Switzerland Itinerary Advice

Are you referring to Murten, Switzerland?

Yes, it looks like autocorrect on my Mac prefers to correct Murten to Marten. Thank you for catching that!

Hello PDXPapa! Oregonian-expat-in-Roma here!

I think you are cutting the Berner Oberland short. It is fabulous for hiking and photography. We have never spent fewer than 4 nights there, giving ample opportunity to go to oh-so-many cute villages and stunning locations for photos. I do not know Lausanne or Murten, but we tend toward more 3-and-4-night stays especially in great hiking locations where we might have to wait for weather to clear.

I agree with Laurel. You itinerary looks great, but you need more time in the Berner Oberland. At the very least, take a day from Lucerne or Bern/Murten. Or consider dropping Chamonix to give yourself four nights in the Berner Oberland. I think you'll really regret it if you only stay there two nights.

Thank you for the great feedback. Based on your feedback and a little more research, along with a little family chat, we're going to cut out our 2 night stay in Murten/Bern and extend our stay in Lausanne and the Berner Oberland to 3 nights each.

Where have you stayed in the Berner Oberland region? Do you have a preference? Staying at a higher elevation with views in a village such as Gimmelwald or Murren sound appealing but that may limit is to exploring just one side of the valley. We'll have a car that we'll need to leave in Lauterbrunnen either way.

Thank you for taking the time to reply!

We stayed in Murren when we went two years ago and plan to stay there when we go back in September. We just adored it. Lauterbrunnen is more convenient to both sides of the valley, but the feeling of being in the mountains is just incredible. It only takes twenty minutes or so to get down to the valley from Murren.

Regarding Lausanne, I would consider cutting it to two nights to get an extra night in the Berner Oberland. Also, I would think about staying in Vevey instead. It's a very short train ride, and the trains run frequently. I liked it much better than Lausanne.

Whatever you decide, I think you're going to have a fantastic trip1

When in Luzerne, you and your son might enjoy a visit to the Swiss Transportation Museum. Trains, boats, trains, planes, trains, cars... It's a guy thing but you might enjoy it.

Alright, my $0.02.

Remove these from your itinerary:
2 Nights - Chamonix, France
2 Nights - Lausanne, Switzerland
2 Nights - Murten, Switzerland ( Explore Murten/Bern area )

Seriously. And don't add Zermatt back in ;)

Add Appenzell back in and do Ebenalp. Stay in http://www.gasthaus-ebenalp.ch/index.php?id=9 or gasthaus aescher. One is above the lift station and the other is below. I would trade the others for this any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

If you are planning to visit the Lake Geneva region, I also recommend staying in Vevey. If there are places you want to see in Lausanne, it's a very short train/metro ride away. Worth it to walk the historic vineyards in Lavaux, especially if you are a photographer. The vineyards are a ten minute train from either Vevey or Lausanne and the views are breathtaking. The boat ride on the lake is also worth it and you can get off and on to see some sights. If you purchase the half fare card, you'll receive the discount on most of the boats, trains, busses.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1243