Where is the best place (site) to locate accurate info on traveling via train back and forth from France into surrounding countries?
www.sncf.com/en: To purchase tickets or see schedules; use France as your country to avoid being directed to RailEurope
www.capitainetrain.com: Same information and prices as the official site above but more accessible to Americans and American credit cards
www.bahn.de: German site that has the trains schedules for all of Europe
www.seat61.com: General guidance on riding the trains in Europe
bahn.de often also has the cheapest advance fares for trains between France and Germany.
For Switzerland the Swiss railway at http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html or www.rail.ch for the best prices; note that initial prices assume that you hold a half price subscription, so uncheck that box.