My wife and I are going to Switzerland in September and will spend 2 days in Zurich and 5 days in Grindelwald as part of the trip.
My question is whether we should break the train ride and spend the night in Lucerne or just stop for a few hours and look at the bridge.
(The rest of the trip will be Montreaux and Lake Maggiore.)
Suggestions? Thanks!

It depends on what you want to see and experience! There's certainly MUCH more to Lucerne than "a" bridge, but maybe those things aren't of interest to you.

Some train rides between Zurich and Grindelwald take just a bit over 2.5 hours. Going via Luzern adds an hour to the overall journey, plus whatever time you spend in Luzern and time needed to store and reclaim your luggage.

For me, the highlights of Luzern would require more than a few hours. A boat ride on the lake, an excursion to Mt. Pilatus, plus the sights that are actually IN Luzern.

There are some similarities between the old town in Zurich and Lucerne, and both are on a lake, but Lucerne has a much more dramatic setting, and some unique sites that take time to see. If you are nailed down as far as lodging goes, I don't know that routing through Lucerne, just to have a couple of hours to look around, would be worth the effort.

Is this the trip you are referring to? Bernese Oberland Ideas
It is not clear what role Zurich plays in your itinerary. If it is Zurich plus the else because you have been there and want to experience again, then your itinerary makes sense. If you are staying in Zurich just because you land there and you have a specific shopping in mind, then an alternative is to leave luggage at Zurich HBF on landing, do the shopping and other things and move onto Luzern on your arrival day. It is basically the Luzern and Zurich switched version of what you are thinking. This allows hiking, which you seem to enjoy, on Pilatus, Rigi,or Stanserhorn from Luzern.

I would rather stay in Luzern than Zürich.

You could sleep two nights in Luzern and take daytrip into Zürich.

I love the Hotel Montana.

I don't like Grindelwald; I prefer Wengen. ❤

Grindelwald is not car free like Wengen.

Thin⛩

Zurich has a lot more than "shopping."

Yes, this is the same trip as Bernese Oberland Ideas. Good memory, Greg. We're locking things down and will leave on September 12. Many thanks to everyone for your kind advice. Much appreciated.

We'll stay in Zurich upon arrival because we'll want to rest up. We're old and the transatlantic flight is getting hard. But we will spend one night in Luzerne. It sounds very worthwhile.

We'll stay in Grindelwald simply because I want to visit there again after so many years. We can access all of the same hikes and sights as from Wengan.

We decided to travel by train as far as our next stop, Montreux. We'll use the half fare pass. Leaving Montreux we'll pick up a car and drive on to Tasch (for Zermatt), Stressa, and back to Zurich through the Engadine.

Thank you all for your help!

>>> We'll stay in Zurich upon arrival because we'll want to rest up. We're old and the transatlantic flight is getting hard. But we will spend one night in Luzerne. It sounds very worthwhile.

I don't know when you are landing in ZRH or if Zurich is more than a place to rest. Have you stepped through your itinerary to see if you are actually getting what you are trying to achieve?

At first glance, it appears what you are trying to do is rather tiring. If your original "2 days in Zurich" means 2 nights in Zurich, then are you doing two one-nighters in a row -- 1 night in Zurich followed by 1 night in Luzern?
Upon arrival in Zurich, are you assured that you can "rest up?" What would you rather do until you can check-in? Walk around Zurich or press on to Luzern which is just one more hour than getting off in Zurich which requires one additional check-in/out cycle.

Your plans are making much more sense to me (not that they need to ) with this additional information.

I'm a fan of Zurich and think it has a lot to offer. An overnight in Lucerne should give you time for a taste of its highlights. And the Engadine is, IMO, one of glorious Switzerland's most glorious regions. I must admit that I was glad to see it by train, so I could savor every amazing vista.

Enjoy!

I like Zurich, too, but, given the choice between back-to-back one-night stays and pressing on to Luzern for 2 nights, I would press on to Luzern. There are several trains from the Zurich Airport to Luzern that do not involve a connection. Pretty painless...

Yes, you can take a train right from Zürich Flughafen to Luzern.

Thin, aristocrat 🏅

I am in the camp of Lucerne over Zurich. Going immediately to Luzern from the airport is easy and Luzern has IMO prettier scenery, is easier to navigate and is a bit less expensive for meals and lodging than Zurich in my experience.