Short Trips from Geneva

I would spend the first half of your trip elsewhere. I would suggest Lauterbrunnen Valley unless that is too late in the season to be enjoyable. (Hopefully the Swiss man in the know, Chris F, will chime in) If Lauterbrunnen Valley is not all that pleasant at that time of year, I would considering spending the time in Luzern. There is lots to do in Luzern, including day trips into the mountains and to Bern. In Geneva, I highly recommend CERN if you are interested in science. Its free and easy to get to. If you want a tour, you must reserve in advance, check their website but it was something like 2 weeks and the tickets go fast. From Geneva you could do a day trip to Montreaux and Chateau Chillion and to Lausanne if you are interested in wine and/or cheese. I haven't been to Annency, but have done some research and that is definitely something on my bucket list.

Definitely go to Lauterbrunnen and then up to Gimmelwald, Murren or even Grindlewald (my 3rd choice). From Geneva you could also visit Broc and tour the chocolate factory (The whole village smells like chocolate) and you get samples free when you take the tour. Also Gruyeres Fromagerie, for cheese. They are not too far apart. Definitely see Chateau de Chillon, which is set right on the edge of Lake Geneva. There is a very lengthy and interesting lakeside promenade at Montreaux. Can't remember how far it goes as it has been awhile since I was there.

Thank you both! We are now actually thinking we will fly into Zurich and go somewhere from there for a few days before Geneva. Would you still recommend Lauterbrunnen? Any other places you'd recommend? Thanks again!

Our first time to Mürren was on a day trip from Geneva. Loved it! Another idea is taking the train to Gstaad or Gruyères.

In terms of scenery, it was the Berner Oberland for us, hands down, and we stayed in Murren. We used the cable cars and trains to get around the area pretty well in three days/four nights. If you want the Alp/mountain experience, I would prioritize that over the Vevey area (though we did enjoy Chillion, Gruyeres and the chocolate factory). From Geneva, you could've also visited the Chamonix area for the French Alps, but it sounds like you're now flying in to Zurich anyway.

Well we haven't booked our flights yet but flying into Geneva or Zurich are both options. If it isn't too much of a problem, are you guys able to tell me which areas of Switzerland close to those you've been and which were your favorite and why? Every area I look up looks so beautiful, making it hard to choose.

I'll think you'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who's visited Switzerland who would say their favorite place was anywhere besides the Berner Oberland! It's certainly my top pick. And nothing else is really close.

Luzern and the surrounding area (boat on the lake and train up to Rigi) were probably second, and Bern was a nice city, and Basel and Lausanne had some very good museums (the Museum of Outsider Art in Lausanne is particularly unusual), and a personal highlight for me was visiting Audrey Hepburn's grave, in Tolochenaz (near Lausanne). But none of them hold a candle to the Berner Oberland.

Of course, I haven't seen the whole country. But nothing I've read of anyone else who's been there contradicts the idea that the Berner Oberland is number one.

And sorry if this is a silly question but is Lauterbrunnen in that region? I see it's close but are you including Lauterbrunnen as a must-see? Any hotel recommendations? Would it be easier to get to from Zurich or Geneva? we will be travelling by train. It appears to be almost in the middle of the two.

Shyla, I used a small sketch of a map in the Rick Steves guide. He lays out Berner oberland. Just beyond Interlaken the area sort of forks into two valleys. One side is Grindelwald which is bigger and more touristy, but still lovely. I much preferred the Lauterbrunnen valley which is the other side. From Lauterbrunnen or the Lauterbrunnen Valley you can go up to Wengen and Kleine Scheidegg (which can also be accessed from Grindelwald) and then Murren, Gimmelwald and Schilthorn. I stayed in an Airbnb in the valley. There is a free bus that runs from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg which is where you can get to Gimmelwald and higher. The valley is quite beautiful with a few waterfalls. Some like to stay up in Murren where the views of the mountains and the Lauterbrunnen valley are stunning. I thought the valley was equally lovely looking up into the mountains and I felt it was a bit more central, but honestly, I don't know that you can go wrong, anywhere in that region. We got to the area from Luzern. (and we got to Luzern thru Zurich). We left the area and went to Montreaux/Geneva. I can't remember the train times exactly, but I feel like Luzern to Lauterbrunnen was about the same as Lauterbrunnen to Montreaux (where we stopped to go to Chateau Chillon)

And absolutely, Lauterbrunnen is a "must see" along with Murren, Gimmelwald and Wengen

Just a slight correction to Jules's post. The bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg is not free. It's covered by a Swiss Pass, and probably covered by other regional passes like the Berner Oberland Pass (I haven't specifically checked). And for this region, a pass of some kind is usually a good deal.

It's not that Lauterbrunnen, or Wengen, or Muerren, or Gimmelwald (villages in the Berner Oberland) are must sees. It's the astounding beauty and variety of the area itself. Stay in any of the villages, and just walk or hike or take lifts up and down, and you'll see why we all love it.

If you stay in lodging in Lauterbrunnen or the Lauterbrunnen valley, the bus is free. The inn keeper provides a card allowing guests to use the bus. (I also was told the same is true in Gimmelwald and Murren) The entire area, of course, is the star attraction. In my opinion the Lauterbrunnen Valley is a must see. It is in many of the iconic photos of the area. And Gimmelwald is like a place preserved from long ago. The OP asked if Lauterbrunnen was a must see, and I wanted to make sure to address that because I know of people that stayed in Grindelwald and never went to the Lauterbrunnen side.