My husband and I will be making a 'triangle' trip in France. We'll have a short stay in Paris. Also going to Nice and Biarritz. All travel will be by train. (YES, I finally figured out the SNCF site). We will probably have time to stop for a night or maybe two somewhere in this triangle. Would you stop somewhere between Paris to Nice, Nice to Birarritz, or Biarritz back to Paris, and why? Thanks

I'd stay somewhere in the Perigord/Dordogne (between Nice/Biarritz) like Sarlat or Rocamadour or one of a zillion walled towns because the area is so damned beautiful that it makes my heart hurt to leave it.

I love Lyon. Vieux Lyon is magical and the Roman ruins are very interesting. The food is great too. Lyon is the gastronomical capital of the world. I found it to be more managable than Paris with plenty to do and see.

Without a question, somewhere between Nice and Biarritz due to the timing. there are fast TGV lines between all the other points (Paris-Nice, Paris-Biarritz) but not across the bottom of France. So, the other trips are minimized (esp Paris-Biarritz, I think that's only about 5-1/2 hrs, to Nice is now about 6, isn't it?). On the other hand, it's about 11 hrs by train from Nice to Biarritz with several changes, so that seems the obvious route to break up. I don't know that SW area well but I think you've got good suggestions on where you could stay.

Ally- we went to Lyon for 1 day on a RHONE RIVER cruise and fell in love with it--great murals in the old city,river runs thru city,incredible restaurants and a great Les Halles for gourmet foods--There is so much to do there that you may need 3 days---It is wonderful--also has a terrific antique district where we found some good things to bring home.

Lyon! It's a very walkable city, lovely view from Fourviere over the city and it's environs, great food, history galore (from the Roman ruins to the Center of the Deportation and the Resistance...), and Perouges (a medieval city) is a bus tour or 30min taxi ride away.<BR><BR>

Ally,<BR>Stopping off in Sarlat or Rocamadour on trip from Nice to Bararritz is out of the question when going by train. As mentioned earlier, this would require 3 or 4 changes and endless hours.<BR>The most logical stop would be in either Carcassonne(0-1)change or Toulouse-no changes; allowing more time to spend sightseeing.

Thank you all so much for the advice. I'll take it all un consideration, but if it's true that it would take 11 hours by train from Nice to Biarritz, sounds like I most certainly want to break that up and stay a day or two! Maybe Toulouse?

One route I saw Nice-Biarritz changed at Marseille and then Toulouse. I don't know how enjoyable Toulouse would be; Carcassonne is a popular tourist destination and has interesting things to see if that would work out (I'd probably choose it); Montpellier might be an option also, west of Marseille, I'm not sure of the rail route.