Summer Switzerland (and possibly Italy) Itinerary help

It's really difficult to find less-than-lovely scenery in Switzerland. Sitting on trains there is peak sightseeing for me. But people have widely varying tolerances for multi-hour train trips. I enjoy them not only for the scenery but also because they give me an excuse not to go-go-go all the time. However, your trip is fairly short, so it's very reasonable to question the amount of time you'll be spending on trains. I'm sure you'll get other opinions.

I haven't been to St. Moritz but have read many times that it's just not a very charming place. I would look for a different town to stay in. Pontresina is said to be nicer.

It is 6.5 to 7 hours from Mürren to St. Moritz with several changes of train. Miserable? Depends on your appetite. We don’t mind a long day like that once in awhile and use the time to read, nap, visit, if the segments between changes are long enough to allow. A series of changes every 30 to 60 minutes does get tiring. Some trains have food, but brining your own sandwiches and snacks is probably best and readily available at major train stations. Research options at www.sbb.ch/en.

After the Bernina Express, which is a fantastic trip, it is easy to make it to Milan for the night.

I agree with acraven that Pontresina is more charming if you can find the kind of like.

I think I'd skip Italy, since you dont actually spend much time at all in Milan or Rome - two great cities - anyway.

We did the trip from Pontressina to Murren, ( reverse of yours ) and I believe it was six hours total, and it was fine, as it was our only longer travel day. There are train changes which break up the journey, and the scenery is great. I'd suggest spending a night in Pontressina, ( not St Moritz), then proceed to Lake Como. The Bernina Express route from Pontressina south to Tirano, Italy, is one of the most beautiful journeys anywhere. You didn't mention spending any time in Lake Como, but I encourage staying in Varenna, as we find the area serene and beautiful. Maybe move the days from St Moritz (a glitzy shopping town,) to Lake Como?

We rode the Bernina Express regional trains, (not the panorama trains,) which were very nice, not crowded, run on the exact same tracks, have more schedule options, and have windows that open to let in the clean, crisp mountain air. This will remain one of my all-time travel highlights.

I'll, attach my 2021 Trip Report, perhaps you'll find it helpful, ignoring, thankfully, the COVID references.

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

August is a great time to be in Switzerland. Have a great trip !

EDIT: CORRECTED TYPO- BERNINA EXPRESS TO TIRANO, ITALY!,,

In general I agree that Pontresina is more charming than St Moritz, and the hotel you have in mind is outside the built-up town center of St Moritz, making transportation quite inconvenient without a car.

Thanks, everyone! Pat, that's a great trip report.

Seems like Pontresina is the place to stay, and I'll look into whether we should spend just 2 nights there and then 2 in Varenna. We'll be in Rome for 5 days at the end of the trip (combining family vacation with a work conference) so that's why we have the Rome constraint (for days and location) at the end of the trip.

I think folks on this forum have also convinced me to take the regular train on the Bernina Express route vs the panoramic train, and that we definitely don't want to skip that experience. Thanks!!!

EDIT: CORRECTED TYPO- BERNINA EXPRESS TO TIRANO, ITALY!
From my post above, Sorry!

This might be a way to save quite a bit of money on the Bernina Express. I haven't tried it:

https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/bernina-express.htm#bernina-express-tickets-from-29-euros

Stan—they are heading to Rome for work, not to fly home from there. So the one day there is before they start work.

I am starting to sound like a broken record with repeats, but I am going to suggest an alternate route from Mürren to Italy that is easier than the Bernina Express, and to my mind equally scenic. Plus there is a wonderful family-run hotel on the way, and an option for a boat ride as part of the journey.

The alternate route is to take the scenic Treno Gottardo from Luzern to Locarno. The route is shown as #5 on this Swiss rail map which highlights all the named scenic routes. (You can see from the map why is takes so long to get to the Bernina express from Mürren—-it is far to the east).

https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelpass.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_62

This means putting Luzern after the Berner Oberland, not before. So from the Zurich airport you go to Bern for an overnight instead of Luzern. We did this our last trip (this past September) and found Bern to be a charming and very friendly town. Then you trip to Mürren the next day will be quite short.

