Matterhorn

I did it successfully as a day trip from Murren the village overlooking Lauterbrunnen, you can also. And make the decision to go or not as a day trip based on the weather report.

Zermatt and the Matterhorn a great stop if you have a clear and sunny day but I would definitely stay overnite otherwise a long day mostly on trains.

"Seeing" the Matterhorn can be done from "relatively" close up using the gondola from the south end of town, or at a greater distance from the stations on the Gornergrat railway, which departs from the east side of town near the railway station. Emphasis on weather though, as any weather is possible, maybe all within the same 24 hours. The weather in Lauterbrunnen and that in Zermatt may well be different too (different mountain chains within the Alps). Late April/Early May is the shoulder season so check when/if the lifts and the Gornergrat railway close for maintenance between winter and summer. I don't know what your other plans in Lauterbrunnen are, but with the Schilthorn and Jungfraujoch nearby, maybe doing those instead so you can actually go on top, rather than just looking from a distance..

I recommend spending the night in Zermatt and taking the train to Como (via Milan) from there. You will save travel time and cost, and you will have a much better opportunity to actually see the Matterhorn—-the afternoon and evening on your arrival day there, and all the next morning. The best train connection from Zermatt to Milano Centrale departs Zermatt at 13:13 and arrives in Milano 3h 27min later, at 16:40. Earlier trips can take from 5 to 6 hours (but still less than the travel time from Lauterbrunnen for the similar itineraries).

You can see the routes and distances on this map of the Swiss rail system:

https://cdn-doc.myswissalps.com/docs/default-source/rail-network-maps/swisstravelpass.pdf?sfvrsn=7788603a_52

I do not agree that riding to the top of the Schilthorn or the Jungfraujoch is a substitute for getting an up close view of the Matterhorn, one of the world’s most beautiful mountains (and I have seen a good many of the famous ones to compare—-Rainier, Denali, Fitzroy, Mitre Peak, and more). The Schilthorn is popular, not for its beauty, but for the unique experience of riding a cablecar to the very summit (if you like the idea of dangling from a cable high above the ground in a metal box with up to 79 of your closest friends). It will be out of service for maintenance in late April, from 25/4 to 29/4/2022.

The Gornergrat train at Zermatt is slated to follow a winter schedule until 24/4/2022, and the summer schedule is not up yet. But it may well be closed for a time at the end of April as well. But it is not the only viewing point for the Matterhorn. You can see it from various places in Zermatt, including some of the hotels.**. We had a great, “in your face” view of the mountain from the balcony of our apartment in Winkelmatten, at the far end of Zermatt. Or you can hike up to Riffelalp like we did.

** You might look at some of the hotels with a Matterhorn view—-they are normally quite pricey, but you will be there at low season, so prices are much lower—-if the hotels are open. Some will shut down for a break after Easter, but may re-open by May.

I'd suggest you choose 1 or the other (Lauterbrunnen/Murren or Zermatt). We did 4 nights in Murren September 2019, then moved on to Lake Como (similar to you). Our 3 days were jam packed with 2 trips up to Schilthorn, Grindlewald, Wengen, hikes to Gimmelwald, Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen, Maennlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, etc etc.. Point is, you'll eat up at least 1 day (2 if you stay over), which could leave just 1 day in Lauterbrunnen.. The Bernese Oberland is spectacular and deserves a few days in my opinion. If Matterhorn is more important, spend your nights in Zermatt. Now, if you are really crazy, motivated and lucky, you could take the first train out of Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt, have lunch while looking at Matterhorn, then jump back on the train to Milan then to Lake Como but that is a longggggg day and I didn't even look at all of the required connections!!! I hope to see The Matterhorn on a future trip.

The thing about the mountains - especially the Matterhorn - is that you can't see them if they are covered in clouds!!! Therefore, maximum flexibility is important. On one trip I based within day trip distance of Zermatt/Matterhorn for 6 days, each day watching the weather and it wasn't until the 5th day that the weather cooperated.

So I would advise you stay in Lautebrunnen the whole time. Watch the weather and IF you get a good weather day (and in 4 days you may not) then do the Matterhorn day trip. Other days maybe the weather in the BO mountains may be good. If it's not good in any mountains you can do day trips to cities such as Bern, Thun, etc. In fact to maximize your flexibility I would stay in Interlaken. It gets a bad rap, but actually has a cute, if small, old town but more importantly has excellent train connections in all directions.

Also know that even on 'good' days, clouds (known as 'banner clouds') form around the Matterhorn by about mid day. So go early.

Photos - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f283697298

Many thanks everyone!