Our itinerary is set for our European vacation this July! Thanks to those of you who chimed in when I was in the earlier stages of planning. Here is our itinerary.
I would love any input and recommendations, including:
- Favorite places to visit and eat
- Best way to travel from place to place (we are thinking of renting a car the whole time, with maybe a scenic train here and there)
- Anything else you want to add

Zurich - Wengen - Como/Bellagio - Vevey - Geneva
Day 1 - Depart NY
Day 2 - Arrive Zurich; Stay in Zurich (stay with friends)
Day 3 - Depart Zurich; Visit Lucerne for the Day; Arrive Wengen
Day 4 - Lauterbrunnen/Wengen
Day 5 - Lauterbrunnen/Wengen
Day 6 - Depart Wengen; Arrive Bellagio (Debating splurging and staying at Villa D'este. Thoughts? Right now at Hotel Du Lac)
Day 7 - Bellagio
Day 8 - Bellagio
Day 9 - Depart Bellagio; Arrive Vevey (Stop in Sion & Chateau de Chillon on the way)
Day 10 - Vevey (Day trip to Gruyere and Broc; Explore the Lavaux Vineyards)
Day 11 - Depart Vevey; Arrive Geneva (Stop in Lausanne en route, possibly)
Day 12 - Geneva (Day trip to Annecy/Chamonix)
Day 13 - Depart Geneva/Arrive New York/New Jersey

Switzerland is such a beautiful place, I'm sure you will enjoy yourselves no matter what you decide.

FWIW, I would not use a car for any of the Swiss part of your trip -- why deprive the driver of the chance to truly enjoy every bit of the glorious scenery through which you will travel? Public transportation in Switzerland is incredibly comfortable and convenient.

While it completely depends on what YOU want to see and experience, I must admit that I find your plan for Switzerland ambitious. Part of a day in Lucerne would not have been enough for me. Two days in Lauterbrunnen/Wengen would not have been enough for me. One day for Gruyere, Broc, and the Lavaux sounds ambitious to me. I haven't been to Bellagio yet, and so can't comment on that part of your trip.

Hope that helps!

You waste a lot of time with your drives to and from Bellagio.
Lake Maggiore (Locarno) would be much easier to reach by car (or by public trtansport) from both, Lauterbrunnen and Vevey.
Count about 5 hrs for the non stop drive Lauterbrunnen - Lake Lucerne - Bellinzona - Lugano - Como - Bellagio (most of it boring motorway) and
about 5 hrs for the non stop drive Bellagio Como - Milano - Santhia - Ivrea - Aosta - Martigny - Vevey (most of it boring motorway, except the motorway leg Ivrea - Vevey).
There are much more scenic itineraries, of course! But they would take much more time.

Count about 100-200 CHF/pax for mountain railway tickets around Lauterbrunne/Muerren/Grindelwald (full fare, without Jungfraujoch).

Thank you both for your comments.

We have decided to train from the start of the trip to Lugano, then will have a car service pick us up to go to Bellagio. We would really like to go to Bellagio and visit Como (vs. staying in Lugano) Thoughts on this?
When we return to Lugano we will rent a car for the second part of our trip and will head towards the Montreaux area.

Favorite things to do/visit while in these areas, or driving through?

I haven't been to Bellagio. I loved Lugano and the Ticino.
And I loved taking public transportation in Switzerland -- so easy, so comfortable, so convenient for getting on and off (because there are lockers and manned luggage desks at most stations).

IME, the Rough Guide and Michelin Green Guide provide better coverage of your options than other guidebooks. And you might find some useful information in my trip report.
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...thanks-983126/