Updated Itinerary: Day Trips from Bern via Train, Cable Car, Gondola

We were in the area in January, a few years back. When we were there, the waterfalls were all frozen and Trummelbach falls access was closed. I would try to do your mountain excursions in the morning, when its more likely to be clear. Mountain areas can cloud up as the day goes on.

Will you have a Swiss Travel Pass? Mt. Rigi is included on the pass, Titlis, is not, or it wasn't when I was there. Sometimes one mountain can be socked in while the other is not which can be the same relative to Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch. I believe Schilthorn is half price with the Swiss Travel Pass.

I would keep your days flexible so you can respond to the weather. If Jungfraujoch is socked in, I don't think its worth the money. You might consider Schilthorn worthwhile with cloud cover.

I enjoyed Bern, but for a day, and not as much as Luzern or Lauterbrunnen/Murren/Wengen. My choice would be to stay in Murren, Wengen or Lauterbrunner, day trip to Bern from Luzern or BO.

I've not been to Zermat, but in my opinion, you don't have enough time. You need to have some buffers for bad/overcast weather.

We didn't love Geneva as much as all the other towns we have visited in Switzerland. You might look at Montreux. We stopped to see the castle which is also on the Swiss Travel Pass. They have a place to store luggage if you want to stop on your way.

Depending on how early your flight is, you may be able to and could enjoy Vevey or Lausanne more than Geneva.

Jules, thanks for the quick reply.

I should have prefaced my itinerary with the fact that I am using Marriott points for all of the nights and therefore that is the biggest reason I am basing in Lucerne and Bern.

Still debating between STP or Half-Priced fare card. Lots to consider and price out to see which one is most beneficial.

I am really only going to Geneva because it's the better flight price/time back to the Midwest, therefore 1 Marriott stay there the night before. I like your suggestion of visiting Montreux or Lausanne and storing luggage on Day 7 instead of time in Geneva. I'm also trying to avoid lots of luggage logistics. AM flight so no sightseeing on Day 8 at all.

I know the Zermatt day would be long....thanks for your advice on that.

I also agree on being flexible. I will definitely pay attention to the weather and adjust those days accordingly. Just for itinerary purposes I put them on specific days, but will move them around as needed based on weather.

I wasn't clear. Depending on the flight time, you could stay in Vevey or Lausanne and still fly out of Geneva. There are some things in Geneva worth seeing. Are any of your travel mates interested in science? CERN is right outside the city limits of Geneva. We stayed in Geneva just to take my physics/math loving daughter to CERN. YOu might want to check out their website. You also should check into how to obtain tickets.

Updated Itinerary to omit Bern. Added 1 night in Interlaken. Once again, trying to stick with Marriott hotels since they are "free".

Day 1 - Arrive in Zurich. Afternoon train to Lucerne. 3 nights in Lucerne.

Day 2 - Morning excursion to Mt. Rigi OR Mt. Titlis. Afternoon explore Lucerne. I don't want this to be a super rushed day.

Which one would should I do? Rigi or Titlis?

Day 3 - Mt. Pilatus (could swap this with Day 2 if better weather).

Day 4 - AM train to Interlaken (drop luggage at hotel) then on to Grindelwald & First (will adjust if it's foggy and stick to lower elevations). 1 Night in Interlaken.

Day 5 - Day trip from Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen with visit to Wengen and other stops. Evening train to Sion (1.5hrs). 2 nights at Sion Marriott.

Day 6 - Day trip to Zermatt (2 hr train from Sion). Peak to Peak if possible. Return back to Sion.

Day 7 - Train to Montreux from Sion (appx 45min). 1 night at Montreux Marriott.

Day 8 - Early AM train to Geneva airport. Flight out of Geneva at 11AM.

Does this sound more practical than basing in Bern?

Thanks for all the suggestions!

There is really no point in moving to Sion to visit Zermatt, as it really doesn't get you much closer than just staying in Interlaken. In my opinion you're moving way too much for only 8 days. You're going to spend half of your trip packing up and moving hotels. Instead add that time on to Interlaken and just do a day trip to Zermatt from there if you really want to. 3 nights Luzern, 3 nights Interlaken, 1 night Montreux or 3 nights Luzern, 2 nights Interlaken, 2 nights Montreux if you want a full day to enjoy Montreux.

As stated, I am basing my nights where there are Marriotts. There’s no Marriott hotels in or even near Interlaken. I added 1 night there to eliminate repetitive train rides from Bern. I understand I am limited in location due to needing to stay in Marriott hotels. It is what it is. Just trying to find the most practical (not necessarily perfect) itinerary based on what I have to work with.