs, so I would not advise doing that, especially if you have a little one with you. Another option would be to route through Lugano, with a train change in Milan-they you could take the Panorama Express from Lugano to Lucerne and connect to a train from there to Lauterbrunnen and the Murren railway. Lugano is on a lake, so it would be more scenic than downtown Milan and is not much more time than the direct train to Milan.

For your departure-you mentioned Lucerne, which according to SBB is about 60-80 minutes by train to Zurich ZRH airport, so that could be your last night if you prefer not to stay in Zurich. Bern is another possible last stop before Zurich - it is about the same transfer time to Zurich airport as Lucerne. If your flight will leave early, you may want to consider staying in Zurich, but you can decide on that after you book your flights.

Transit time on R2R is 7.5 hours, which probably means more like 8.5-9
hours, not counting any pit stops for lunch or to get your land legs,

Thats is actually not how train travel works. Which is also why you shouldn't plan train trips using Rome2Rio...

I've done Wengen - Florence in one day. Its perfectly doable. Fastest is 6 1/2 hours. And no need to have any stops for lunch as there is a restaurant on the train.

I would just spend more time in Mürren. If your flight out of Zürich is in the afternoon you can even travel direct to the airport from Mürren.

OTOH. You may want to go to Luzern first, spend two nights there, then go to Mürren, and then direct to the airport from there. I just realised that this summer the railways are planning engineering closures on the Simplon Railway again...

Thank you so much for the suggestions. We were thinking of doing the long train ride non stop so I like the idea of maybe going from Florence to Luzern for a day or two then Luzern to Murren. I'm glad to hear there is a restaurant on the train as I was wondering about whether to bring food on the train.

Then I just wanted to confirm, depending on when our flight is, to go directly from Murren to the Zurich airport? You mentioned some train section having work done this summer; as I am not familiar with any of the routes, is there a specific route I should take Murren to Zurich to avoid that construction? I am still deciding as it looks like a long travel day from Murren to Zurich so we may still stay in Zurich although it doesn't seem like that city is as fun as the other places.

We are super excited about staying in Murren; I booked a hotel for 3 nights and I'm wondering if I should make a fourth night reservation there if I can add on to my existing one. SInce you mentioned you have been to Wengen many times- which do you prefer Murren or Wengen to stay in for restuarants? And which is easier to explore the area as far as maximizing the time exploring instead of riding on trains. I picked Murren because many people have said the views and beauty are spectacular.

Traveling from Mürren to Zurich is not a big deal, as long as your flight is in the afternoon. If you have an early morning flight, then just travel from Mürren to Zurich Flughafen late at night before your departure and sleep in an Airport hotel.

I wouldn’t advise using Rome2Rio to plan when it involves trains (use SBB) and I also wouldn’t recommend Milan. Just do your full travel day and get where you’re going to have an extra day in the mountains.

Wengen is best for someone focused on doing mostly day trips in the region, wanting more hotels & slightly more shopping. Mürren is best for someone focused on hiking and wants a more authentic Swiss village feel. There are plenty of restaurants in Mürren to take care of you for 3-4 days, so the only decision point is whether you care about the extra 9 minutes & extra cable car ride whenever you “commute” to somewhere out of Mürren. Those who stay in Wengen love Wengen best. Those who stay in Mürren love Mürren best. You really can’t go wrong.

Awesome info! Thanks so much! I have decided to definitely take the long train ride in one day Florence to Murren and then work with "the commute" to and from Murren for more hiking/exploring.

