Recommendations- Beautiful Villages and towns from Paris- Train transport

2018 we travelled by train around France, my favourites were Carcassonne, Collioure, Villefranche de Conflent, Loches and Barr.
Obviously Carcassonne's very famous fortress was a highlight particularly when wandering around within the walls at 5 to 6 am. But we very much enjoyed the town itself. We didn't stay within the fortress walls instead staying in the middle of town.
Busy and bustling but not crowded with tourists. We were fortunate to catch the farmers market in the town square. We also positioned ourselves at the finish line for a stage of the Tour de France, a real highlight.

Collioure. Very picturesque small town on the Mediterranean. A fascinating fortified Palace in town. An impressive hilltop fort a short steephike above town. The little harbour is lovely with the traditional boats moored there. I was up each morning to watch the sunrise over the Mediterranean. Then I'd jog up the hill to the fort then back down. Finish with a swim across to the walls of the church. Our hotel breakfast was in the Templiers Hotel. It has an amazing collection of artworks.

Villefranche de Conflent is a tiny fully walled historic village. Above town on the hilltop is a fortress that can be reached by a series of tunnels and "1000" steps (probably more like 800). There are magnificent gates at either end of the village. Lots of narrow alleyways. We walked the ramparts.
Nearby (walking distance) are 2 impressive caves.
We headed off from here on the Little Yellow Train which climbed through the Pyrenees.

Loches. It was what I imagined a small Loire town would be. The Donjon and Royal Palace were fantastic. The whole town was very pleasing to the eye. It was quite uncrowded when we were there. The hotel we stayed in dated back to the 15th century. Probably not up to the standards many on here are after but it was special to us.

Barr. We didn't plan on staying more than one night in Barr but we ended up staying 4.
Classic Alsatian architecture in the old town. Wineries and cute little wine villages nearby. Just beyond the vinyards the forests of the Vosges mountains. Tucked away in those mountains were a number of 13th C castle ruins. Something special about wandering through the forest and meeting up with castle ruins.
The town itself suited us well. A couple of summertime concerts kept it pleasantly busy at times. Other times very quiet.

Not sure if any of that is helpful.

@tintaldra-
Thank you so much for your detailed response. This is exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the information. If you are still keeping up on this post- question- about how much time did you spend in each place? 2 days or longer? Thank you!
Lisa

On beautiful villages and towns from Paris (not too far presumably), one place that really stands out I went to (only once) was

Barbizon, not far from Fontainebleau, recommended to me by a local one of the many times I was in Fontainebleau across from the Chateau.

@Fred
Thanks so much for your response. I will definitely add Barbizon to my research list, sounds wonderful!

We stayed 3 to 4 nights in each of those places.

@ lisa g....You're welcome.

Barbizon is indeed a lovely place, you'll see that.

I can name many places around Paris, but are in the middle of nowhere and not so easy to reach by public transport. But stayed 5 years back near Barr too in Alsace for several days. A bit off the beaten path, but well connected by train or bus to the other lovely places you can find there. Obernai close to Barr is to my opinion more charming, but also way more touristic and a good hub for train travel too. As it has a high concentration of nice places the Alsace region is to my opinion a good option for the way you want to travel.

Thanks everyone!

Provins has been recommended to me for an upcoming trip.

Near Paris Senlis, Crecy la Chapelle, Provins, Moret sur Loing
Here is Moret. https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/moret-sur-loing-for-charm-always-follow-the-impressionists/
And here is Senlis: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/06/12/moyen-age-visit-to-senlis/
There are also many lovely chateaux e.g. Rambouillet (used to be the summer home of the President of France), Maintenon, Malmaison, Vaux le Vicomte (best chateau after Versailles), Fontainebleau, Sceux, Doudan -- and many others.

Very much enjoyed Provins, easy day trip from Paris.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/recommended-side-trips-in-france-with-no-car

So last year I did a day trip to Strasbourg from Paris. It’s not a village probably closer to a city, but I definitely recommend it. It’s completely different from a lot of the other places being mentioned, but I thought it was beautiful. I’ve done Senlis I loved it.

I did Provins , I went in the spring, I was kind of disappointed. Maybe if you go in the height of the season when everything’s up and running but honestly it was kind of boring. It was interesting to visit, but after a few hours I was done.

A couple of other day trips have done that may not meet your requirement but that I’ve enjoyed Chartres, which has got a cathedral that shouldn’t be missed, and Dijon.

Thank you everyone for your very helpful responses. I’m going to get on the “research train” immediately! Thank you, thank you!
Lisa