Seven days in switzerland

Mary, we have traveled to Geneva, Lausanne, and Luzern. Have not been to Bern or Zurich. You don't mention Zurich other than your arrival place. Given your time frame, I would go immediately to Luzern, then Lausanne, then Geneva. If you prefer, the trip from Geneva to Lausanne is short, about 35-45=50 minutes. I think I would stay 2 nights in Luzern and 3 in Geneva with 1 or 2 day trips to Lausanne.

I would recommend above and beyond every place else in Switzerland that you plan to spend time in the Lauterbrunnen valley as your base. Once you see Gimmelwald, Muerren, Schilthorn, Wengen, Mannlichen and Kleine Scheidegg you may decide to never leave. This is in the heart of the Swiss Alps.
If you wish for more specifics just let me know.

We do not plan on spending any time in Zurich after we arrive, as we would prefer to see the alps and sites, rather than staying in the city. And we have read many mixed reviews on Zurich, and that there is nothing special about spending time there. We are open minded to suggestions as to where we should go to get the most out of our time and seeing the best sites.

Mary, With only seven days, you're not going to have time to visit all the locations you mentioned. I'd suggest limiting your trip, and visiting two locations. In the same situation, I'd start in Lucerne which is only 1H:02M from Zurich Airport. It's a beautiful city and three days there would be perfect! That combination will provide you with a "city experience" as well as the quintessential Swiss Alps experience. Travel from there to the Berner Oberland via Interlaken. Travel time is about 2-hours via direct train, plus a short time to get to your destination in the valley. You can stay in Gimmelwald, Muerren or Lauterbrunnen (check the Guidebook for descriptions on the "character" of the three locations). For the trip to Paris, travel time is as short as 5H:07M from Interlaken Ost to Paris Lyon, with one change in Basel (the specifics will depend on which train you choose). It will be easier to provide more specific suggestion once you've made a decision on which locations you'll be visiting. Good luck with your planning!

Mary, as you have added the alps as something you want to see, I would concur with Ken's advise; split time between Luzern and the Berner Oberland: Lauterbrunnen/Muerren/Wengen and areas above.

Hi Mary, For the most idyllic Swiss experience and the joy of the mountains organize your time around the Berner-Oberland region. Lauterbrunnen is a terrific town! Try the Alpen-gurt, yogurt brought down from the mountains daily! You can't go wrong with Murren either and you take a gondola to get there which is also a quintessential experience. AVOID interlaken. . .it is a touristy drag overwhelmed by tourist buses and boring shops full of the most over produced touristy garbage. From Lauterbrunnen you can see the Schilthorn and also take the cograil up to the "top of europe", the Jungfrau. Bern is wonderful! And in August you can float down the Aire (sp??) River :) It is a smaller city but lovely with a great open center, open air markets, little traffic; it's wonderful. Also nice from Lausanne is a boat ride on Lake Geneva to see Chateau de Chillon or one of the great lake side towns. Luzerne has a pretty old town, but with only 7 days I would think about skipping it and heading to Bern and the Berner Oberland--which should be your primary experience of Switzerland. You will love Switzerland! Enjoy your trip!!

Thanks for all the good info. Any suggestions on good places to stay while we are in Switzerland. We do not intend to stay in Zurich, but will be going to Geneva for our last day and taking the train to Paris from there.

Do enjoy a day in Geneva. There are three distinct areas: downtown, the old area above downtown, and the international area and park. In the park, you will find the most incredible carousel I have ever seen. The walk along the lake from downtown to the international area is beautiful. There is a wonderful 19th-early 20th century technology museum in a wonderful mansion.