leisurely train travel between Paris and Munich

This seems to be a minority opinion, but I wasn't too fond of Strasbourg, except for the wonderful Museum Of Alsatian Life. But Nancy was great - an undiscovered gem. If you like Art Nouveau or glassware, it's a must. It's easy to get from Paris to Nancy to Strasbourg (as long as you book the trains in advance for affordable fares), so you can stop off for a day or an overnight in either one.

As for other suggestions, a lot will depend on what you kinds of places you wanted to see. Were you looking for big cities, small towns, or a mix? Do you have specific interests (for instance, there are several car-related sights in Stuttgart)?

melissa,

You might consider stopping in Colmar rather than Strasbourg. It's a beautiful smaller city and would be a great place to spend a few days. While there you could take a day trip to Strasbourg to see the magnificent Cathedral. Colmar also has the wonderful Unterlinden Museum which is definitely worth a stop (IMO).

There are direct trains to Colmar with a travel time of about 2H:50M. The trip from Colmar to Munich will be between about four and seven hours, depending on which train you use. The one I'd probably take is a departure at 09:08, arriving Munich at 13:27.

Can I just jump in to suggest that you might actually want a high-speed train? The regular "old" train to Strasbourg from Paris (for example) took more than 4 hours; on the TGV , you get there in just 2 hours 20 minutes.

I enjoy train travel too, but four hours gets to be a little long (I did that route several times). That's two hours you can spent at your destination rather than sitting on the train. Believe me, two hours is already long enough!! And you'll still have your onward trip to Munich to get in more train time!

On the destination question, I agree with Harold that Nancy is superb, a jewel, and especially interesting if you're interested in Art Nouveau/Jugendstil (I.e. it's interesting already even if you're not, but if you are, would merit a second day/night). But unlike the others who have responded so far, I would recommend Strasbourg, as it holds lots of interest for me with the Cathedral, la Petite France, the river Ill, etc. you could also go to Colmar for the day from Strasbourg if you were to stay there, the train ride is very short!!

Whatever you decide, have fun planning!

Also, in many places in France there are no convenient non-TGV trains from Paris, because SNCF deliberately don't want anyone paying a cheaper fare. I believe Strasbourg is one of them.

Or maybe, considering the speed of the TGV, they just don't want the risk of slower trains on the same track.