I have a few other questions as I continue my trip planning regarding the train travel: 1. When the train travel opens, I plan to get a Swiss Travel Pass probably for 6 days so when I book the train on SBB, will it book the Italian portion and the Swiss portion (Florence to Murren) 2. Do I have to choose the amount of time between each transfer of trains or does SBB do that automatically? How much time do I need between transfers? As mentioned previously, we would like to get there efficiently in one day but I don't want to be rushing between train transfers as we will have luggage. 3. I know I need reserved seats on the Italian portion and I'm thinking to get reserved seats on the Swiss side just so we don't need to worry about whether we will have seats. Do you recommend getting reserved seating on the Swiss portions or is that not necessary? 4. We will have luggage- carry on and small back pack and our daughter will likely have 2 small-medium size bags as she will be in Europe longer than us. Everything I have read said it's easy to store the luggage and to not over think it and where to put it. Any comments on storing the luggage on the train/finding space for it that is helpful to know? 5. How long is the "commute" on the 9 minute train +cable car- I think it's like 25 minutes? We do plan to go to other little towns via train outside of Murren while we are staying in Murren. Thank you so much for your help!

The quickest trip I see right now is 6 hr 29 min, leaving Florence (Firenze SMN) at 12:55 pm and arriving in Murren at 7:24 pm.
12:55 - Florence - Milan (20 min transfer time)
3:10 - Milan - Spiez (13 min transfer time)
6:06 - Spiez - Interlaken Ost (8 min transfer time)
6:34 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen (10 min transfer time)
7:06 - Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)
7:13 - Grutschalp-Murren BLM

1. There is no need to buy a Swiss Travel Pass way far in advance. Just get it right before you travel. You’re not going to purchase a ticket for the Swiss portion of your trip, because the Pass IS your ticket. For the route I’m mentioning, you’d purchase your ticket from Firenze to Domodossola (where your pass goes into effect) leaving at 12:55 via TrenItalia and then once you pass over Domodossola, your Pass becomes your ticket if someone comes around checking tickets. Thus, you can buy your TrenItalia ticket whenever you want and no ticket needed for Switzerland, you just make sure to have the pass by the time you travel.

2. The trip I’m looking at all have plenty of transfer time. Have the SBB app on your phone, which will tell you for every leg of your journey which platform you’re arriving at, which you’re leaving from and if you click on the little person icon in between the transfers where it says “Show map” it shows you exactly how to get between each leg of your journey. The only one that “seems” short is the 3 minutes at the end, but it’s not short. Every single person who gets off that cable car walks together to the train and you all leave together. It’s a transfer, but not in a traditional sense. The cable car and train are a 10 second walk between the two.

3. You don’t reserve seats in Switzerland, except on specialty scenic trains. If you’re concerned about getting a seat, just upgrade to First Class for that portion of your journey and you’ll find plenty of seating. But in general, it really won’t be a big deal. You can have a second class Swiss Pass and do a First Class upgrade for just this journey if you want.

4. These trains are meant to carry people with luggage, so they are designed as such. There are always luggage shelves at the entrance of each train car, as well as overhead space + under the seat space. It’s true, no need to overthink. We travel with 3 months worth of luggage every summer and every once in a while we’ll end up on a busy train where the luggage shelves are full and then we just stand with our luggage for a bit in the waiting area of the train until people get off at a stop or we sit with our luggage. Again, if this stresses you out at all, just upgrade to First Class and you’ll find more space.

5. It takes 21 minutes to get from Murren to Lauterbrunnen (11 minute train ride to Grutschalp + 4 minute cable car ride to Lauterbrunnen). It’s a stunningly beautiful ride (sit on the left side of the train heading towards Murren for views). Alternatively you can do the 4 minute cable car ride from Murren to Stechelberg + 12 minute bus ride from Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen (22 minutes total). The train station “Murren BLM” is on the north side of town across from the Eiger Hotel. The Schilthornbahn station is on the south side of town next to Hotel Alpenruh. They are about a 10 minute walk between. The Schilthornbahn cable car runs from Stechelberg > Murren > Birg > Schilthorn and another route that services Gimmelwald (Stechelberg > Gimmelwald > Murren) while the train runs between Murren and Grutschalp with the cable car down to Lauterbrunnen. Both are fine options, but we typically use the train route via Grutschalp to get on/off the mountain, as I personally prefer that over the bus. We use the Schilthornbahn line to go to Gimmlewald, see Schilthorn/Birg and if we're coming home late, as the Grutschalp route stops running at 8:30 pm, while the Stechelberg route goes until 11:30 pm.

