Switzerland and ... ?

[KKD]

We are going to Switzerland with our three kids (7, 5, and 23 months) in July. We will have a car and will be in Zurich for our first four days, and then we'll have eight days to spend touring Switzerland before returning to Zurich for our return flight.

H wants to rent a house somewhere central like Interlaken and spend our time making day trips to various other Swiss towns. I am debating whether it'd be worth it to spend two or three days on the coast in France or Italy (I especially would like to visit Cinque Terre). We took our girls to Germany and all around Bavaria two summers ago, and H and I have been to Paris and Venice/Florence/Rome and are not interested in going back this trip.

Any thoughts on our best plan of action? Any must-do recommendations for Switzerland?

[Alyssa]

My grandmother grew up in Engelberg and it's BEAUTIFUL there.  You can ride a gondola up to the top of Mt Titlus.  She also grew up in a home on Lake Lucerne and there you can take a ferry ride around the lake and walk around the town. 

[Whitecaps]

Lucerne is lovely.