8 nights in Switzerland July 5-13 Itinerary suggestions

I would consider Zermatt, there is something magical about the Matterhorn. I enjoyed the village and the hiking paths are excellent.

Lake Como is considerably farther to travel to and you will burn a whole day just to get there and would need to fly out of Milan when returning home.

IMHO-
3 nights is two days, which isn't enough for most of us in the Berner Oberland. I'd suggest at least 4 nights, which also gives you more flexibility if you have less-than-ideal weather. And I'd also suggest staying in Wengen or Murren- experience the Swiss Alps by staying in them!
Also - three nights in Lucerne, as you'll be jet lagged, I'm assuming, and the you can go up to Mt. Rigi, via the boat ride to the cogwheel train, which is completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.
Safe travels!

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/lucerne-62eb4d28-60ab-4837-b4b4-91a2486eb732

The above link is my Sept., 2021, Swiss Trip Report. Perhaps there are some helpful suggestions.

I agree with Pat. For your short amount of time, I’d spend it split between the Berner Oberland and Lucerne.

We stayed in Lauterbrunnen last Sept. and it worked out well for us. It was convenient to both Murren and Wengen and Interlaken to access the boat rides. But when I was there, I really liked Wengen and will be staying there for my next trip. I think all 3 are good options.

Since your flight is not until the afternoon, I think it makes sense to start in the Berner Oberland and end up in Lucerne. You can take the train from Lucerne to right inside the airport in just over an hour.

Unless you desperately want to see the Matterhorn, I'd skip Zermatt. You'll get a great high Alp experience in the BO, and you won't need to leave there to travel all the way into that corner of Switzerland. Plus, it's so often covered with cloud.

I wouldn't go as far as Lake Como, but you can have a gorgeous Italian lake experience in Lugano or Locarno. The train from Lugano back up to Zurich is just under 2 hours.

Thank you all for good advice- I would like to spend another night in the BO area! We have an AirBNB booked in Lauterbrunnen for the 3 nights in the middle of the trip so I am working around that. I think it is good advice to skip Zermatt. Maybe I will add a night in Wengen and then back to Lucern for the last 2 nights. Is a day trip to Lagano or similiar town reasonable?

When I was in Lucerne last year, I did a day trip to bellinzona to see the castles. That train ride is about 1.5 hours. You can get to Lugano in 1 hour and 40 minutes. So, definitely doable as a day trip. The trains in Switzerland are super comfortable and fun to ride with gorgeous scenery.

Can anyone recommend a reasonable hotel in Lugano?