Wow- thank you so much for the super helpful and detailed information!! It's all the info I needed to know for my logistical planning ! Now I'm looking into all the fun stuff to do while we are there! I can't express how thankful I am for your help!

Hello again, I was researching the trains on Trenitalia from Florence to your suggested Domodossola (and I know it's too far out to book the actual tickets for late June) just to see how the Trenitalia web site works to purchase tickets. I put in February dates. I just wanted to confirm that those two cities are the correct ones to input? I saw on one of the train routes it shows the transfer in Milan and then it continues on to Domodossola. And as you mentioned previously, I assume that we then just stay on the train as it goes through Domodossola (with our Swiss Travel Passes) until we get to Spiez for the next transfer? I was confused about how to know whether I would be booking the correct train (e.g. they gave several options) and how we confirm a reserved seat or how to know if it's second class? Or is it better to book it on SBB instead of Trenitalia? I ididn't think I could do that for the Italian portion of the trip. Any suggestion you have would be much appreciated. I will continue to play around with the Trenitalia web site. Thank you!

What I do when booking a long route involving 2 countries is this:
1. Look up the full route on SBB (Florence > Murren) Pick which one you want and write it all down (transfers, times & train numbers).

1. See on that route what the Italian portion is. In the case of the 12:55 option, your Italian portion is Florence to Domodossola, so you'll need a Trenitalia ticket from Florence to Domodossola. Just make sure that your route is the 12:55 from Florence to Milan + a changeover in Milan to the train to Spiez, but you don't purchase all the way to Spiez because of your STP. Your ticket will basically say that you're leaving Florence at 12:55 and arriving in Domodossola at 16:43. You can line up what the train #s say on SBB to make sure they match what you're getting on TrenItalia.

Yes, you are correct in that you do not get off the train at Domodossola. If you have the STP it will look like this:

12:55 - Florence - Milan --- Trenitalia ticket "Florence to Domodossola"

3:10 - Milan - Spiez ---- Trenitalia ticket "Florence to Domodossola" but once the train crosses into Switzerland your ticket becomes your Swiss Travel Pass -- so for example if someone comes through checking tickets just after you leave Milan, you show them your Trenitalia ticket. Then later on they may come through again once the train is going through Switzerland. At this point, you show your STP.

The from here on out, your STP covers all this:
6:06 - Spiez - Interlaken Ost
6:34 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen
7:06 - Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp

7:13 - Grutschalp-Murren BLM

When you're booking on Trenitalia, for all they know you're just going from Florence to Domodossola, so you pick your seat reservation, 1st or 2nd class, etc. as if that's all your doing. Then your STP kicks in later. The only consideration you need to make is that if your STP is 2nd class, you need to be sitting in 2nd class once you pass through Domodossola. If you want to do 1st class, purchase 1st class through Trenitalia and then a 1st class upgrade on SBB for the Swiss portion. Or get a 1st class STP.

Seats aren't reserved in Switzerland, so if you do a seat reservation, you're really only talking about the Florence to Milan portion, because the train out of Milan is an SBB Swiss train.

Thank you so very much again!! You are a kind and helpful person. The information you provided will help us so much.

Traveljoy, glad to see that things are sorting out well for your trip. Since you are spending some quality time on trains, you might want to take a look at a web site called seat61.com. It is the best online train travel resource I've seen to date, and I've been referring to it for over a decade because it has a ton of useful info, including how to purchase tickets, various tips and tricks for certain routes, and other relevant info. That site, in combo with other sites that have the most accurate timetable and ticket info (Trenialia, SBB-my new favorite, and a few others also discussed on seat61) wil be useful for this and future trips that involve train travel. You can always return here (or Tripadvisor, on the Switzerland forums) to confirm what you find on one or more of those sites, as wanderweg and others have so graciously done for you here. Good luck and have a great trip-we will be preceding you in the Lauterbrunnen Valley by a few weeks, so maybe we can trade stories of our adventures down the road.