After Mürren, take the scenic Golden Pass route to Luzern. Spend 2 nights there. On the intervening day, you can go up to the Rodelbahn (summer luge) and rope course that is partway up Pilatus:

https://www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/rodelbahn-fraekigaudi

Then take the boat the short distance to Weggis, at the base of Rigi, and stay at family-run SeeHotel Gotthard on the lakefront:
https://www.gotthard-weggis.ch/en/

This was our favorite hotel on our recent trip. My son and his family had a family room in the covered, in the little turret you can see in some photos. We had a room with balcony facing the lake. They have a lakeside restaurant and a more casual pizza restaurant, and we enjoyed both. And guests here are free to use the outdoor pool at the hotel next door, accessed by a back gate from the dock.

There is a cablecar in Weggis that will take you up to Rigi Kaltbad on Rigi, with numerous opportunities for short or long hikes, a cogwheel train, and childrens’activities.

https://www.rigi.ch/en

From Weggis we continued by boat down the lake to Flüelen, where we met the Treno Gottardo for the rest of the journey to Italy. The lake cruise was another highlight of our trip.

Our original plan was then to stay in Locarno 2-3 nights at Hotel Geranio au Lac, right on the lake a short walk from the train station.

https://www.hotelgeranio.ch/en/

This did not work out for us due to weekend track closures between Milan and Verona, our next planned destination, but I will suggest it to you as a possibility.

I will be back with suggestions for good playgrounds around Mürren and Wengen, but now we have to go pick up our granddaughter!

These are my grandsons’ two favorite playgrounds in the Berner Oberland:

https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/experiences/alpine-herdsmans-playground.html

This one is at Männlichen, at the top of the cablecar up from Wengen. This is where the famed Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg Panorama Trail starts, and you can do that walk after the playground time, stop for lunch at the mountain restaurant near the Lauberhorn, and ride the train back down to Lauterbrunnen. My grandsons did that walk easily at age 6.

Or you can do as we did this year, and ride the gondola down to Grindelwald from the playground. If you are looking for a Rodelbahn experience, there is one at Grindelwald, at the top of the Pfingstegg lift. Then take the train back to the Lauterbrunnen Valley to return to your home base.

https://www.pfingstegg.ch/index.php/en/activities/toboggan

Note that this would make for an expensive day, unless you have Berner Oberland Passes, in which case all these lifts and trains are fully covered. (but the Jungfraujoch train is not, not the Schilthorn cablecar to the top).

Closer to Mürren is another favorite, the Flower Part at the top of the Allmendhubel funicular.

https://muerren.swiss/en/summer/see-and-do/excursions/trip-destinations/allmendhubel/

https://packedagain.com/muerren-allmendhubel-playground-flower-trail/

You can ride the funicular up, have some playground time, eat lunch on the deck at the restaurant there, and walk back down to Mürren. Note that the Children’s Adventure Trail mentioned in the blog (with a photo at the end of the text) no longer exists. My grandchildren enjoyed this when we were there in 2018, and we intended to repeat the fun now that they are older, but it appears to have been obliterated.

You have a lot of great advice already, and Lola mentioned our two favorite playgrounds (Allmendhubel and Mannlichen). We did an Italy/Switzerland trip with kids two years ago, which you can read about here if you're interested:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/italy-and-switzerland-trip-recap

Other playgrounds to highlight/notes:
-In Gimmelwald, there is a small playground near the cable car station but it is a lot of fun. Don't miss the super speedy slide! Our family really enjoyed our meal at Pension Gimmelwald.
-We used a Swiss Travel Pass, which included a free family pass. It was definitely worth it for us.
-Some Swiss trains have a children's play car. It is called "ticki park." My kids got a kick out of it! There was one on the train between Zurich and Luzern. More info here: https://www.sbb.ch/en/timetable/travel-advice/travelling-with-children/train-children.html
-Mt. Pilatus has both a wonderful playground as well as a luge. If you want to access the playground, you will need to access it from the cable car and not the cogwheel train, so play accordingly. https://www.pilatus.ch/entdecken/pilu-land
-We all loved the North Face hike. We took the funicular to Allmendhubel, let the kids play for an hour, and then hiked back to Murren. The scenery was spectacular!

Have a wonderful trip!