Condensing my itinerary

6 FULL days or does that include in and out travel days? This is easily a two week + visit with all that.

Since you will be in Geneva, you might want to just focus on that part of the country. Have you looked at the SBB website? Will you have car? take the train? etc. etc.

Please clarify where you fly in and out and what CERN is.
I think you should cut this list by 2/3, then ask for further help. As it stands, it looks like a three week trip!

Sorry I was lacking some information. CERN is where my daughter is working so maybe just a half day for that. We fly in early the morning of the first day and taking a train the rest of the time. I think the longest train ride is lake Como and back.

When is this trip? Six days or six nights?
Lake Como is just too far, and the crowding/ ferry issues/ train track construction would make it impossible to move about efficiently.
I would just go to the Berner Oberland . You really don't have time for more than that, unless you want a trip that consists of being on trains more than outside. No one is ever ready to leave the BO.
Have a great trip.

And flight info? With such a brief trip, that matters!

In 6 days if CERN is a priority then do Montreux + 1 place in the mountains - Zermatt, Berner Oberland OR Luzern. Doing a zoo in Switzerland makes no sense to me, so immediately strike that. Some of your other choices are really obscure places that won’t fit in with a traditional itinerary (Trift, Lac Blu)

If you try to do more than 2 spots in that amount of time you’re just going to be running around like a chicken with your head cut off :)

Hi there, how cool that your daughter works at CERN. A visit there should be very interesting!

Since Montreux is not on your list, I don’t see why you would spend more time in the Geneva/Montreux area as some have suggested above. You already have an extensive wish list, why add on things you have not expressed an interest in seeing?

It is perfectly fine to arrive in the morning, head to CERN (25 min from the airport) and then travel further that afternoon.

You can use the SBB app or website to see travel times.

It looks like you are aiming for more intermediate hikes. Each one you mention will have multiple other hikes in the area. Here is the website for Grimselwelt, where the Trift bridge is:

https://www.grimselwelt.ch/en/experiences/outdoors/

And you could add fun things like the Gelmerbahn

https://www.grimselwelt.ch/en/railways/gelmerbahn/

Often one hike in particular becomes well known, but check out the websites for any of the hikes on your list and you will see just how rich each area is. Exploring one (or two) areas more will be far better than traveling back and forth across the country.

I really like the Basel zoo, have not been to the one in Zurich for a very long time, so can’t directly compare them. Just because someone else would not put it on their list of things to do does not mean you shouldn’t. This is your holiday and it’s great that you are taking all of family members desires into consideration.

THANK YOU for all the advice! I’ll look up what you suggested and thanks for the links. Very helpful! We are there a full 6 days then one daughter and going home and the other one and us are spending 6 days in other countries which we also have to narrow down. I’ll look into how long the trainer is are in face-to-face after that in with the-time. Again, thank you very much. We’ve all been very helpful.!

I meant to say I’ll look how long the train ride is from place to place. Lol

They asked for advice, I gave it - which is going to obviously include personal opinions, as does everyone’s advice. Never said they had to follow or listen to what I suggest. Also, perhaps don’t chastise for adding something to the list and then proceed to…add something to the list :)

I’m not saying zoos can’t be enjoyable in certain circumstances, but when you only have 6 days to see a country and your list is this extensive, taking up the day with an activity that is not at all unique to Switzerland doesn’t make sense to me personally, unless maybe you’re a zoologist.

My suggestion of Montreux was simply a way to enjoy CERN and maybe some areas around where their daughter works. Seems logical to me to do that + add 1 or maybe 2 mountain areas.

To truly help, knowing where you're going next would make a big difference in the suggestion, as it could affect the logical order of events. Perhaps you don't have to end up in Geneva if you're going to a country where a different exit point makes more sense. Without knowing those details it's very hard to give a good answer to your question. However, assuming you HAVE to go back to Geneva, I'd probably suggest

Geneva > CERN > Montreux 1 night > Zermatt OR Luzern 2 nights > Berner Oberland OR Luzern 3 nights > return to Geneva

I really appreciate any and all advice and suggestions. There is a fun website called Mindtrip.ai that generates a vacation with a list of places we want to go but it is lacking the actual opinions of someone who has been there. That is why I started this forum. So thank you again everyone!

I have less optimism about AI in every interaction that mentions it.

With such a short trip, you will be able to do about 35% of your wish list, so I would choose the geographic area around Geneva/CERN/ Montreux/Zermatt. That's it. If you try for more, you will be stressed and sad.
I say this after 12 trips to Switzerland.

Mindtrip may also lack a realistic appraisal of the logistics and how much time it takes to get from place to place....and pack....and check-in and unpack, and EAT! At least that would be my impression. A good guide book (Forum's name is a good one) and a map (one is included in the back of the tourbook) are excellent places to start. Rick will give you a reasonable expectation for the time you have available. Also included are handy maps that give approximate travel times from place to place.

Thank you John, I downloaded his book. It looks like it will be a big help.

Also, perhaps don’t chastise for adding something to the list and then proceed to…add something to the list :)

I was showing what else is nearby one of the places on Scavs' list — the Trift Bridge, which is near Meiringen in the Jungfrau region. This is similar to how someone might mention all of the hiking options in the Lauterbrunnen valley to help people see that there is a lot to do there.

Montreux, on the other hand, is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from CERN, so it’s not really “in the area.” It wasn’t on their list of places to visit, it’s in a different canton (which is like a state)...overall, it’s a very different kind of place from the other items on the wish list.