Thank you for the seat 61 and other information. Yes, I will trade stories after our trip!

I'm now getting into the details of the trip. Does anyone have an opinion on Hotel Alpina vs Hotel Alpenblick in terms of which has the amazing views ( I think they both do) , good,hearty breakfast and clean rooms. I can't between the two. I can't wait to explore Murren!

I think both are good options.

Alpina has unobstructed views if you get a room facing the valley/mountains and is on the main road in between the train station and cable car station, so a very convenient location. However, I've never eaten there, so I can't speak to the food and I don't know the owners/staff.

Alpenblick is tucked away on its own and is behind the train tracks, so you will be able to see the train coming/going from your room with the mountains behind it (it's not a loud train and stops well before bed time). We love the family who owns and runs Alpenblick and have nothing but great things to say about them. It's our family tradition to eat at their restaurant our first night in Murren every summer and their family is a staple in the Murren community. They are very convenient to the train station, slightly less convenient to the cable car (10-15 min walk).

Thank you again wanderweg!! I am still deciding; both choices are awesome and your feedback was helpful.

I still don't know my flight times home from Zurich but most flights are either in the morning or leaving around 1 p.m. local. If we were leaving on a 1 p.m. flight would it be too rushed to take a train from Luzern in the morning to the train to Zurich Flughafen to get to the airport in time for a few hours before our flight? I read that the train goes directly to the airport terminal but I just want to make sure that is correct?

Yes, it's no big deal at all to leave from Luzern to get to the airport for a 1 pm flight. There are multiple direct trains from Luzern to Zurich Flughafen (airport)
leave Luzern @ 9:09, arrive at the airport @ 10:21
leave Luzern @ 9:35, arrive at the airport @ 10:44

Due to all of your help, I am figuring out the SBB and Trenitalia apps and schedules. I am so grateful for your advice and help!

Quick question- Trenitalia shows the Firenze - Domodossola route for the date we want to travel but SBB doesn't show the full routing yet from Firenze to Muerren for the date we want. So, I'm assuming it's best to wait a little longer to book the tickets on Trenitalia untll the full route is available on SBB so that the trains line up?

Also, now I think we are going to fly out on a morning flight from Zurich. We would still like to see Luzern but I'm thinking our only option is to put our luggage in storage in Luzern. My question is do those luggage storage places get full? If so, I think we will be spending the day in Zurich or enjoy the morning in Muerren and then head out to Zurich to spend the night before our flight.

There are 222 lockers at Luzern station in sizes varying from S, M, L, XL, XXL. The standard rental period is 6 hours and the maximum rental period is 96 hours. I doubt if they will all be taken, as they can be expensive for extended periods of time. They work with credit cards with the tap function.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/stations/find-station/lucerne-station.html
Scroll down and click on 'Equipment and lockers".

Thanks for your response on the lockers! We may just go direct to Zurich or maybe another smaller town :)

Another question on the trains from Florence SMN to Muerren BLM. Ideally we would like the fastest routing. We will go second class with the Swiss Travel Pass.

The fastest route will likely be leaving around 1 p.m. in Florence and arriving 7:30 p.m. in Muerren. My question is do I need to be concerned about the Swiss trains being crowded in late June and not being able to get seats and potentially having to wait for another one? I ask this because I don't know if it's better to leave earlier in the day rather than taking the later and faster route.

I know back up options if the trains are crowded are to 1. upgrade to first class on certain trains on the route or 2. there is a second way to get to Muerren from Lautrebrunnen and Gimmelwald.

I'm so thankfurl for all the advice and now that I'm almost done with the logistical planning, I can actually plan the fun stuff we will see and do while in the mountains! We can't wait!

