My husband and I just returned from a wonderful 8 day trip! I learned so much from the Rick Steves' videos and this forum so I hope my report is helpful to someone else planning their vacation. We had limited days and wanted to be very budget conscious. The main goal of the trip was time in the mountains; easy to moderate walks and a few museums.
We decided to fly into Zurich from Dallas and make our way down to see the wonderful Berner-Oberland and fly out of Geneva. We had 10 days total, with one day flying in and one day flying out. I had much anxiety about which travel pass to choose beforehand so I took the advice of some on the forum to wait until I could speak to an SBB representative at the airport office in Zurich. We landed at 7:40am so we were there before it got crowded and had plenty of time to talk to a representative. He reviewed my itinerary and suggested the Swiss Travel Pass. It was expensive to us ($950 total for us both), but we loved the ease of never having to buy a ticket. We made the decision to only go places and attend events that were covered by the pass. The only exceptions were the luge in Jakobsbad (9CHF) and Trummelbach Falls. We had so many great experiences!
Day 1 - arrive early morning Zurich, train to Appenzelle, check in to Adler Hotel (recommended on forum), nap, dinner at their Italian restaurant (delicious!), walk around town
Day 2 - awoke to hearing the cow bells as the cows returned from the high pastures! What amazing luck!!! We left our luggage in the hotel, checked out, and rode the train to Jakobsbad to ride the summer luge (9 CHF for two riders on one luge). Train to Urnasch and the Museum of Appenzelle Customs, suggested by Rick. We loved it! And do as he says and make sure you see the English version video. Train to airbnb in Luzern.
Day 3 - boat from Luzern to Vitznau, cogwheel train to Mt. Rigi. We went to the top (Rigi Kulm), and the weather was windy, cold and rainy. We accidentally missed the budget-friendly snack place (red shack-building), and ended up eating in the hotel restaurant which was not budget-friendly. Decided to ride the train back down one level (Rigi Kaltsbad) and had beautiful weather all the while we walked around. We loved our time there! Then we rode the train back down and rode the boat from Vitznau back to Luzern. The boat ride was also a highlight of our trip as the weather was perfect both ways.
Day 4 - left our luggage at airbnb and took the train to Stansstad to visit Fort Furigen. It was a Saturday, as the museum is only open on Saturdays and Sundays. This was a highlight for us! Train back to Luzern, pick up luggage, train to Interlocken Ost, bus to Stechleburg, cable car to Gimmelwald, walk to airbnb. Sleep :)
Day 5 - walk to Murren, sight-see, lunch at Edelweiss on the terrace. Walk back to Gimmelwald and use Rick's guide to explore Gimmelwald before enjoying the sunset on our patio.
Day 6 - cable car to Stechleburg, bus to Lauterbrunnen to walk to Staubbach Falls and then tour Trummelbach Falls. We didn't walk up Staubbach Falls; just viewed them from down below. We were glad we saved our energy for Trummelbach and the rest of the walk back. We had lunch at Flavors (a Rick recommendation, and it was yummy!). Back to Gimmelwald for another peaceful, gorgeous sunset.
Day 7 - train to Laussanne, check in airbnb, leave luggage, explore. Beware Laussanne if you don't exercise much or can't climb hills, this place is strenuous. We visited the City History Museum and didn't think it was worth our time. Went across the street to the Cathedral and loved it! We did not pay to climb to the top of the church for a view.
Continued in "Reply" section. Sorry, I don't know how to link them :)