Paris to Madrid are Set ... suggestions?

San Sebastián and/or Bilbao. The train from Paris passes through Bordeaux.

Bilbao, San Sebastian/Donostia, and Bordeaux is not a bad option. You can also take a more eastern route via Barcelona, Marseille and Lyon. You could also add Toulouse in the mix. There are many options.

Thank you, Badger and G3rryCee. I will check out those suggestions ... we've been to Donostia/SanSebastian, but missed out on Bilbao, so the Bordeaux route might work. We just want to split things sort of evenly when it comes to the length of "train days" so I'll have to see how that might work.

I was sort of hoping, though, to hit Zaragoza.

But back to Montpellier, which remains a big question for me. Do either of you have opinions about the city, though? I'm just curious if it really is awful, or if that was just one person's very negative response!

We have a total of 6 nights (7 days) to book between Paris and Madrid, and we prefer to be in places for more than one night, so I'm thinking 3 nights in one spot and 3 in another prior to our Madrid arrival. I know some will just do one night in cities, but we want to get to know a city a wee bit more.

Going through Bordeos is a good idea. If you want to go to Zaragoza and can leave the coast, after Bordeos go to Bayonne and head east to Pau. You can take the train. Pau is a nice place to visit, and the chateau is interesting. Then you can take a bus south to Zaragoza.

I liked Montpellier, though I didn't spend a lot of time there. It's a university town with a nice historic area. Some travelers want a long list of well-known sights to see; others are happy exploring atmospheric neighborhoods.

I also liked Toulouse a lot, but it's a bit off the direct rail route.

Thanks for the comments, dlindstrom and acraven.

When we visit a city we walk. And walk. And walk. My husband does street photography. (I do macro work when there are flowers but we aren't going at a time where I'll find that!) So yes, we aren't insisting on famous sites or even museums if there aren't any. We just love to wander! Historic centers are always a joy to amble through.

The eastern route via Barcelona has faster railways than the western route via Donostia, and Bilbao is a bit of a detour.

If Montpellier does not appeal, consider Nîmes! Paris to Nîmes is approx 3 hours by train, and Nîmes to Zaragoza is a little over 5 hours (direct!). Gerona is on the way, too.

Thanks, balso. I've actually already booked things for Montpellier now, along with the train, so I guess we are doing Montpellier! I wasn't really averse to going there, but wondered what others thought about the area.

In any case, it's now countdown time to our travels!