We are planning a trip for eight days arriving in Zurich and flying back out of Milan. We would like to see the following cities/regions:

Zurich to Lake Como region
Cinque Terre
Nice
Eze
Grasse
Milan

Any suggestions for planning our itinerary and recommendations for hotels will be most appreciated. We are bringing my Mom along and she is not able to walk long distances or steep hills but otherwise quite mobile. Our interests are good scenery, quaint villages, shopping for inexpensive hidden treasures for the home.

Sorry but you have 6 places - too many for an 8 day trip - and is that really 8 full days on the ground - not counting the day you arrive and the day you leave?

This is a LOT of territory to cover - and while landing in Zurich you don;t seem to spend any time in the Swiss Alps which is most people's top reason for going there. If not, why not simply fly into Milan and home form Nice?

I loved Eze, but you can't avoid steep hills to enjoy it. Probably not a good choice for your mom.. Others can advise about Cinque Terre.

At least 2 too many destinations and w/ mobility issues, 3 too many IMO.

Do you have 8 days on the ground (10 days total for the trip) -- which is really about 7.5 useable days?

OR

Is it an 8 day trip -- which nets you 5.5 days to see/do?

If the latter, you really need to cut back to 2 or 3 locations max.

Are you going by train or car - makes a difference in how much you can easily cover in such a short time.

We have 8.5 days on the ground. We are now going to remove France from our plan. The new list of cities we would like to see is

Arrive in Zurich,
Spend a day in Zurich,
Train ride to Como
Two days in Como area including Bellagio
Remaining time for
Venice
Luca
Milan - leaving on 10 th day out of Milan

Please provide suggestions for quaint towns, accommodations and fun things to do for three generations of women traveling together. My 80+ mom, my sister, myself and my twelve year old daughter.

You could make your trip a whole lot better for all of you if you skipped Zurich and flew into Venice or Milan and out of the other.
Also, Luca is a good shlep from Venice, not a good fit in eight days if you have to depart from Milan.
Como is so close to Milan, it seems a shame top go to Venice, then backtrack.

Como could easily take two or three days. Venice takes two or three days. You could do a day trip to Burano. Verona is beautiful and might be a good substitute for Luca. Vicenza is also just as lovely as Luca and right on the route between Venice and Milan. Having spent several days in each, I would actually choose Vicenza over Luca.

Ues Lucca is neat - a primo walled medieval town but way of the loop for your trip - just to see it and nothing else in the area and IME too Verona would be even better than Lucca, in terms of things to see and do and smack right on Venice to Milan rail line.

I'd just pick 3 locations.

With 8 nights to work with I'd fly into Milan and then spend the first 3 nights in the Lake Como area, such as Lugano. You could use one of those days for a day-trip to Milan.

I would spend the next 2 nights in Padua. It's loaded with renaissance treasures.

The last 3 nights I would spend in Venice and fly home from there.

With 8 nights to work with I'd fly into Milan and then spend the first 3 nights in the Lake Como area, such as Lugano.>

Lugano is nice but Switzerland is about ten times as expensive as Italy - only a slight exaggeration! Many people love Bellagio on Lake Como - in any case boats from say Bellagio are much more frequent than those from Lugano if you want to explore the lake.

take a day trip to Lugano perhaps but stay in cheaper Italy perhaps.