Switzerland/Northern Italy Itinerary help

Lucky you to have 3 weeks traveling in these two beautiful countries. Do you have your airline flights already? If not, I would consider returning from Milan. Varenna is a short train ride to Milan Central Train station, and from there it is easy to get to Linate or Malpensa,

On day 19, do not stop in Tirano, go all the way to the Pontresina area. And since you like hiking, I would skip Montreux and spend 3 nights there. Montreux is beautiful, but Pontresina has more to offer for an active holiday, I think. But maybe that's just me :-)

Thank you both! We normally fly open Jaw but with were concerned about Covid restrictions reappearing and making it difficult to cross borders so we felt safer flying in and out of the same country.
And I will take a longer look at Pontresina.

If anyone else has advice or suggestions, please chime in!

The first part of the Switzerland itinerary looks pretty good. Although I’d add more time to Montreux and Zermatt or just pick one of those. Glad you were able to take advantage of the sale on the Swiss Travel Pass.

I assume you have a reason for heading to Bologna for just one full day. I might cut that stop out and add those 2 nights to Switzerland.

Last Sept, 2021, we flew into/out of Zurich, hoping to get to Varenna, but the covid rules made it impossible to go to Italy without quarantine, since our flight transited thru the UK. Then once we got to Switzerland, the rules changed again, so I understand your caution.
We substituted Pontresina for Varenna, and had a great time. It's obviously a different experience, but a good one. We rode the Bernina Express to the last Swiss stop, then waited 17 minutes for the train to return, and rode it back to Pontresina. The views are so incredible that twice was not too much.
I would skip Zermatt since you will be in Murren. Maybe add another day to Murren, or use the time for Pontresina?

When is your trip- did I miss that detail? Is this your first trip to Switzerland?

Safe travels to this beautiful country! Perhaps my Trip Report below may include some helpful info.

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

Pat, thank you so much for your trip report. It is very helpful as we sound like similar travelers. We leave August 29 and I am re visiting my itinerary- I've already plugged in 3 days in Pontresina, and was surprised with a Senior discount when I booked a RS recommended hotel. Now I'll work backwards from there and move some things around to make a more sensible trip.

You’ve received excellent comments/advice from people who have been to Switzerland recently.
I just have a comment about Mürren: you are staying 4 nights there. Last September we stayed in Mürren 5 nights because it came with a FREE Schilthorn pass. We had unlimited travel on that side of the valley. Don’t know if it is offered this year, but I might be worth asking.
And this year we are staying at the same hotel as you in Pontresina (senior discount; RS’ book); as recommended by Pat, who stayed there last year.
Congratulations on your retirement and taking advantage of flexibility in traveling.

CW, as you are traveling almost the same time of year as we did, make sure you bring one summer set of clothes. I had my mountain layers, and was caught off guard by the 80 temps in the cities. The Swiss were having a grand time enjoying the hot weather, knowing that the winter chill wasn't that far behind.

Regarding the Murren lift pass; our Hotel Bellevue wouldn't offer that pass, as they had given us the RS discount, which was about 20% below the third party booking sites. I can't say enough good things about Ruth and the Hotel Bellevue, so I'm not complaining.

Safe travels!

I did a northern Italy/Switzerland trip with my family last August, and it was absolutely wonderful. Our trip had fewer stops, but we visited some of the places on your itinerary. Here is my trip report in case it is helpful: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/italy-and-switzerland-trip-recap

Also, in Murren I highly recommend taking the funicular to Allmendhubel and doing the North Face Trail hike back to Murren. The scenery was absolutely spectacular and it was a highlight of our trip. There are a few mountain pensions along the way where you could stop for something to eat our drink. We brought a picnic lunch from the Coop market in Murren. Here's a bit more information about the hike: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/switzerland/bern/allmendhubel-to-murren-via-north-face-trail?u=i&u=i&u=i

Enjoy your trip and congratulations on retirement!

Meg, enjoyed your Trip Report. It takes great stamina, patience, and planning to travel with young children, and you did it! We were about a week behind you last Sept, 2021.
Safe future travels!

Thank you for the kind words, Pat! It really was a wonderful time and I’m so grateful that we were able to take that trip. Both my kids still talk about it and my oldest has several places on his “list” of what to see next.