first time to Switzerland.would like to stay in larger city (Zurich,Geneva,or suggestion) and do day trips from there.will have 4 full days. any ideas would be helpful

Any ideas as to what kinds of things you like would be even more helpful.

Did you post this is European forum - it will be moved. And yes, it would be good to put your interests - esp. if you are looking for more urban vs nature experiences. We based ourselves in Montreaux one year - went up to the mountains, walked thru vineyards, explored lake and castle of Chillion. Loved it!

I love love love Lac Leman the area outside of Geneva. I'd pick it any day over Zurich.

From Geneva your day trips could be... Annecy (France), Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, Gruyeres (Swiss) to name a few.

Moved to Europe board

I wonder if scrb11 meant Lucerne? That could be a great choice, though it can be very crowded during high season.
For the Lake Geneva area, Montreux could be a good base.
It really depends on when you are going and what interests you have in being there.

Yeah it must have been auto-correct.

Of course people go to the famous peaks like the Bernese Oberland villages.

But for me the scenery of Rigi, Pilatus and Stanserhorn rival any that I've seen up in those mountains, though obviously they're not as high up. Not saying one shouldn't go to places like Wengen or Zermatt but since the question was to stay in a city and day-trip, that's the answer I give.

But Luzerne is expensive, like other Swiss cities, like pretty much all of Switzerland. I wonder if there are cheaper accommodations say a little further to the south, which are closer to those attractions anyways. Of course Luzerne has all the restaurants and transport links so it's far more flexible than any small town or suburb.

We stayed in Lausanne last April - beautiful city and wish we had longer. We enjoyed strolling near the lake with great vistas - the tulips were in bloom in April, while there was snow on the higher peaks; the very easy metro that went from lower to upper part of the city; and the lively restaurants. We spent a day taking the train - the amazing Golden Pass, with panoramic windows and roof - from Montreaux to Interlaken and back; we wandered around and had lunch in Interlaken. We also spent a day/night in Neuchatel, a smaller city, also beautiful, on a large lake with great public transportation, including a funicular up the steep hills.

If the OP wants to stay in a conurbation with at least 300 thousand inhabitants, he can choose between Zurich, Basel, Geneva, Bern, Lausanne and Como-Mendrisio.
All of them are transport hubs with tons of day trip possibilities.
Geneva, Basel and Como ar not the best places for day trips within Switzerland, however.
From Zurich, you can reach almost every place in Switzerland.
Berne and Lausanne are closer to the Swiss Alps (and to Lake Maggiore), however

Are you more interested in the German-speaking area or the French-speaking area. To me that is one HUGE difference in the cities you mentioned.

Much as we love our home city of Basel, I don't recommend it as a base for the moment. It's a tip, they're digging up everything. There is major construction work already going on or planned for the near future at Messeplatz, Marktplatz, the main train station, near the Tinguely Museum, around Barfusserplatz, etc. I'm sure things will look great when the work is finished (sometime late next year is what we're being told for certain areas, like the big dig in front of the art museum) but the city is currently not at its best for visitors.

Good to know, Weisser Tee, thank you for the update!