France fits the bill for today's tourist when it comes to train travel, according to a travel survey. With only a third of people polled by visitbirmingham.com limiting the amount of time they would be prepared to travel by rail to two to three hours, French cities make the perfect train breaks.

Within three hours of each other are beaches, vineyards and piste, accessible by high-speed, low-cost, environmentally-friendly trains. You can even get from London to Strasbourg on the German border in five hours, travelling by Eurostar or TGV. A train trip around French cities would be ideal for budget travellers who want a lot of different sights to see.

Strasbourg

The city of Strasbourg is one of the most interesting places to visit in France because of its ties with neighbouring Germany. The culture, in fact, is described as Alemannic and it shares governance of the major trading river through Germany, the Rhine, which lies on the city's edge alongside other popular attractions the Black Forest and the Grande Ile, which was classified as a world heritage site by Unesco in 1988.

Train travellers should book into one of the cheap hotels in Strasbourg early to take time wandering around sights like the 19th century astrological clock on the Gothic Cathedral, which has lengthy shows. La Petite France is an enchanting neighbourhood where visitors can breathe in the smell of freshly baked gingerbread and take in restaurants inviting aromas.

Train services operate westward towards Bordeaux and Toulouse as well as eastward to Offenburg and Karlsruhe in Germany.Bordeaux

Over three hours away from Strasbourg by train is the world's wine capital of Bordeaux, which also has some of the best beaches. The best hotels in Bordeaux will have a seaside view, so book early. As well as the vineyards, the city has elegant 18th century buildings constructed out of limestone and adorned with balconies.

Places to visit include the historic Saint Pierre Quarter and its fountain as well as the Saint Eloi Quarter with its Grosse Cloche next to the church and Bordeaux's high street, which is 2 kms long. Train travellers will not miss the Station Quarter, which has the countrywide famous Gare St Jean. It is an enormous hall built into the arc of a circle and boasts some of the best places to eat and drink all day and night.

Gare St Jean is served by the TGV and is three hours away from Paris, with connections to all the major European cities like London and Geneva as well as domestic locations such as Strasbourg and Toulouse.Toulouse

The train pulls into one of the most picture perfect locations in Toulouse or the Ville Rose, which sums up the city's character, by the Canal du Midi. This is one of the city's most historic areas and a perfect place to stop and sample some delicious local cuisine and some coffee.

Don't miss the Saint-Sernin Basilica, which is the burial place of the first bishop of the city and a perfect example of 11th and 12th century Roman art. The Jacobin convent buildings are impressive for their southern French gothic art, including an amazing palm tree pillar which sprouts 22 branches.

The train station and bus station stand side by side on boulevard Pierre-Semard on the banks of the Canal du Midi and connect to all the major locations.

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