First Trip to Europe - Help with 9 day Swiss itinerary?

No worries -- trying to figure out travel plans to a totally new place can be overwhelming.

You didn't say where you are from, but if you're like most people, you probably want to focus on the beauty of Switzerland? (I say that because I already live in a beautiful place and I've been going up snowcapped mountains my whole life, so when I go to Switzerland I focus on the people and culture more than the nature). But most people want the glorious Alps, so I'll steer you there. The area you want to research is the Bernese Oberland. The main hub is Interlaken, which is also the center of activities such as paragliding. Many people like to stay in smaller villages, such as Wengen or Murren. Lauterbrunnen is also gorgeous -- it's a valley with many waterfalls. Close by is also the small town of Grindelwald. There are many high Alp experiences in this area. If you want to experience a charming small city, you can take a boat to Thun.

A little further away is the political capital of Bern, which is a busy city with a charming old town area and some museums (Einstein).

Lake Lucerene is also another lovely area with several mountain excursions, as is the eastern shore of Lake Geneva.

If you want Italian culture with a Swiss twist, head south to Lugano and Locarno.

I think that's enough to get you started . . . .

Thank you so much! We're coming from a very flat part of the United States, so we're very excited to spend time enjoying the beauty of Switzerland. It'll actually be my first time seeing real mountains!

I will definitely start doing more research based on your suggestions right now, but right off the bat, I think the Bernese Oberland and Lake Lucerne both sound great as potential stops! Bern also sounds lovely, and I would love to explore at least one city on this trip. Do you think Bern would be a better choice for that city than Zurich? Thank you again!

I think you would be happy with Lucerne and the Berner Oberland (Wengen or Murren or Lauterbrunen). Two main destinations are enough for your time frame. You are fairly late for finding accommodations , so that may influence your itinerary. Looks like you have nine nights, so keep it simple. The first day is just survival from jet lag.
You'll also need some flexibility for mountain weather.
No one is ever ready to leave the Berner Oberland, so five nights there.
Lucerne is an easy one hour train ride from Zurich, so don't stay in Zurich, either go straight to Lucerne for three to four nights, or depart from Lucerne. Or if you wanted to see Bern, spend your last night there, as it is also easy to get to the Zurich airport from Bern. The train goes straight into the airport.
Have a great trip!

The recommendations of the Berner Oberland and Luzern are lovely ideas, but the reality is going to be finding lodging for your dates in these areas, as they are the most visited parts of the country. Before getting too far into planning, I'd look at those areas to see if you can even find anything available within your budget. You don't really want to go to a great area and then have to stay in a not so nice place or location within that area. Do you have a lodging budget in mind? Do you need multiple rooms or will the 3 of you try to share 1 room?

I'm about to book the accommodations I found, but I wanted to ask for feedback on whether these locations/dates made sense first! I'm thinking about going straight from Zurich to Berner Oberland, spending 6 nights at an apartment in Wengen, and then 3 nights in Lucerne before heading to Zurich airport early morning on the 20th. I could also switch it to 5 nights in Wengen and 4 nights in Lucerne, but I think we would prefer more time in the mountains unless anyone says that is the wrong call.

I still think Bern sounds lovely, but it seems doable as a daytrip from Lucerne? And the travel from Zurich airport to Wengen is a bit long, but I think it also sounds doable? Does this itinerary make sense to the experienced travelers in terms of time spent in each location? Alternatively, is there a third location that you would recommend adding? Thank you all!!

I think 6 nights in Wengen and 3 in Lucerne sounds perfect. I’m not a fan of Bern, so not a big deal if you don’t get to it. Yes, it’s an easy day trip if you decide you’d like to see it.

The train from the airport to Wengen is only 3 hours. I’ve done longer after a flight. The trains are super comfortable and you can grab a snack at the airport ahead of time. There’s a coop grocery store and my favorite, the pretzel king (Brezelkönig), near the train platforms.

In September of 2023, we spent a week in an Airbnb in Wengen prior to continuing on to northern Italy. We arrived in Zurich in the morning and then immediately took a train to Wengen, connecting in Interlaken for a couple of hours. We absolutely loved the BO. Wengen was perfect for us. Took day trips to surrounding areas—Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald, back to Interlaken for a boat ride on Lake Brienz, etc. It was superb. We had purchased a Half Fare Card and the BO Pass.
I cannot recommend that area enough. How wonderful for you! Enjoy this paradise on earth!

If you are truly overwhelmed look for a travel agent, no shame in that. Or semipros like Aplins in the Alps (you should watch their videos anyway)

6 nights in Wengen and 3 nights in Luzern is perfect. I'd even say 7 nights Wengen 2 nights Luzern would be my personal preference, but either is good. And yes, Bern is definitely a doable day trip from Luzern if you decide you want to see it. The trip to Wengen from the airport isn't really that big of a deal. Try to time it for the direct train from Zurich Flughafen to Interlaken Ost and then you just have to change to Lauterbrunnen and quick change up to Wengen. No big deal.