Switzerland Trip Itinerary - 2nd Opinion

I'm in the midst of planning our trip to Switzerland, so here are a few thoughts regarding the Montreux part of your plan:

• Zermatt is not a very practical day trip fro Montreux, as it is over 2.5 hours each way, but if your objective is to see scenery from the train, then that could count as part of your sightseeing since you would be on the train for most of the day.
• Since you will already have seen Chillon Castle on your arrival day, you could take a lake cruise on your full day in Montreux, either as the main activity or as a transfer to another sightseeing destination, ie, Lausanne or one of the smaller towns that might be an entry point for a visit to the wineries between Vevey and Lausanne.

There are others on the forum that are much more knowledgable than I with regard to Montreux as well as your other stops, but the above is more or less what we have in mind for our own visit to Montreux (which is 3 nights). We added Zermatt as a discrete stop, which you could also do, but if you are departing from Zurich, Lauterbrunnen/Wengen/Murren is more practical, and it lines up nicely with your plan to take the Golden Pass.

Also, with only 7 nights, I think you may have too many stops (Montreux, Wengen, Lucern, Zurich)-as others here will tell you, those 7 nights could easily be spent in the Berner Oberland, so you might want to focus on no more than 2 stops, which would give you more time on the ground to sightsee, hike, cruise, etc. I would definitely drop Zurich and take the train directly from there to the Zurich airport for your deparing flight, then reassign that night to one of your other stops. Maybe a 2+3+2 plan would work-2 nights in Montreux, followed by 3 in the BO, then the last 2 in Luzern, which also gets you to within an hour train ride to the Zurich airport. That gives you some quality time in three interesting destinations and leaves room for flexibility if you want to deviate from your "baseline" plan.

I am a lifetime victim of travel FOMO and always struggle with what to leave out of our itineraries, but I also know learned it the hard way!) that having too many stops leaves us with too little time (and energy) to spend on the good stuff. Having said that, Switzerland is definitely a destination where the journey is one of the attractions, so if you and your wife are train fans, then that time counts as sightseeing! To that end, you could make Zermatt a discrete stop, but at the expense of the Berner Oberland. Zermatt doesn't really fit in your itinerary since it is a major detour from the other destinations, but you could also do this: Montreux-Zermatt-Luzern. If you connected at Andermatt, you could ride a segment of the Glacier Express, then transfer to another train in Andermatt to Luzern, which also would get you the tail end of the Treno Gottardo, which runs from Locarno to Luzern on an old rail line that was established before the Gotthard Tunnel was built.

My wife (we are decidedly NOT newly married!) is always reminding me that I try to cram too much in our trips, so that may or may not be a factor in your own trip planning. I do know from experience on our previous trips that planning in at least one "down day" with nothing scheduled is always a good idea, and it leaves room for some spontaneity to visit things you discover on your journey or learn about later in the planning process. Best of luck with your planning, and I hope these suggestions help.

I would leave out Zurich and spend an extra night in Lucerne. The commute from Lucerne to the Zurich airport is easy, an hour-plus train. The train station is in the Zurich airport.
When is this trip? Apologies if I missed that.
Switzerland is my favorite country, so enjoy!

Is the train from Zermatt to Interlaken pretty and comparable to Golden Express?

Only if you go the slow way via Kandersteg, which will require a few more changes. The fast way uses the Loetschberg Base Tunnel, which is 20 miles straight under the mountains. Not all that scenic. The slow way uses the old Loetschberg Tunnel which is high up in the mountains and not nearly as long as the base tunnel. Very pretty ride if you sit on the left hand side of the train.

Of course, the Golden Pass route from Montreux to Interlaken is also the slow way. The fast way is around the mountains on the main line tracks and not nearly as scenic as the Golden Pass route through the mountains.

You don't say when this trip is, so I'm going to give you advise based on assuming it's sometime between middle of June and October. Otherwise, advise would need to be adjusted.

You're trying to see way too much in a week. The more you move, the less time you have to actually enjoy the places you are and the more you risk inclement weather not allowing you to see anything in the places you're at, at all. My guess is that what excites you all the most about Switzerland is the mountains, so you need to make more time for that and less time in cities. Cities in Switzerland are not going to be on par with your city experiences in a place like Paris, whereas the mountains are unparalleled. But, it's really important to not try to go to multiple mountain locations in such a short time, because you're cutting your chances that you're going to have good weather where you go. Pick either Zermatt OR Wengen. Not both. I'll give you an itinerary suggestion based on choosing Wengen.

You can do the Golden Pass Express but I personally find it just okay and not really worth the extra time. To me the only advantage is less train changes, but with a short itinerary I'd personally skip it to gain a couple extra hours up in the mountains, as the mountain views from the Golden Pass are nothing compared to what you'll experience around Wengen.

I'd also save Trummelbach Falls for a rainy day option, but I definitely wouldn't prioritize it.

Night 1: arrive via train from Paris in Montreux around 12PM. Enjoy a river walk, Chillon castle, and nice dinner in Montreux
Night 2: Montreux > Wengen (explore Wengen or if you're really set on Trummelbach Falls, then store your luggage at Lauterbrunnen and do this before heading up to Wengen)
Night 3: Wengen > Mannlichen (optional Royal Walk) > hike to Kleine Scheidegg > optional Jungfraujoch > optional Eiger Express down to Grindelwald for exploring or instead continue hiking to Wengernalp and then train back to Wengen
Night 4: Wengen > Lauterbrunnen > Stechelberg > Murren (paragliding in the morning) landing in Stechelberg > optional up to Schilthorn for expansive views > Murren > Allmendhubel > Northface hike counterclockwise from Allmendhubel or shorter Flower Trail > walk or cable car down to Gimmelwald > return to Wengen via Stechelberg/Lauterbrunnen
Night 5: Buffer day for the activities above and/or Schynige Platte, Grindelwald First, or something like e-biking in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Plenty of options to occupy this day.
Night 6: Wengen > Lauterbrunnen > Interlaken Ost > boat ride to Brienz with your luggage (upgrade to first class) > Scenic train from Brienz to Luzern > explore old town
Night 7: Boat ride from Luzern to Fluelen (options to get off at villages like Brunnen or catch the Gotthard train to Lugano and even on to Morcote if you'd like to experience some of Italian Switzerland
Day 8: Luzern > Zurich airport to fly out

thanks everyone for the guidance so far. general vide is too much and too little time, which makes sense. I updated my post to reflect dates. Late May/Early June.

I may take a night away from Paris and add to Lucerne. Switzerland has always been our #1, so might as well fully invest and do it right! I may also remove the 2nd night from Montreux and go to Wengen. So 1st night Montreux, 2nd - 4th night Wengen, 5th - 6th Lucerne, and end with a night in Zurich.