Lucerne or Lugano in October/November
 

I am going with my husband during late October to early November in Switzerland. This is our first trip in Switzerland so we really want to make the right decisions on where to go. We will be flying in from Zurich and have decided to stay in Grindelwald for 5 days so we can see beauty of Bernese Oberland. We would have wanted to stay in Wengen/Murren but we have researched that the mountains shut down during that time.

After Grindelwald, we are not sure where to spend our next 5 days - in Lucerne or in Lugano. I was initially thinking Lucerne since I have read reviews and comments about that the Lake Lucerne area is really very beautiful and many recommend going to Mt. Pilatus, Rigi, Rhine Falls etc.

When I started reading about the Ticino region. It seems like an interesting place to go to as well. Daytrips to Gandria and Morcote, maybe going to Locarno and Ascona or even Valle Verzasca.

We both love beautiful and picturesque scenery and enjoy a relaxing time. If I go to Lucerne after Grindelwald, will it be too similar and we'll be better off going to the Ticino region? Or Lucerne is really a cannot-miss destination in Switzerland.

Would love to hear comments and recommendations!

I don't know about the weather and how that might affect your plans; I trust experts will weigh in on that.

All else being equal, I don't think you have a bad choice here, but I agree that the Ticino would provide a greater contrast to the Bernese Oberland than Lucerne. JMO.

You might want to consult a really good guide book or two to see what most appeals to YOU. FWIW, of the half dozen or so I used when planning my time in Switzerland, I found the Michelin Green Guide and Rough Guide most useful.

Hope that helps!

Before making any decisions I would check on the status of all of the cable cars and cog railways into the mountains. November is typically when they are shut for repairs/refurbishments - before the winter sports season - and I would not be sure any (even near Lucerne) of them are running without specific information.

Late October is low season everywhere in Switzerland. Days are short, the sun doesn't shine as long as in summer and in deep mountain valleys, it's even worse.
The weather will be completely unpredictable (as all the year round), heavy rainfall or even snowfall in the mountains cannot be excluded.
The most popular mountain railways will run nevertheless:
Kleine Scheidegg - Jungfrau: as usual
First gondola: until Oct 25th
Maennlichen gondola: until Oct 18th
Bussalp bus and Grosse Scheidegg bus: until Oct 25th
Schynige Platte cog wheel railway: until Oct 25th
Brienz - Rothorn steam cog wheel railway: until Oct 25th
gondola Meiringen - Alpen tower: until Oct 18th
Gelmerbahn (steepest funicular line of the world): until Oct 18th
Pilatus cog wheel railway: until Nov 22nd
Rigi cog wheel railways: as usual
Meiringen - Engstlenalp - Jochpass - Titlis: until Oct 18th
Lucerne - Engelberg - Titlis: all the year round