Taking 80 year old Father on "bucket List" visit to the Matterhorn

Because the highest chance of seeing the top of the Matterhorn is early in the morning— your best bet is to overnight in Zermatt for one or two nights.

Reschedule visiting then if the last-minute weather forecast is for rain during your timeframe.
Lauterbrunnen is 2:40 by train to Zermatt, and that makes for an extremely long day for a daytrip, Bern, the capital, is 2 hours by train from Zermatt.

I, too, became obsessed with seeing Switzerland’s Matterhorn since I grew up 3 miles from Disneyland.
Once you’ve seen it— there is very little to do in Zermatt if you don’t ski, mountain climb or enjoy strenuous hikes.

You might split your trip 1-2 nights in Zermatt and 4 in Murren. Once your father sees the Eiger, Munch and Jungfrau mountain peaks from Murren— he will completely forget about the Matterhorn!
The views of those peaks from the village and along the 45-minute flat asphalt pathway between Murren and Gimmelwald are just unbelievable!

I agree with the above post, advocating staying in Zermatt most of the week; and I have an alternative to the BO for the rest of the week.

We have only been to Zermatt once in our 5 trips to Switzerland, but we enjoyed a great view of the Matterhorn 3 of our 4 days there. We rented a vacation apartment in the area known as Winkelmatten, at the far end of the village, and when the Matterhorn was “out” it was so close I felt like I could almost reach out and touch it from our balcony.

Scroll through the photos on this VRBO page to see what it looked like from there:

https://www.vrbo.com/8008146ha?pwaThumbnailDialog=thumbnail-gallery

This was not the apartment we had (I cannot find that one listed) and I am not suggesting you book it, but it is an example of what you should aim for. Winkelmatten is a 15-minute level walk from the train station, or you can take one of the little electric taxis. There are probably hotels in that area with a similar view. In June lodging prices should be lower than July; at least they were when we visited.

For you second location I recommend the little car-free village of Bettmeralp in the Valais. This is similar to the popular villages of Mürren and Wengen in the Berner Oberland, but far less touristy/busy, and also a lot closer to Zermatt. At some times of the day you can travel between the two by riding the cablecar down to Betten and meeting a direct train (no transfers) to Zermatt. Other times you will make a single change at Visp or Brig.

You can clearly see the Matterhorn from many places around the village, including from the dining room of the hotel where we stayed, the Waldhaus. But the highlight of this area is the beautiful Aletsch glacier, which you can see from several viewpoints which can be easily accessed by cablecar or gondola.

https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/aletsch-arena/places/bettmeralp

https://www.aletscharena.ch/en/world-natural-heritage-site/view-points

If you stay in Zermatt, the train ride to Montreux has some gorgeous scenery. You could go there for lunch one day and walk along the lake. The flowers along the lake are fabulous in June. I was just in Zermatt and Montreux this past June. And Montreux with a day trip to Zermatt in June 2022. It’s a great time to go. Wildflowers everywhere!

I stayed at the Hotel Alpenhof in Zermatt. My trip report details what I did in Zermatt. It might give you some ideas.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-june-2024-my-trip-report

June 2024, no full Matterhorn sighting for all 3 of my days. But I didn’t care. I love Zermatt!!! June 2022, I did have a great view on my day trip.

How nice of you to take your dad. I’ve been trying to convince my dad, who is 82, to go, but he won’t do the long flight.

If your dad likes trains, a trip on the Glacier Express which starts from Zermatt would also be a good idea. There's also the Gornergratt Railway, which runs to the top of another nearby peak with a view of the Matterhorn. He might also be interested in the occasional trips on the Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn using historic trains - the (German-only) website is at https://www.mgbahn-historic.ch/category/fahrten/. If you're willing to travel further away from Zermatt, I can strongly recommend the Swiss national transport museum in Luzern, the Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, and the Blonay-Chamby Railway near Montreux (sorry, website in French or German only).

I’d stay 3 nights in Zermatt. That will give you a good chance of a clear view. be willing to make a day trip if that doesn’t get you the clear view. On my first trip the clouds kept creeping over from Italy to obscure the top. Fortunately the last mirning was crystal clear

Thanks everyone on the suggestions! I was leaning towards staying in Zermatt and I'm thinking (with all the great input) that 3 days will be about right - I'll take some of the other suggestions for a second location and plan that out for the back end of our trip. We then fly over to England to pick up our college daughter from Sheffield to bring her home from her year abroad....so kinda a full family outing home!

Depending on flight arrivals, we may end up staying one night in Zurich before heading out to Zermatt the first day - get a little acclimatized and rested before the next step and all!

We were just in Zermatt a couple of weeks ago, after a ride on the Glacier Express in Excellence Class. If your father loves trains, I highly recommend this trip, expensive but worth every penny.

We stayed three nights in Zermatt as the Matterhorn was my prime reason for visiting Switzerland. We only were able to see it on one day of our whole time there, the rest of the time was too cloudy, but I was happy, I got to see it from morning to night.

We also went to Gornergrat, which I completely recommend again if he loves trains.

There was plenty to do for that period in Zermatt, lots of restaurants, the museum and graveyard of those who had died attempting to climb the Matterhorn were amazing too.

After Zermatt we stayed in Wengen for a week, and whilst the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau were incredible, they weren't the Matterhorn.

Or, maybe more realistically, stay in Zermatt so we capture our best option for being there to see the mountain, and taking the train out to other locations (like the Oberland region!) on days it's not looking so great in Zermatt. We really don't want to create multiple locations to stay/unpack as that is a bit more of an energetic plan than what Dad can take, we think.

Since fulfilling your dad's bucket list wish is the focus of your trip, I’d go with your initial idea: stay in Zermatt for the week.

There’s nothing quite like experiencing the mountains throughout the day. Watching the early morning light shift into bright sunshine, clouds drifting past, fog rolling in and out, catching glimpses of the peaks with a sense of mystery, sunsets, and the clear night sky studded with stars—ideally you will experience all of this at various times throughout the week.

From the balcony of my apartment, I have a view of a local mountain range, and guests often settle there to take it all in, lingering for hours just to soak up the view. They will take lots of photos and return back again and again throughout the day to see what it looks like now. 

If you stay for only three days, there’s always the risk of bad weather during your stay that could clear up just as you’re leaving. You could of course go back again for a day trip or two at that time, but it’s not the same as actually staying there.

With your dad’s love of trains, you’ll have many options for day trips to beautiful places like the Berner Oberland, - Kandersteg is only about two hours away - or any of the other stunning destinations that have already been suggested.

For a train fan, the Jungfrau railway inside the Eiger is amazing. Watch The Eiger Sanction before you go.

For Matterhorn (Monte Cervino in Italian), also consider the views from Breuil-Cervinia Italy. There's a cable car from Zermatt now, and luggage transport was supposed to be offered at some point.