First time in Switzerland: Geneva as base

Annecy is beautiful, and an easy day trip by bus from Geneva (I don't think the train schedule is so convenient).
Yvoire (also in France) is on the lake and also worth a visit, but I don't know how connvenient it would be getting there by public transportation, as we drove.
Haven't been to Bern, but my niece loved it and from her pictures it looks beautiful.

Thanks, Portland. We will add it in our itinerary. Glad you had good time.

I wouldn't try to visit Luzern and Interlaken in the same day. Choose one or the other and get further up a mountain. There's not much of interest in the town of Interlaken - it's just a connection point for various mountain, lake, and other transportation.

Murten and Avenches would also make a nice day trip.

Herrn Schoggi (Swiss for chocolate), I am not sure Geneva is the best place for your base. It is at the far western end of Switzerland, somewhere more central would be better.

• Day 2: Geneva to Chamonix Mont Blanc, - You Swiss pass does not cover you for this. Not by the direct route from Geneva, only by going the long way round, round the north of lake Geneva, via Lausanne and Martigny. See the Swiss Pass map here: https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/sbb/de/pdf/freizeit-ferien/ferien-kurztrips-schweiz/internationale-gaeste/sts-geltungsbereich_en.pdf
• Day 4: Geneva to Luzern and Interlaken ? add Bern (is it doable). - Not enough time for Bern as well. Doing this as a circular route, take the scenic route from Montreux to Spiez. The middle section, Luzern to Interlaken, goes over the Brünig Pass and is also scenic. See above-mentioned map.
• Day 5: Geneva to Zurich - too far, not enough to see in Zürich. I would exchange it for another day in the mountains, or, if you want a city, go to Bern instead.
• Day 6: - boat on lake Geneva. The map shows which boat routes on the lake are covered by your pass.

I don't know anything about a Swiss pass, but I will offer the same advice I offer to all travelers visiting Chamonix hoping (if that's the case for you) to take the télépherique up to Aiguille du Midi and possibly on the Helbronner: stay overnight in Chamonix and hit the télépherique as early as possible on the morning of your second day. You'll have fewer people crowding you, better weather and therefore better views, and you have plenty of time in the afternoon to return to Geneva or wherever nearby you're staying to get back to the rest of your agenda.

If you hit Chamonix later in the day after traveling there from somewhere else, you run a much greater chance of having your views of the spectacular landscape clouded in and obscured.

Thanks, Laura,
Looks like we can take connections for Murten and Avenches using Swiss Travel Pass. I did not know about these two cities. Do you have any specific recommendations to do with teens?

Thanks, Chris F from Basel. You're correct. We should have chosen some other place for our base but now we have paid in full for the entire week in Geneva (I should have asked this question earlier). Will try to make the best use of what we have :)
Day 2: Would you suggest taking a shuttle bus to Chamonix instead of train then? I had heard that it is a scenic route via Martigny but it does take almost 4 hours by train and we are 7. It might be more cost effective to do one van while going so that we reach early as suggested by K.
Day 4: Thanks, We will add Spiez and skip Bern
Day 5: One of our family members really wants to visit Zurich and it is 2 hours and 45 min train ride from Geneva. Our plan was to do city tour and perhaps a boat ride but may be we can skip Zurich and focus on Bern. Do you suggest any mountain trips from Bern?
Thanks for sharing the map. I did not appreciate the boat rides on that map earlier. Thank you!!

Thanks, K from Bourgogne. This is a very good advice. We have our accommodation booked in Geneva. We are debating if we should take a van first thing in the morning from Geneva to Chamonix to beat the crowd. Is Monday better than Sunday for Mont Blanc? Thanks again!!

If you didn't notice already, Murten's main attraction is walking on the medieval ramparts and Avanche has Roman ruins and a museum.

Rick's Switzerland book also has some notes for cheesy visits around Gruyere and Moleson, or see info from the Tourist Office (but doesn't cover the city of Geneva).

Another scenic train route is between Montreux and Zweisimmen (with further connections to/from Spiez and Interlaken). That's marketed as the Golden Pass line.

Shuttle buses are the fastest way from Geneva to Chamonix - AlpyBus and others run regularly from the airport. The train route through the Trient Gorge is one of the most scenic, and you could stop by Chateau de Chillon for sunset by returning that way.

Thanks, Laura. Yes, we have included Murten in our itinerary. I just saw a video on scenic route between Montreux and Zweisimmen and it looks stunning. Now I understand why it is called Golden Pass. Spiez has been mentioned couple times but what are the main attractions there?
Appreciate your time and effort. Our trip is in the last week of June and any guidance will be helpful. Thanks!

Thanks, Robert. Is there any bus from Geneva to Chamonix that gets covered with Swiss Travel Pass? I guess, with 7 people and 20 Euro per person, is it better to get a private van or rental?? Not sure how difficult is driving there. Thank you taking the time to respond to us. Best,

It's useful to know that if you stay in Geneva, any hotel will give you free bus passes for the days you are there.
Here are some things kids might enjoy in Geneva:
Free bike rentals (see Geneveroule.ch )
Small free zoo in Jardin Boutanique on north shore
Climbing the bell tower in John Calvin's church

Thanks for sharing good tips for Geneva.

The Swiss pass won't cover France, but you can take the boat from Geneva to Yvoire, France, which is worth the trip. You will have a full day when you visit Lausanne and Chateau Chillon the same day. I would visit the Canton of Vaud tourism website where you will find up to date local information for the area and local events happening during your stay. Since you have children, I would also look at the knowitall.ch website. Their focus is on local expat families and the info may be helpful for you.

Rome2Rio says that BlaBlaCar ride sharing is the cheapest way to go (e.g., E7.50 each way per person), but finding 7 spots would be tough. Renting a car might be the cheapest practical answer, but you'd have to follow a tollroad-free route to avoid needing the special Swiss Vignette pass. You might want to reschedule if it's cloudy, which would complicate a private shuttle reservation.

I have read that cars rented in Switzerland normally have the Swiss highway vignette, but I have no independent knowledge about that.

Spiez is a town on attractive Lake Thun where it's common to change trains. I am not certain, but I believe it is being mentioned because the train lines in and/or out of Spiez run through very nice scenery, not because there's a bunch of special stuff to do in Spiez itself. I stayed in the town of Thun many years ago and liked it but haven't ever been to Spiez except for the train station.

Thanks, Lacleman. Yvoire looks good and along the way. Good addition.

Thanks, Robert. I did not know about BlaBlaCar. This seems like a neat concept. I would avoid renting the car but now I am looking for a private car transfer from Geneva hotel to Chamonix. Alternatively, we can go to the airport and take the shuttle for 20 Euro per person. Not convenient though.

Thanks, acraven. Will add Spiez in our trip.