Itinerary advice for first trip to Switzerland, please!

Skip Murten apart from it siting on a lake it is tiny not worth going all that way and then back.
You should get a travel pass to explore solo while your husband is working all day. Or are you planning to just explore Zurich during that time?

Switzerland is great for picnics since the scenery is so great. So using the grocery store to save is good . Just go every day for fresh stuff but not to store food in hotel room.
Also just stay in Luzern for the 3 days instead of changing hotels and do the day trips to Bern and the Berner Oberland area. Get the 3 day Swiss Travel Pass. That is easier than buying tickets on the go with such short time. Get the SBB ap to look up train schedules and save itineraries using the hotel wifi that way you don't need data on your phone which is expensive.

We hiked down from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen once. It was long and got boring. With such limited time, I would take a lift or train.
Your list seems a little aggressive for one day. You may want to save the Schilthorn for your next trip. Also, prioritize the trip to Mannlichen and Kleine Scheidegg. Then you can see how much time you have left for the valley walk. If the weather is good, you may want to spend more time up at Kleine.

If it were me, I would cut Bern and spend two days in the Berner Oberland. (But that is because I am a mountain person and was not impressed with Murten)

Fortress Furgen is only open weekends, so you can cross that off.

We've done some aggressive day trips (our first trip to Rome, we got there at seven AM and left at seven PM and had a blast.) Just be very organized about how you will get from place to place and research hours and costs.

We’ve already booked our hotels, but I will keep the day-tripping in mind for future travels. It’s good advice!

I’m very glad to hear that picnicking is a reasonable option. And I appreciate the go-ahead to skip Murten - I think we’ll be tired by the time we get to Bern!

I had planned on just staying in Zurich while he’s in the conference, but it honestly hadn’t occurred to me to get a pass during that time, even just for one day! Back to my spreadsheet!

Connie, I’m with you about two days in the Berner Oberland! I don’t think we can switch our plans at this point (we leave in 2 days), or I would. I’m definitely writing down your advice about walks/hikes in the area, and you’ve convinced me to save Schilthorn for another time - I only do whirlwind trips when I’m not the one planning! :)

Very good to know about the fortress, and that’s 2/2 for skipping Murten, so that’s off the list. I feel like this community is helping me solidify these plans more in a couple of hours than I’ve done on my own in a couple of months! Thank you!

I'd go to Ebenalp on a day trip from Zurich : https://www.ebenalp.ch/en/welcome

The Travel Pass is great! Read what's all included, particularly Mt. Rigi and Mt. Stanserhorn right by Lucerne, instead of paying for Mt. Pilatus. Mt. Stanserhorn, in particular, is something special because of the CabriO cable cars with an open air upper deck!

I agree with everything Jazz said. Also, it looks like you'll be in the Lauterbrunnen area about a day and a half. If so, you don't want to be wasting ANY time taking long walks, unless they have fantastic views. There's enough to see to fill two weeks, and you'll only have 1.5 days. So don't try walking up to Mannlichen, or even down from Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen (long walk and constant downhill will hurt your shins--even for my teen son).

Here's what I'd advise: First day, take the cable car down to Stechelberg. Walk to Trummelbach Falls, see the falls, walk over to Lauterbrunnen because the views are great. (Don't walk the road. Just across the road and a bit north from the Falls entrance there is a path that will cross the river and walk down the middle of the valley.) In Lauterbrunnen, you can stop at the Coop store across from the train station to get some food, then take the train up to Wengen. Sit on the right for best views. At Wengen, walk uphill and then to your left to get to the cable car station that will bring you to Mannlichen. Take the Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg trail, which is about 1.5 hrs and has fabulous views on a clear day. At K.S., you can walk a bit further to Wengernalp (and save about $8 each, as I recall). Get tickets and catch the train at Wengernalp and go down to Lauterbrunnen. See maps and descriptions at https://lauterbrunnenhiking.wordpress.com/ and particularly look at hikes K1, L1, and the tips section.
After those two hikes, if you have time and/or energy, from Lauterbrunnen take the cable car up to Grutschalp, and if you want to walk to Murren there are great views (M1 trail). If tired, take the train from Grutschalp to Murren. There's a Coop store in the middle of Murren (but might close by 6pm) , see map under trail M2. Then walk down to Gimmelwald or take the cable car, which is about $5 each.

