annecy?

The town of Annecy and the lake are lovely. The park by the lake is great for doing lots of nothing and is an excellent place to have a picnic with goodies from lots of local merchants. A boat trip around the lake is very scenic and relaxing and is a bit different than Lake Como. Don't remember the day of the week, but the local market day is super. One can easily spend 2 or 3 (maybe 4) full days there if the goal is to just relax and be laid back for a while. TC

With your itin i would bypass Annecy so you can enjoy more of the swiss french countryside and Bern at a slower pace. While Annecy is a nice town it can be quickly driven thru if you are on the nearby roadway or skip for another time when u may visit Chamonix(a real blockbuster of sights.)
It pales when compared to Lake Como imo, They are not even similiar. I have visited these areas many times. This summer i too will be in the swiss french countryside of Switzerland. Hope this help alittle. BTW Berns tourist area is car free.

thank you both!

perhaps one night at most (considering time limitations...) in Annecy so there is some extra time for Gruyeres and Bern.
we might be able to leave Lyon France one day earlier as we have scheduled 5 nights there to visit an old friend, the city and surrounding area

It's so hard to give someone advice about going to a place when you don't know them. I spent 2 days/nights in Annecy and I absolutely loved it - it became my favorite smaller town in France and I wouldn't hesitate to go back. What the other poster said is true, it is nice place to relax and kick back. Loved the boat ride around the lake and just wandering around the lakefront area. The market is on Friday and it was one of the best I visited on my trip (which was a month traveling all around France). The old town area is touristy but not horrible and food was good.

I also enjoyed my visit to Bern many years ago and I would love to go back there also. It's bigger than Annecy and more of a city sightseeing experience, but the old town is very nice. I've never been to Gruyeres but I love the cheese and I'm sure I would love the area as I'm partial to more rural areas.

In your place I would drive from Lyon to Annecy and spend 1 night and the better part of two days; then drive to either Gruyeres or Bern for a couple of nights. They are close enough together that you would have time in Gruyeres to visit a cheese factory and see some other things, then drive on to Bern for the night.

The other option would be to drive from Lyon to Gruyeres and spend 3 nights there, and then do day trips to both Annecy and Bern. Driving times are short and it's always nicer to 'plant' yourself in one place for 3 nights rather than doing 1 night stops. Any of these places are lovely and worth your time.

thanks for your comments - I'm sure all the places are nice. we need to get within reasonable driving distance to zurich airport for our return flight and would like to avoid one night stopovers which can be tiring and consume alot of time finding hotel and checking in etc.