We're trying to plan a scenic train journey through the Swiss Alps with an overnight in Geneva or Bern, then on to Cannes or vicinity. We would then like to go north through France back to Paris. Any suggestions?
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London, United Kingdom
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The main problem with your plan is that due to the terrain there are no major rail routes on the N-S axis between Switzerland and France through the Alps. The easiest way from Switzerland down to Provence would be to retrace your steps back to Lyon by train from Geneva and then head down the main line towards Provence. I would recommend this if you have lots of luggage and/or a limited command of French.
If you have a relatively small amount of luggage and a good command of French (the small amount of luggage due to the need to make several changes and limited space on the train, the good command of French so that you can survive if things go wrong) an interesting trip to do would be to head to Martigny in south-western Switzerland and then take the narrow-gauge line through Chamonix to Saint Gervais, where you can change onto the main line to Lyon. This would be a slow but scenic journey and you might want to spend the night in Chamonix.
Another slower but scenic route would be to take the train from Geneva to Grenobles, and then take the secondary line through the lower Alps down to Marseilles through Veynes, Sisteron and Aix. You might have to wait a while at Veynes, though.
You can check itineraries and fares on www.sbb.ch (for Switzerland) and www.capitainetrain.com (for France). Depending on how many separate journeys you intend to do in Switzerland it may be worth getting a Swiss Travel Pass or a Swiss Half Fare Card (http://www.swiss-pass.ch/). Rail passes are not worthwhile for France due to the extra charges and limited availability of seats for passholders on most long-distance trains. You can get a significant discount for long-distance French or international train fares (eg Paris-Geneva, Lyon-Cannes, and your final return trip Cannes-Paris) by booking on Capitaine Train around three months before the travel date. These tickets are strictly limited to specific trains chosen at the time of booking, and you will need to pay a new full-price fare if you miss it. I would not book tickets for local rail journeys in the Alps in advance as there will be little or no discount and you probably want more freedom and flexibility.
I would also recommend that you buy two paper books to help you plan your trip. These are the European Rail Timetable (http://www.europeanrailtimetable.eu/), which covers times of major rail lines and allows you to plan your itinerary (rail websites are good if you know the start and end points of your trip but very bad if you just want to see what touring itineraries are possible) . The other is the Bradt Guide to Switzerland Without A Car, which is specifically aimed at self-sufficient rail tourers and describes both the sights and places of interest, and the rail network that links them.