I think I would take the TGV to Lyon and stay there two nights then go on to Lac Leman. Lyon to Geneva is only a couple of hours, then continue on to Vevey or Montreux for two or three nights. Train back to Paris from Laussane (4 hours) and spend the last night or two in Paris.

As to taking the train vs. flying:

On our trip two of us took the train between Paris and London and the other three flew. Despite the fact that all of us left our hotel at virtually the same time (we left about 15 minutes before they did), the two of us who took the train actually got to our hotel in London about 20-30 minutes earlier than the three who flew.

First of all, it was a quick, easy and cheap ride on the tube to the train station in Paris. Then, we got directly on the train--only spent maybe 5-10 minutes for both ticket check in and passport control. Then, there was no need to check luggage or anything like that (you just put it on the rack above of you) thus, upon arrival, there was no need to wait for any luggage. Finally, once at Waterloo station we we were only another short, quick and cheap tube ride (maybe 15 minutes or so) away from our hotel.

On the other hand, the ones that flew had to deal with getting taxis to/from the airport, checking/retrieving luggage (two of them had bags that they were not allowed to carry on once they arrived at the airport), the fact that the airports in both cities are a good 30-45 minutes outside of town depending on traffic, etc.

But the real kicker was that when we factored in the price of our train tickets versus the price of their plane tickets AND what we'd paid to take the tube versus what they paid to take taxis, it ended up being about $40 cheaper per person to take the train . . . more than enough for a nice dinner and/or tickets to the theatre.

Unless you are hell-bent on flying, I'd suggest you take the train . . . especially if you can get that €65 deal.

Jennie :)

I also vote for London and the train. My brother and sister-in-law, who live outside London, find it so easy and convenient to shuttle back and forth to Paris that they make weekend trips on the spur of the moment. It's not a hassle at all.