Hi Vanessa.
I'd like to add a few comments to Arno's.
You are wise to allow for jet lag.. Teenagers in particular do not like the discipline needed to get on the clock, which is to stay up late the night you arrive and get very tired before you go to bed. You desperately want to sleep through the night. You won't arrive at a time which could suggest a SHORT nap after arrival before spending the day getting tired. ;-)
1.- It is important to know your dates, because the Jungfrau region "turns on" at about the 15th, and most of the hotels may well be booked already. If you ask, we can tell you more about "turns on."
When do you travel? What time do you arrive?
2.- I shall second Arno's comments about Luzern. You did not specify what "late a night" means. However, there is frequent train service to Luzern from Zürich Flughafen ( airport). Once an hour with no chnges, and in between, once an hour with a change of trains at Zürich main station. You can almost think of Zürich Flughafen as Luzern's airport. ;-)
Last good connection is at 2343 (ZFH to Luzern,) . Whether a hotel would be open at 0100 the next day, when you would arrive, is a question to be answered.
Zürich is a sophisticated town...good museums, restaurants, some nice old towns, but it does not have the range of scenic and travel options that Luzern offers. And, Luzern's old town is more picturesque.
Zürich is certainly nice at Christmas time...in particular, the Bahnhofstrasse has wonderful lighting. It gets dark early....maybe 1630, so you could see that and still stay at Luzern, for one possible option. Also, the Christmas market in the main station in Züri is pretty good. The one in Luzern main station is kind of small. (The best ones are in Basel and Montreux, but there are nice small ones all over Switzerland, and I have enjoyed the "multi-country" food booths near Schwanenplatz in the old town pf Luzern).
3.- You have planned to spread out your travels much more than I would recommend, unless you have family full of train fans. The trains are a really nice way to travel, really scenic no matter where you are, but they are no substitute for being on the ground.
I'd be sure to spend more than 3 days in the Jungfrau or Bernese Oberland region.
I'd not reject Montreux or Zermatt automatically, but I'd probably skip at least one of them.
4. Skip Bern as a place to stay. Visit it by day trip or trips.
The timetable will help you. Quite full of good stuff, in multiple menus and layers. Please make sure to read the instruction page.
www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
The time table changes every year in mid- December, There are few changes on main line routes, so you can look at November, until December becomes available in the next week or two.
5.- All destinations in the Jungfrau region are close to train stations.
Most hotels will pick you up. Especially if they are uphill from the train stations. ;-( That said, some are nearer then others to the trains. Use the map linked next and zoom in to see the train lines. You can turn on the stations under "Traffic"
To see many of the accommodations...not all are listed...check out mapsearch.ch and use Points of Interest/Accommodation on the menus:
map.search.ch/?pos=636536,161792&z=64 &poi=hotel
For some reason, Hotels are listed under Gastronomy...
Also this My Swiss Alps web site has a lot of information on accommodations. Post in the accommodations part of the forum:
www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/accommodation
And look here:
www.myswissalps.com/ac commodation
and :
www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/hotels
6.- <<"Then I am looking at 3 nights in the Jungfrau region - have read Wengen or Murren are great. [ Spelling is Mürren, not Murren] Please advise me where I should try to find accommodation in this area - we want to stay as close to a train station as possible since we will have luggage and no car. Also we need to find selfcatering accommodation so that we can prepare meals and for that the village should have a supermarket. { Or some kind of market that meets your needs - a supermarket is more than you shoud expect] We can't ski so we aren't visiting to ski - just to experience the beauty of the area">>
I like Wengen- here are all the answers:
www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
Also -
www.myswissalps.com/pl antrip/doityourself/sa vemoney
Slowpoke