Well yes indeedy - I love Interlaken itself as a base for the whole area. But others strongly disagree - i remember one Swiss expert here - someone whose recommendations i inevitably agree with and a font of great tips - vigorously disagreed with me about Interlaken - calling it basicallya nothing - so folks disagree about Interlaken and it really is in the eye of the beholder - and in the eye of tower's camera, whose pictures i think show a real sweet side of Interlaken that many tourists, who just rush thru the town to get to the hills never see.

When returning to Zurich for your flight you could easily stay in Lucerne the night before your flight - if you have not already seen this exquisite city IMO one of the most gloriously set cities in Europe -on a fjord-like lake and world-renown for its ancient covered wooden bridges(well not so ancient but copies of ancient bridges after being rebuilt after burning down - one of them - not long ago.
You should find direct trains from Lucerne to Zurich Airport taking less than an hour.

I agree with Palenque about Interlaken. Although I have only stayed overnight once way back in 72 I also think it is a lovely town. I proposed to my wife there after visiting a jewelry store. after visiting Murren, Wengen and Murren I have always stayed in the valley after that first visit. I have however, spent many a rainy day in Interlaken window shopping or eating. The river is beautiful as is the flower covered park. There is a great hardware store where you can buy a real cow, sheep or calf bell. Its a gateway to the Jungfrau Region, which of course means more tour busses and crowds. I still feel, however it gets a bum rap by a lot of travelers.

When I said Lauterbrunnen Valley I was including Wengen and Murren which have incredible views, minus the traffic and crowds of Grindelwald. The area around Grindelwald is spectacular too! Just not my idea of an alpine village although they are all resorts.

thanks for your kind words, Pal..
stu