If you take the EC train from Milano Centrale to Spiez, you are home free. There are frequent trains from Spiez to Interlaken Ost, at least 2 every hour. Some will just be local trains and not crowded, some will be long distance trains that stop at Spiez, and they may be crowded. It is only a 20 minute ride. Trains from Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen are also 2 per hour and originate there, so just board early and grab seats. Make sure you board carriages marked to Lauterbrunnen, as the train splits along the way with the other half going tp Grindelwald.

At Lauterbrunnen, just follow the crowd and the signs to the lift to Gruetschalp. The train at the top meets the lift and then takes you to Muerren.

PS, the fast route you mention departing Florence at 12:55, the EC train at Spiez connects to a local train to Interlaken Ost that originates in Spiez. So seating should not be a problem, you will be the first to board an empty train. Plus, it is a cross platform change from Track 3 to Track 2.

If you have the STP, you just book your route from Firenze to Domodossola. Then you show your STP for afterwards, no getting off the train, the STP is your ticket once you hit Dom. See my explanation above. The 1-7:30 option is the best one.

You will never not be able to get on a train, it’s not like that where they refuse boarding. The worst case scenario is that the train is quite full and you struggle to find a seat for a bit, but people are constantly getting on and off and stops, so eventually seats open up. In the unlikely event you struggle to find a seat for a while, just stand with your luggage in the entrance carriage. In general, the option you’re doing is not typically crowded and you should be totally fine.
However, because you seem a bit nervous about this particular journey, I’d just recommend spending the extra money for a first class upgrade. It’s not that much more expensive and seems it will give you peace of mind to know you have a seat. Purchase 1st class through Trenitalia and then no ticket for the Swiss portion, just select the “upgrade” for 1st class. Or purchase 1st class through Trenitalia and then once you’re on the train from Milan to Spiez, seek out an SBB employee to ask to pay for a 1st class upgrade with your STP for Dom-Lauterbrunnen (there is no first class from Lauterbrunnen-Muerren). This may be simpler for you so that you know you’re getting the correct thing and then you won’t have to move seats once you pass through Dom.

The second way to get up to Murren isn’t going to matter on crowdedness. Once you’re in Lauterbrunnen you have 2 options:
1. Walk across the street to the cable car, take the cable car up to Grutschalp + train to Murren
2. Walk across the street to the bus, take the bus to Stechelberg + cable car up to Murren
Neither of these options will be full to the point of denying boarding at that time of day, as you’ll be going to the opposite direction of the day trippers, they just may be crowded, but you’ll all pack on.

Thank you so much for the information and recommendations wanderweg and sam! I feel very comfortable now knowing we would be able to be on the train even if we would have to wait for a seat (which is not a big deal :) . All of the posts/answers have been super helpful and I keep referring back to the information. Thank you again!

Helllo again, I'm about to book the Trenitalia train tickets from Firenze SMN to Domodossola as the schedules for June/early July are out. I also can see on SBB the whole trip from Firenze to Murren BLM now.

I'd like to ask your opinions of questions related to the transfer times and construction. Please see below

There are 3 options that work for us.

Option #1 This is my preffered option.
7 hours 45 minutes total time; 7 transfers
Leave:
11:10 - Florence - Rho Fiera Milano (25 min transfer time)
13:49 - Rho Fiera Milano to Domodossola (7 min transfer time. Is this enough time to make a transfer in Domodossola?)
15:58 Domodossola - Brig (12 minutes transfer; Is this enough time to make a transfer in Brig?)
16:45 Brig- Spiez (14 minute transfer time)
17:35 - Spiez - Interlaken Ost (5 min transfer time)
18:04 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen (10 min transfer time)
18:36- Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)
18:43 - Grutschalp-Murren BLM

I think the rest of the transfer times are okay but please let me know if you don't think they are.

Option #2 (I also like this one because it is a little shorter but it talks about construction and I don't understand whether that means the time could change for one of the transfers. So, I don't want to deal with transfer issues if there is going to be a problem with construction on this route.)

