Hello,
Just booked air to Paris for 1st week of June and wanted advice on train only trip stops/itinerary for 9 nights with family of 4(2 teen daughters). I was assuming first 3 nights in Paris, and last night in Paris before out the next day.
Thanks so much!
Don
Sarasota, FL

The main thing to know is that you will pay far less if you book 3 months in advance. www.sncf-connect.com

Interests? History? Art? Food? Hiking?

Interests are need to give us some sort of chance to answer this open question. Please do not say history or food or wine as France is brimming over all of these things.
Look at this map of rail routes in France.

Also you can get to numerous other European counties ranging from England to Germany, Belgium Italy etc etc.

You can go literally anywhere by train, there is no best itinerary for the details you supply. France's network of trains is very dense.

You could for instance, do regions: Paris + Normandy, or Paris + Alsace, or Paris + Brittany, just as examples, but if you are prepared to spend longer on the train, you could go to neighbouring countries (such as Paris + Brussels / Flemish cities), or Paris + Provence (although I think Provence is better by car, but you can still do it).

I think you could benefit by reading a guidebook to narrow down some ideas; also this (Fodor's) website has some rudimentary information on destinations.

Lavandula

I was going to suggest Paris, Avignon/Provence, St Pierre des Corps/Tours and the Loire Chateau, and then back to Paris. But you loose half of a day getting to Avignon, most of a day (mid day) getting to the Loire (arriving too late to visit a chateau).

This gives you 2 1/2 days in Avignon/Provence, and only 1 1/2 days visiting Chateaux. Way too little time in either destination, IMO.

So I would choose only 1 destination outside of Paris. Remember, shops close on Sunday in most any city you can easily reach by fast train. So stick close to Paris and travel to other destinations you can get to quickly. Make sure there are also other sites close by that you can travel to by organized tours or frequent local trains. Strasbourg & Colmar in Alsace, Loire/St Pierre, Avignon/Provence, or Rennes/Brittany would be good choices. Others might suggest Dijon/Burgundy and Bordeaux/ wine country - but I personally don't enjoy these regions as much as the ones I have suggested. Unless you want to visit "all cities".

Stu Dudley

Hi Don, and welcome to Fodors!

It will make your trip a little more time efficient if you put all your time in Paris at the end. It's also a good use of your arrival day when you might be feeling tired and jet lagged so spending the day or part of it on the train allows you to relax a bit.

Assuming you are flying into CDG you can catch many fast trains from there which will take you directly to places like the south of France [Avignon, Aix, Marseilles], Bordeaux, the Loire, Strasbourg, Lyon, etc etc. One idea would be to take the TGV directly from CDG to Avignon, then back to Lyon, and then end in Paris which would fit your 3-3-3 night idea perfectly but there are many more options. Lots of help with how to book trains here: https://www.seat61.com

Have fun planning!

Strasbourg and Nancy are other possibilities.

https://flic.kr/p/2gFjDaQ https://flic.kr/p/7pwjtd

La Rochelle is a favorite.

France is ideal for trans-Atlantic travellers to use a multi-destination air route. Fly into Marseille, for instance, and fly home from Paris, both on a single itinerary. Getting to the south will probably require a connection but the ticket will ensure that transfer. Recuperate from the flight by taking a shuttle to Aix-en-Provence or Avignon for two nights. Then the fast train to Paris. Don't try to patch the flights together yourself; use a multi-destination booking function which will collect the legs. It shouldn't cost more than simple round trips and will save time and maybe some money with only one long-distance train ride.

You could also stay in Paris and do day trips. This book has a good selection: [But I am a big fan of Strasbourg and Nancy, which combine well.]

Southam - that's a great idea [wish I'd thought of it] but I think that Don has already booked his flights. I've never tried to change flights, i just wonder how easy it is.