How should travellers use Bern, Lausanne and Montreux?
Bern, Lausanne and Montreux are not usually the loudest names on a first itinerary, but they can make Switzerland feel less like a lift-ticket exercise. Use them for slower city-lake pacing, not as filler between bigger mountain bases.
Answer
Bern makes sense as a city stop in its own right: compact old streets, museums and an easy change of pace between mountain bases. Lausanne and Montreux belong to a different Lake Geneva chapter. Lausanne is the more useful base when you want restaurants, a larger city around you and easy rail access along the lake; Montreux is smaller and more scenic, better when the waterfront, Chillon and a slower lakeside stay are the attraction. A short first trip rarely needs all three. Choose Bern when you want a city counterweight to the Alps. Choose either Lausanne or Montreux when western Switzerland is part of the route — Lausanne for base utility and city life, Montreux for the more scenic lakeside stay. Switzerland is expensive enough that filler nights hurt. Add both only when Lake Geneva is a proper chapter of the trip, not because the rail map makes another hotel change look harmless.