Train or Rental Car

People on this site tend to have strong opinions about this. I love train travel if I'm going between cities, but where the countryside is the attraction (as in Switzerland), you can't beat the freedom that having a car gives you. Stop at any lake that appeals to you, have lunch in any village when you're hungry, drive up that mountain pass if you feel like it.

Cost is also a factor. Trains in Switzerland are more expensive than other countries, and you have to multiply the price by however many are in your party, where a car costs what it costs whether it has 1 or 5 passengers. Personally, we found car rental so much cheaper than train fares that it even made sense to leave our car parked in Stechelberg while we spent 3 days in Murren.

Looking at your specific itinerary, its true that Zurich>Lucerne>Lauterbrunnen can be done efficiently by train and without too much loss of scenery; and around the Berner Oberland, cars don't do you much good as you take train/bus/cable car everywhere. However, although the route from Berner Oberland to Baveno is efficient by train, but you will be in tunnels much of the way and will lose all of that scenery. Whereas by car, you can go via Bellinzona and see all those mountains and lakes and stop wherever looks interesting.

Maybe consider doing train from Zurich to Berner Oberland, then renting a car in Interlake for the rest of the trip?

I'm most concerned with the leg from Grindelwald to Lake Maggiore, which can be done in around 4 hours by car.

Can be done by train in 3 3/4 hours. Put in via Kandersteg and take the more scenic Loetschberger train with only 3 changes at Interlaken Ost, Spiez, and Domodossola.

Return to Zurich with 2 scenic rail legs in one trip by putting in via Locarno and Goeschenen. Includes both the scenic Centovalli railway between Domodossola and Locarno, and the scenic old route (mostly over the mountains) with the old Gotthard Tunnel. Takes a little longer than using the new Gotthard Base Tunnel, but a lot more scenic than the view inside a 50 km tunnel completely under the mountains.

The drive from Grindelwald to Baveno can be very scenic for sure. Grimselpass and the Simplon are pretty, and the longer route via Grimsel, Furka, Gotthard then along lake Maggiore is even better.
But it is a tiring drive (especially option 2) that requires the driver's undivided attention. And you do not need a car at all in Baveno.
So I'd take the train! Sam's suggestions are very good.

Its not like the US! Trains are easy and efficient and stress-free. You cant just assume there will be parking available or cheap.

I'm not strictly pro train OR pro car . While there have been occasions where a car was a better choice, most of the time I use rail. Based on your itinerary , I would definitely skip the car . You will have no use for the car in The Oberland , trains easily connect all the mountain villages , and cars are not even permitted there . Your time in Maggiore is easy to work with the system of lake boats . Staying in Baveno ; Stresa , The Borromean Islands and other spots on the lake are easy and most enjoyable to lace together with the boats https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/ One of my favorite trips was spending the day taking the boat from Stresa to Cannobio on the upper reaches of the lake Two videos to whet your interest - Stresa , Isola Bella - https://youtu.be/zCztktfWAIw and a stroll in Cannobio - https://youtu.be/j-WwfnUn6MY

Switzerland is all about the natural beauty of its mountains, valleys, river and lakes. If you rent a car-
rather than having your eyes on these splendors- you’ll have your eyes on the pavement.

Why are you going to Italy when you have spectacular Swiss lake and mountain scenery????? Perhaps leave Italy for another trip, spend more time in Lucerne and in the Alps?
Safe travels!

Gotta experience some low Italian prices for at least part of this trip.

This all such great information. I truly appreciate all of the advice! Everything looks so much clearer to me now.

I had been hoping that there was an efficient, yet scenic way to connect Interlaken to Lake Maggiore by rail, and from what I've seen here it sure looks like that is the case. I had always planned on driving when I started planning this trip, but it seemed so silly when I wouldn't need it whatsoever for 7 of the 11 days that we are there.

If, for some reason, I really get the itch to experience driving through the Alps, I suppose I can always rent a car in Locarno or Bellinzona to drive back to Zurich at the end of the trip.

I take it the best way to purchase these tickets is directly through the SBB and ItaliaRail websites?

Can be done by train in 3 3/4 hours. Put in via Kandersteg and take the more scenic Loetschberger train with only 3 changes at Interlaken Ost, Spiez, and Domodossola.

This is terrific, Sam. Thank you so much for the specifics. When I search for Grindelwald --> Baveno tickets on the SBB website it suggests the route you mentioned with the 3 stops whether I put in via Kandersteg or not. I just want to make sure these are the same.

For the itinerary I laid out, there are only 2 short and cheap Italian legs, Domodossola to Baveno and back. Tickets are 4 EUR per person each way. You might look at downloading the Trenitalia App so you can buy tickets on the fly without having to try to stop and buy them from a ticket office or vending machine when you are trying to make a connection.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en/purchase/mobile_ticketing.html

Although Domodossola is in Italy, it counts as being in Switzerland when buying tickets from and to Switzerland.

You could buy a Swiss Travel Pass, but they are rather expensive. Usually, I have found that the 30-day Half Fare Card is the best value for money. Then all tickets are half price. The Card costs 120 CHF per person. It will come in handy in Grindelwald for taking trains and cable cars in the region.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/inspiration/international-guests/swiss-halffare-card.html

When I search for Grindelwald --> Baveno tickets on the SBB website it suggests the route you mentioned with the 3 stops whether I put in via Kandersteg or not. I just want to make sure these are the same.

You are correct about the number of changes and the overall time, but the trains between Spiez and Domodossola are different. If it shows as IC train (InterCity) it will use the Loetschberg Base Tunnel which cuts completely under the mountains. Since it gets to Domodossola so much faster, you will have a 49 minute wait time for the Regionale connection to Baveno.

But if you put in "via Kandersteg", you will take the RE train that goes higher up into the mountains and uses the shorter old Loetschberg Tunnel. Sit on the right side of the train and you might catch a glimpse of the Matterhorn as you descend toward Brig. Since it takes longer, you will have 7 minutes to make the connection at Domodossola, which should not be a problem.

You are correct about the number of changes and the overall time, but the trains between Spiez and Domodossola are different. If it shows as IC train (InterCity) it will use the Loetschberg Base Tunnel which cuts completely under the mountains. Since it gets to Domodossola so much faster, you will have a 49 minute wait time for the Regionale connection to Baveno.

I do see this now, and even confirmed by looking at the route map. The matching trip durations threw me for a loop but it all makes perfect sense now. Thanks for the clarification!

SBB also has an app to purchase tickets. One thing to be aware of when you look at prices on the Swiss website. Note they say "Tickets from XX.XX CHF" They assume you already have a Half Fare Card and or want a SuperSaver ticket, which has to be bought well in advance and is train specific. You really have to put your name and birthday in and put in no discount, then check "point-to-point ticket" to get the real full fare price. If you have a Half Fare Card, price is half that.