7 Hours 15 min; 6 transfers

Leave:
12:10 - Florence - Rho Fiera Milano (13 min transfer time)
14:38 - Rho Fiera Milano to Domodossola (45 min transfer time)
16:48 Domodossola - Spiez (14 minute transfert time. This is the section where it says on SBB that there will be construction the day we are going from Spiez-Thun and that we "have to expect changed timetables". Then it says the "timetable has been updated." Does that mean there can be further changes to the timetable from what is already listed?
18:06- Spiez - Interlaken Ost (8 min transfer time)
18:34 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen (5 min transfer time)
19:06- Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)
19:13- Grutschalp-Murren BLM

Option #3 . Arrives almost at 20:48 which I prefer not to do but all the transfer times are good but longer.

Total time: 7 hours 53 minutes; 7 transfers.

Leave:
12:55 - Florence - Milano Centrale (35 min transfer time)
15:25 - Milano Centrale to Domodossola (45 min transfer time)
17:48 Domodossola - Brig (29 min transfer time)
18:45 Brig- Spiez (15 min transfer time)
19:35- Spiez - Interlaken Ost (5 min transfer time)
20:04 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen (5 min transfer time)
20:30- Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)
20:36 Grutschalp-Murren BLM

I'm very excited about our trip and so very appreciative of all the help from the members on this site. I can't wait to share about our trip later this summer!

You do not say exactly what day you are traveling. I am looking at Saturday, 6/28.

I see only 5 minutes transfer time at Domodossola to the RE 1. I suggest that rather than transferring at Brig, you stay on the RE 1 all the way to Spiez and transfer on to Muerren BLM from there. It is a much more scenic route and gets you to Muerren BLM only 30 minutes later. Plus one less train transfer.

Any reason you do not want to depart at 9:10 am? Same itinerary, but gets you to Muerren 2 hours earlier.

Another thing, once you get to Domodossola, you can take any trains to Muerren BLM, so even if you were to miss a connection, you just wait for the next train. Download the SBB app and you will have real time train schedules while traveling.

Sam, Thank you for your suggestions! I'm so glad I asked because the way I looked up the routings on SBB and Trenitalia did not even show that direct route from Domodossola to Spiez until I input it just between those cities. We will be going on Sunday, June 29. I also appreciate knowing this routing has a more scenic section!

So this is my new routing plan; how does this look?

7 hours 53 minutes, 6 changes, more scenic section

Leave
11:10 - Florence - Arrive 13:25 Rho Fiera Milano (13 min transfer time)

13:38 - Rho Fiera Milano Arrive 15:04 Domodossola (54 min transfer time). I'm buying Trenitalia tickets from Firenze to Domodossola and then once we go from Domodossola to Spiez, we will use our SBB Swiss Passes. I think that is correct based on previous comments here?

15:58 Domodossola RE I train 4278 - Arrive 17: 44 Spiez (22 minute transfer).

18:06- Spiez - Arrive 18:26 Interlaken Ost (8 min transfer time)

18:34 - Interlaken Ost Arrive 18:56 Lauterbrunnen (5 min transfer time)

19:06- Lauterbrunnen Arrive 19:10 Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)

19:13- Grutschalp Arrive 19:24 Murren BLM

I'll look into the 9:10 a.m. but we wanted a relaxed morning in Florence before leaving; I'm glad to know if it's the same route I can switch to that time, through.

This is an interesting route. Didn't know that Trenitalia ran that many Freccia's through the Passante. Rho Fiera will be an easier station to change, but you will probably have some stairs. It's a station in a suburb serving the fairgrounds.

With this schedule the only train where you will have to take the booked train is the one from Florence. From Rho onwards you just take whatever is the next train...

On thing though: If you are taking this route because the EC trains are not running on that date know that the Regional Trenord trains will probably also be partly replaced by busses. The timetable however does not show that yet.

So maybe the best thing to do is not to worry to much about this now (it is only March after all), and look closer to your departure time. You may end up being better off travelling via the Gotthard route anyway.

