Help me plan 12-15 days in France

I don't know Meaux at all. In fact I had never heard of it, yet it's a short easy train ride from Gare de l'Est.

Towns close to Paris with a provincial feel include Senlis, Provins and Auvers-sur-Oise.

Other places north(ish) of Paris that may be worth a detour as you head on to Amsterdam ...
Reims in Champagne
Amiens in Picardie
Rouen & Honfleur in Normandy

If you have time, you might want to go to Giverny, where the Monet museum is. It is a nice little town, and you can see where Monet painted his water lilies series. Peter

Nothing you can reach by rail will be truly small and charming, but small-ish and charming can be had enroute from Switzerland. Consider Colmar or Beaune and spend the night or two.

Beaune a little more of a detour but still doable. I won't say a word against Amsterdam but if the idea intrigues you you might stay longer in Burgundy or Alsace with a car or bicycle (rentals available) and get a taste of village life.

Nothing you can reach by rail will be truly small and charming...

What a fascinating statement.

K, I do not mean to be dogmatic about it, but I stand by that statement. In general people route railroads to cities, and build cities around railroads. A train will get you to Beaune but not to Noyers-sur-Serien.

True, a train will also get you to Arcy-sur-Cure, but would you recommend that to dreamingtrea as a day trip from Paris?

Still Colmar and Beaune are pretty great (!) destinations, if perhaps not la France profonde. Thus my recommendation.

Do you have an alternative?

You can easily do this as a daytrip from Paris. Direct train from railway station Paris Est takes about 20 to 40 min. , in Meaux the bus to the monument and the museum less than 20min.

I think Meaux itself (visited the museum but not the centre) is nice to visit, but have first an idea about the many other (day)trips you can do from Paris before spending more time there.

Adam,

I am not interested in planning anyone's itinerary, but I could not ignore the astonishingly broad and, seemingly ignorant statement that

Nothing you can reach by rail will be truly small and charming...

Now, perhaps I need to bow to your expertise and experience, or perhaps you have incredibly high standards for what may qualify as "truly small" or "charming."

But I think, and maybe after years of living in France I am simply naïve, that there are many, many communities in France that may be reached by train yet are both small and charming.

In short, I guess my charm benchmark is lower than that of some folks.