Charming quaint town in SouthWest Germany

What's wrong with Basel? There are trains from Basel to Paris. Do you already have the train to Paris booked? If so, from where is it leaving? If you've booked a train from Basel to Paris, I would suggest a small town up (west) the Rhein River up from Basel, maybe the spa town of Bad Sackingen. Bad Sackingen is only about 40 min by regional train and streetcar from Basel SBB Bahnhof.

Absolutely nothing is wrong with Basel. But we have been there before and wanted to try somewhere new.

Prien on the Chiemsee is lovely and there's one of Ludwig's castles on an island in the lake.

Tubingen might work. If you want real quaint you might look at Bad Urach.

Prien on Chiemsee would be perfect ... if his train to Paris is booked out of Salzburg, Austria. If the train is not booked yet, I would suggest going by train via Titisee to Donaueschingen, then going via the Schwarzwaldbahn up to Hausach, then to Offenburg or Strasbourg for the night. There is a TGV from Strasbourg to Paris. Or, if your train is from Basel to Paris, check the route and pick somewhere near Basel on the way to Paris, say Mulhouse, for the night and pick up the train there in the morning.

Lee has suggested a scenic route through the Black Forest that involves a substantial detour along the Hells Valley and Black Forest railway lines. From Basel to Paris, about 8-9 hours of train travel is involved. Offenburg would be a convenient place to spend the night prior to your departure for Paris. But I wouldn't call it a charming town. If you do this route, I'd suggest one of the most charming old world towns in southern Germany, Gengenbach, conveniently located on the route Lee has given you just 5 train minutes prior to Offenburg. Gengenbach Alternatively, keep on a more direct path to Paris... Take the train to Freiburg for a look around (stow bags in lockers) and then move on to Gengenbach (via Offenburg.) This route to Paris would require 4-5 train hours.

Thanks that sounds more realistic for me. I really just want to keep it as simple as possible without spending long hours on trains. One thought was to stay in Freiburg for the night then train it back to Basel to catch the train to Paris. Too much?

Hi, If you want to break up the ride for a day and stay the night before resuming the next morning to Paris, I would suggest Tübingen. It's not out of the way. The next morning take the Tübingen to Frankfurt train. Take the ICE 1301 dep direct Frankfurt Hbf. to Paris Est. You'll arrive 1650.

"I would suggest Tübingen. It's not out of the way." ??? I like Tübingen too, Fred. But just how long does it take from Basel to Tübingen to Paris? It's 10-12 hours with 4-7 changes of train, according to the DB timetables, which isn't as far out of the way as Prien am Chiemsee. But the Basel-Freiburg-Offenburg-Paris route takes 4-5 hours. Add 5 minutes each way from Offenburg station, and the OP can do Gengenbach too.

I'm not going to delve into which town is the most convenient or makes the most sense to visit.. but I'll just throw out a recommendation for a place I know and have enjoyed- Titisee-Neustadt. Just try not to giggle when pronouncing the name.

Again, are you already committed to a train from Basel? It makes a big difference as to recommendations. Tom, I was in Titisee in 1988 and I remember seeing a stand with shirts for sale. One of them said, "I went to Titisee and ..... I saw."! LOL It was, BTW, one of the most touristy places I have ever been in in Germany.

Laufenburg is just ~40min away from Basel and a beautiful small town on both sides of the Rhine. Pics of the German side (copy and paste): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Laufenburg_%28Baden%29 And the Swiss side:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Laufenburg,_Switzerland

@ Russ...I understood the OP wants to break up the ride from Basel to Paris. That's why I suggested Tübingen, ie, Basel to Tübingen. After staying the night, proceed by taking the train to Stuttgart where you change to an ICE for Frankfurt Hbf. Even if you miss the 1301 departure ICE Frankfurt to Paris, take the later direct TGV train which arrives closer to 2200. You'll just have a longer layover at Frankfurt Hbf., assuming the OP is in no hurry to arrive in Paris. Admittedly, the 2nd day will be spent on the train and at stations but that saves you from the multiple transfers. You change only twice...Stuttgart Hbf. and Frankfurt Hbf.

@Fred: Yes, that's right - JR wants to break up the ride from Basel to Paris with an overnight stop. But "breaking up the ride" doesn't have to mean a detour of 4-5 train hours; JR just said, "I really just want to keep it as simple as possible without spending long hours on trains." The fact that the trip is over two days instead of one allows for a better train connection on Day 2 for Tübingen-Paris. But it's still 5 hours from Tübingen to Frankfurt to Paris on Day 2, 4 hours on Day 1 for Basel-Tübingen, 9 hours total. If JR stays on the Basel-Offenburg-Paris route (a standard routing) the entire 2-day journey takes about 4.5 hours using the best connections (plus the 5-minute train ride and connection time each way from/to Offenburg if staying in Gengenbach.)

Head straight north for just over an hour on the train to Strasbourg, then it's a straight shot, non-stop to Paris the next day. Strasbourg is lovely, enough to fill your day and evening. FYI, if you do decide to head over to Tuebingen, which is a favorite town of mine, but totally out of your way, you only need to have one change in Stuttgart HBF to get to Paris. Stuttgart's fast train to Paris takes less time than Frankfurt to Paris.