Need ideas for 7 days in Switzerland

@Cromerandassociates - Here is a potential itinerary which might be a fit for your 7 days trip to Switzerland. You won't have enough time to cover Zermatt on this trip because it's quite a bit of distance to travel to by train unless you are really set on going to Zermatt. I have crafted an itinerary that is at comfortable pace and where the Swiss cities listed are not far apart to explore.

Arrived in Zurich - Day 1 - Train same day to Lauterbrunnen in Bernese Oberland

Base in Lauterbrunnen for 3 days -

Day 2 - Day trip to Wengen

Day 3 - Day trip to Grinderwald

Day 4 - Morning train to Lucerne Switzerland

Day 5 - Explore Lucerne

Day 6 - Day trip to Bern Switzerland

Day 7 - Morning train from Lucerne to Zurich airport to fly home

Your thoughts?

Wow, thank you for taking the time to type all of that! You raised some interesting points, which I had not considered.

What would the difference be in staying in Lauterbrunnen vs. Murren?
One of our desires was to see the Matterhorn. However, I am reading that could be a real crap shoot due to weather. Lauterbrunnen has great appeal to me, since the true reason for the visit is to get a feel of Swiss countryside during the spring. If I understand your post correctly, Lauterbrunnen could very well be a good fit.

Not too sure about Lucern, since we are mainly focused on the countryside. What would be another alternative from Lauterbrunnen?

Thanks so much!!

Lauterbrunnen is on the valley floor, surrounded by stunning mountains. Mürren is 800 mètres higher up in the mountains. It is car-free, the views are arguably even better, but it is less convenient for day trip. Wengen is slightly lower and quite a bit larger, but a similar vibe to Mürren.

Luzern is not exactly a bustling metropolis. It is a charming town, perhaps a small city depending on your referential. It does offer good access to surrounding countryside and mountains - Rigi is especially interesting in that respect, IMO.
This said, if you are not keen on Luzern, you could head to Zermatt from Lauterbrunnen. In such a case, a final night in Zürich would be necessary before the flight.
But you could still spend 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen (or Mürren, or anywhere in that area), 2 in Zermatt and 1 in Zürich.

"But you could still spend 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen (or Mürren, or anywhere in that area), 2 in Zermatt and 1 in Zürich."

Wow, that sounds great. What is the travel time from Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt via train? If I have to I can extend my stay by a day or so, to make the trip more relaxing. Thank you for some great advice!!!

@cromerandassociates - The link below has the train schedule from Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt.

https://www.thetrainline.com/en-us/train-times/lauterbrunnen-to-zermatt

You can extend your Swiss vacation to an extra day.

Here's the updated itinerary:

Arrived in Zurich - Day 1 - Train same day to Lauterbrunnen in Bernese Oberland

Base in Lauterbrunnen for 3 days -

Day 2 - Day trip to Wengen

Day 3 - Day trip to Grinderwald

Day 4 - Morning train to Zermatt

Day 5 - Explore Zermatt and go up to the alpine to Matterhorn

Day 6 - Zermatt - Relaxing day in Zermatt

Day 7 - Morning train from Zermatt to Bern Switzerland and explore the city of Bern

Day 8 - Leave Bern to Zurich airport to fly home

The SBB app is very friendly and you can plot out train routes and times. This is the direct link to the Swiss rail system. Riding their trains is a pleasure.
Have a great trip!