Help nailing down BASIC itinerary???

I'd do 2 nights in Luzern, 4 in the Jungfrau region, then 2 in Zermatt.

In the Jungfrau region, stay in one of the villages you mentioned; not in Interlaken. Far more beautiful.

Don't make hotel reservations in advance except for your first 2 nights in Luzern. Play the rest by ear depending on the weather. No sense in booking 4 nights in Wengen if it's expected to rain the whole time. If you do get horrible weather, detour to the Lake Geneva region or Pontestrina or Lugano if those are sunnier options.

Do you think that we'll run into trouble finding accomodations????

Go to the far point first, in your case, Zermatt. Its a 3 1/2 hour trip with just one change. 2 nights there with a chance to see the Matterhorn. Then to Berner Oberland for 3 or 4 nights, and then finish in Luzern.

Do you think that we'll run into trouble finding accomodations????

Not at all. There are always rooms available at good hotels - unless the World Cup is in town. Make a list of the 3-5 hotels/B&Bs you would like stay in each town and then contact them a couple days in advance of your arrival. Don't rely on booking.com or similar sites to tell you whether a hotel is full; phone the hotel directly.

Stay in a village! We stayed in Interlaken on our first trip and vowed never again......get a room in Lauterbrunnen or even Wengen.......it is SO MUCH BETTER and will make all of the difference in your trip!

I know you're probably right about the villages. I'm just worried that we'll get there and it will be bad weather and then we are limited... EEEEEK!!!!! Decisions, decisions...

@FastEddie....do you think it's better to fly in and out of Zurich or Geneva? Or open jaw into Zurich & out of Geneva.

Lawd, I should just enjoy the trip and stop overthinking - HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

If you have a rail pass (or are willing to buy tickets!), there are lots of options just an hour or two away from the villages in the Lauterbrunnen area, in the case that it's super rainy! Look at what's within an hour or two away by train and keep those things in mind in the event that you have some bad weather.

But, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is still gorgeous on cloudy days, and I had several days during my stay that were forecasted for rain that didn't actually arrive until midday -- so getting up early meant I could hike and enjoy the views before the clouds rolled in!

Zurich airport is actually closer to Zermatt than Geneva airport, and much closer to Interlaken.
Plus Geneva has a lot fewer direct flights to/from North America than Zurich.

Hi Kelly! My wife and I traveled to Switzerland last July and loved it!

Your comment about the weather is a good one. I strongly advocate picking a couple of home bases and staying there instead of moving all around the country. Interlaken actually seems super good for your destinations of interest - you can go to the Jungfrau region, Lucerne, Zermatt, Bern, or many other places in about a 2 hour train ride.

I read a lot of posts online that said that getting to the Matterhorn was too out of the way, but when I got to Switzerland it was actually quite manageable. If you don't mind waking up early one day, you can get to Zermatt, do a hike, and get back to your starting destination all in one day - no overnight required!

Lucerne and Mount Pilatus were very pretty, but in my opinion didn't warrant multiple days of exploring. If you need to go somewhere during an off weather day, or just to explore, I'd really recommend Bern - far less touristy than Lucerne, very historic, and beautiful with old bridges crossing the turquoise Aare river.

My fiancée and I are gong to Switzerland in two weeks (July 1-10): flying to Zurich, one night in Lucerne, four nights in Murren, two nights in Lutry on Lake Geneva and one night in Bern before flying out of Zurich. We definitely wanted to do the five days/four nights in Berner Oberland - planning on one trip to the Jungfrau and one to the Schilthorn with lots of hiking/walking during that time frame. Also, we bought the 8-day Swiss Travel Pass as that seemed the most economical and simplest way to travel around Switzerland for our plans. Have fun!

I've not been to Zermat so I can't speak to that, but I like your breakdown--3 nights Luzern, 3 Jungfrau, 2 Zermat. I spent 3 nights in Luzern and we absolutely loved it, but we used one of our days to go to Bern which we really enjoyed. It was about a 1 hour train trip. Bern for us felt very different from other Swiss cities. The old town is very interesting especially the fountains, clock tower and the buildings. We were wowed by the Einstein exhibit in the history museum. From Luzern, we also did a day trip (more like 3/4 of a day) to Mt. Rigi. Loved the trip across the lake, cog train to the mountain top to the views. In Berner Oberland, I would NOT stay in Interlocken. When you see the Lauterbrunnen Valley you will understand why. There's nothing like it. Absolutely gorgeous. And there is plenty to do there even in poor weather. You can visit the Lauterbrunnen Valley waterfalls when the weather is less than perfect. Make sure you go to Gimmelwald. Love it!