WengenK, Thank you for your feedback. I definitely do not want to take busses! My main concern is that I would like to have confirmed tickets/seats from Florence to Domodossola soon. So, I would need to know whether I am changing through Milano Centrale or Rho Fiera to know which Florence - Domodossola tickets to purchase. What is the Gotthard Route? I'm not familiar with any of the routes. I'm trying not to worry about it too much this early but I am also a planner :) I'd love to hear any other routes/suggestions from you. Thanks so much for your help!

These were some of the other options I had seen on SBB; is one of these the Gotthard route? June 29th.

Option #2 (I also like this one because it is a little shorter but it talks about construction and I don't understand whether that means the time could change for one of the transfers. So, I don't want to deal with transfer issues if there is going to be a problem with construction on this route.)

7 Hours 15 min; 6 transfers

Leave:
12:10 - Florence - Rho Fiera Milano (13 min transfer time)
14:38 - Rho Fiera Milano to Domodossola (45 min transfer time)
16:48 Domodossola - Spiez (14 minute transfert time. This is the section where it says on SBB that there will be construction the day we are going from Spiez-Thun and that we "have to expect changed timetables". Then it says the "timetable has been updated." Does that mean there can be further changes to the timetable from what is already listed?
18:06- Spiez - Interlaken Ost (8 min transfer time)
18:34 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen (5 min transfer time)
19:06- Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)
19:13- Grutschalp-Murren BLM

Option #3 . Arrives almost at 20:48. I'd rather not arrive that late but all the transfer times are good.

Total time: 7 hours 53 minutes; 7 transfers.

Leave:
12:55 - Florence - Milano Centrale (35 min transfer time)
15:25 - Milano Centrale to Domodossola (45 min transfer time)
17:48 Domodossola - Brig (29 min transfer time)
18:45 Brig- Spiez (15 min transfer time)
19:35- Spiez - Interlaken Ost (5 min transfer time)
20:04 - Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen (5 min transfer time)
20:30- Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp (3 min transfer time)
20:36 Grutschalp-Murren BLM

Looks good. I was looking at the SBB route planner, and for some reason it does not show the slightly earlier and faster train from Rho Fiera, giving a very comfortable 54 minutes to the RE 1 at Domodossola. Trenitalia shows it though. Time enough for a coffee.

The RE 1 does have vending machines on board for coffee, drinks and snacks that work with tap credit cards. Sit on the left hand side of the train for the best views as you depart Brig and climb the "ramp" up the side of the mountain to Goppenstein. You will look down on the Rhone Valley and across to the high Pennine Alps. Unfortunately, the Matterhorn is hidden behind other peaks.

At Goppenstein you will enter the old Loetschberg Tunnel and emerge at Kandersteg, then down the valley in a long loop to Spiez.

Hi Sam, Thanks for your feedback. I also see on the Trenitalia site there are two trains leaving at the exact same time from Domodossola to Spiez 15:58 ; one transfers in Brig to the Intercity 1330 SBB and arrives at 17:21 and the other one is the one you suggested at 15:58 direct to Spiez on the RE 1 SBB 4278 train arriving at 17:44. The only way I see both those routes on the SBB site is when I input Domodossola- Spiez, not Firenze - Murren.

Another kind poster said that they sometimes change the regional trains to a bus and we really want to stay on a train. Is the Intercity SBB a bus? I don't know how to tell if it's a bus or a train on the SBB site? I don't see any symbols for a bus in the Legend.

I do like the scenic routing you suggest if the RE 1 Domodossola to Spiez will really be on a train :)

Thank you for your time!

If there is a diversion with a replacement bus, there is nothing you can do about it except go with it. That means the train tracks are closed for repairs, and road is the only option. I do not see anything in Switzerland, and they are very good about announcing these well in advance. The Italians, not so much. Last summer, there was a diversion between Domodossola and Iselle, just before the Simplon Tunnel. If that happens, EVERYBODY, will be on buses around the construction, so no point in worrying about it. Que sera, sera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZbKHDPPrrc

Great ! Thank you!! Now I have the logistics worked out and will just see what happens as we journey....I can't wait to see the beauty.