Next morning, I'd recommend either the M2 or M3 trail. I actually enjoyed those views more than going up to the Schilthorn, and that might save you some money. Of course some of that depends on whether you have the pass or not. Get the pass only if the weather looks good for many days.
Finally, if you really want a large selection of food, there is a Huge Coop store just across from the train station at Interlaken Ost.

You have such a short time in Bern, just walk around and see the city, take it easy and enjoy. Murten and Avenches are nice enough, but they are definitely not "must sees" and you don't really have time for excursions anyway.

Luzern - again, you only have one day and it will take at least an hour to get there from Bern (1 1/2 if you take the more scenic regional train). If you can get going early enough, you could do the Golden Round Trip https://www.pilatus.ch/en/discover/golden-round-trip which would cover the boat ride & Pilatus in one go. This is a nice trip but will pretty much eat up your day and then you will have to use late afternoon/evening to walk around town.

Zurich - 5 days is a lot of time in Zurich and it's a shame you have little time elsewhere and so much here. What are your interests? I can come up with things to do in Zurich, but if money allows, you should take at least a couple of your 5 solo days there to go elsewhere on day trips (plenty of options, even if you want to avoid the places you'll go with your husband) and maximize your time. Does your husband have evening obligations at his conference? If not, you could do an evening lake or river cruise in Zurich together. They are public transportation so are reasonably priced, even if you have to pay full fare, and short roundtrips are offered (1-2 hrs) from the main landing in central Zurich. Otherwise do one solo on one of your free days!

Wow! Everyone here is so knowledgeable!

Jazz: I will look into that as an option! It seems really cool!

I think I will try to follow Shoe’s suggestions for the Berner Oberland, and I’m definitely going to be studying that hiking site! What a great resource!

Beverly: Good suggestion on going to the included mountains near Luzern! I hadn’t realized that I was picking the one that cost the most with the pass!

Hopper18: I am going to follow your suggestion about Bern, and also look more into the Golden Round Trip in Luzern. Agreed, it’s a shame to have so much time in Zurich and so little everywhere else. My husband should at least have the evenings free on Thursday and Friday, so we can take a boat ride then! As to interests, I’ll have my camera and am planning to wander and take photos, but I enjoy anything outdoors. I like museums for a couple of hours, drinking coffee at a cafe and people watching, neat shops, and chocolate. I was thinking if I did a 4-day travel pass flex, I may take the train to Lausanne and Chateau de Chillon during the week.

Just a few random ideas for Zurich: if you're staying near the university, there is a nice little outdoor cafe near ETH called Kleine Freiheit. It's very laid back and funky, a nice place to just relax and have a coffee or snack, especially on a warm day as it's green and shady (it's been a hot summer here!). https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/restaurants/kleine-freiheit And also at the university, you have really nice views over the city from the ETH Polyterrasse.

You'll find plenty of good places in Zurich to sit and people watch or just wander around. Some good suggestions here, with ideas about photogenic streets and squares https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/old-town-attractions
Hiltl Dachterrasse (roof terrace) cafe on Bahnhofstrasse is a nice outdoor oasis on the busiest shopping street in Zurich.

If you want to go a bit off the tourist trail, in the Zuri West neighborhood there's a unique shopping area under the train track arches called Im Viadukt - lots of small boutiques, food vendors and cafes https://www.im-viadukt.ch/en/home/

Budget tip - the Kunsthaus art museum is free on Wednesdays https://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/culture/kunsthaus-zurich

If you're interested in learning more about Switzerland, the Swiss National Museum is 10 CHF to get into and also has a nice museum shop and courtyard cafe.

You can also send me a private msg if you want more specifics or have any special interests (also for Bern or Luzern). Another thing to consider for your solo days - if you don't want to commit to a train pass, you could also check for super saver tickets for day trips. Since you'll be here on weekdays, there should be good availability.

hopper18 - I cannot thank you enough! You may very well see a private message from me over the next couple of weeks when I inevitably realize I've forgotten to ask about something! I'm adding all of these places to my map right now. Thank you again!

We took the cable car to Männlichen and walked to Kleine Scheidegg-- panorama hike, highly recommend. In general, you are planning to do way more each day than we are doing- but perhaps fits your style. In a single day from Gimmelwald, I'd do either Schilthorn or Mannlichen/Kleine Scheidegg--as they are on opposite sides of the valley.