16 days in Alps and Provence

16 full days is indeed enough for both regions! I would spend a bit more time in Provence than in Savoie.
Assuming a car once you leave Annecy, I would spend:
- 2 to 3 nights in Annecy
- 3 nights in Chamonix
- 2 nights in/around the Verdon Gorge (= Alps meet Provence)
- 3 nights in the Luberon
- 5 nights somewhere near Avignon, like St Rémy de Provence

If there is no car, then you can remove Verdon & Luberon, stay in Avignon itself, and then you could spend 4 nights in Nice.

While I haven't been to Annecy or Chamonix, balso's suggestions for time in the Gorge du Verdon, Luberon, and Avignon sound great. We spent one night at the gorge, and would have loved a second, in the wonderful town of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. We spent 6 nights in Provence and 3 in Nice. Edited to add: I would not go to Nice unless you have at least 3 nights--that gave us time to go to Ville Franche and take a long walk and tour the Villa Ephrussi one one full day, and one very full day to see our top sites in Nice (the Chagall Museum, Russian Orthodox Church, and plenty of time to walk around). Both of those days involved a LOT of walking.

Thanks for the detailed answers.
If we would like to avoid multiple changes, off course with trade off of lobger drives, would it makes sense to stay in one place in Provence?
I assume that for Verdon it is better to stay in the arwa since the drive is long anyway, but for Luberon, Avignon and Aix en Provence, is it reasonable to stay in one place?
We are with 3 children and additional couple so we would like to avoid too many changes, if possible off course, and we could definitely could enjoy some nice views along the drive.
As for Nice, we would skip it for now, let it has it's own time with the rest of the area, additional trip needed;).

Thanks once again

With the kids, I agree with your idea to stay in fewer places!
In that case, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and vicinity (Pernes Les Fontaines for example) work well for both Luberon and places like Avignon, Orange, Aix. Arles is a bit further but still OK.
As a bonus, you can dip your feet in the ice cold Sorgue river at a place called le Partage des Eaux, 2km east of town: fun for the family!

Likewise, it is feasible to, say, go up Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix as a day trip from Lake Annecy by car, and if you were thinking Chamonix for hikes, there are plenty of excellent hikes in the Annecy area that might be better than Chamonix for the family - including some with Mont Blanc views. The mountains around La Clusaz are very good for that. I can give a few tips about that if needed.
I would not want to visit Annecy as a day trip from Chamonix, however, because high season traffic, parking, etc. can be annoying around the lake. Plus for the drive to Verdon/ Provence, starting from Lake Annecy instead of Chamonix will save a bit of time.

That is very helpful indeed, we are just on the start of the plannning so off course it is great to know in advance.

Thanks a lot for your help!

You're welcome!

To give some "flesh" to your itinerary, with the children in mind, I would do the following:

• 5 or 6 nights around Annecy, preferably along the eastern shore of the lake rather than in Annecy itself (which takes maybe 3 hours to visit, and is very busy in season). There are a few options in Talloires; Hotel Les Grillons in Angon is also very good and there is a cool lake beach in Angon. There is also Veyrier, but many places there are next to the busy D909 so beware. Book EARLY, demand exceeds supply!
  Annecy itself takes 1/2 a day to explore, as I say, then you could go to Chamonix for the day, explore the lake itself for a day, and have 1-2 days left for lake activities or hiking.

• 3 nights in or near Moustiers Sainte Marie, for the Verdon gorge. Why 3 nights? Because with a second full day there, you can enjoy a lazy day on the lake, with the option of paddle boating into the gorge (if no drought). But if you think you'll have your fair share of water activites in Annecy, you can shorten your stay to 2 nights.

• 6 or 7 nights in l'Isle sur la Sorgue or a nearby town/village (I like Pernes; Velleron could also work if there are any hotels there).

You may want to keep a few things in mind: Provence can be very hot in August, so access to a pool would be good. Second, the holiday weekend of August 15th (12th-15th) is one of the heavier traffic periods of the summer. In fact, you need to pay attention to traffic flow any weekend. Finally, crowds begin to thin after the 15th.

Thank you all once again for the great tips, we will sure take them in mind and investigate some more.
We might want to stay in Annecy since we need also gluten free options for food, and I found several both in Annecy and Chamonix, I will look also for Talloires and the area.
We will arrive in Provence in early September, ao I guess (or at least hope so), the weather will be slightly chiller, although a pool is a great idea, even for some "lazy" days with the kids, and also will provably have less croud.
We will be landing end of August in Paris and leave for the Alps on the 28th, so hopefully not as crowded as July-August.

Thank you once again!

You'll definitely have fewer crowds, but it probably won't be "chilly" and a pool will still be very much usable in early September in Provence.
As for GF options near Annecy: I would perhaps look at self-catering accommodation if that's a concern? If only to be able to prepare picnics, because while you should find suitable restaurant options in Annecy and probably Talloires too, if you have to eat at a mountain hut during the day, you might be short on options.
Otherwise, there is no real downside in staying in Annecy proper.

Great, thanks once again!

And one more question, at least for now;)
We will be coming from Disneyland, do you suggest to rent a car there and drive to Annecy or maybe it is better tot ake the train to Lyon and rent the car there?
Would French train are comfortable with luggage and reliable on time? , do we need to come a lot in advance or few minutes would be enough?
I am asking since we would be 7 people (4 adults) with luggage, so just wondering if a train would be comfortable in that way or it is better and more convenient to drive more and directly from Disneyland? In terms of time, I see a train and a car from Lyon would be faster than just a car.

Thanks again

You have two train options:
- from Disneyland to Lyon Saint Exupéry (preferably) or Lyon Part Dieu (if you must, because it is in the city so driving is worse), followed by car.
- from Disneyland to Gare de Lyon (in Paris, confusing I know) the by RER A commuter train, then direct train to Annecy.

I would suggest option 2 for comfort, but option 1 is likely to be cheaper.
I would also strongly suggest two cars for your party! Easier to handle on the narrow Alps & Provence roads.
The drive from Disneyland ti Annecy has nothing going for it.

Thanks once again, until now, I only checked to Lyon part dieu to be honest.
I thought it would be more comfortable to take the train dirrctly from Disneyland and in Lyon to take a car. I see there is also the 2nd option you mentioned, which looks better. I didn't think about going back to Paris and take the direct train to Annecy because I actually thought it would be more complicated with thr changes.
Now I see ot is also much more expensive as you mentioned, what is the real difference between Ouigo and SNCF? Is it really worth the price difference? We need pre purchased seat and location, luggage and nothing more;).
Regarding the car, we are used tot ake 7/9 seats, we always take my parents in law with us;). So far we have been to Tuscany, Italian lakes and Aosta region, do you believe the roads in French are more complicated?
Thanka once again

No, the roads won't be more complicated, so if a van works for you, all good! Make sure you check the height of the vehicle, though: many underground garages have 190 cm limits, and you might need such garages in Arles & Avignon. There are other parking options if you can't use the garages.

Do check car rental rates in Annecy before you commit to trains, because they tend to be higher than in Lyon.

As for Ouigo vs Inouï/TGV: Ouigo trains are quite a bit less comfortable and you need to purchase luggage beyond the allowance. There is little fare flexibility. You also have to be at the station 30 minutes before departure.
Inouï sales open 120 days in advance, roughly: if you buy your tickets as sales open, you do not pay much more than on Ouigo.
But for Disneyland - Lyon Saint Exupéry, Ouigo is perhaps the only option.

Thanks again!

Hello Again,

Is Sévrier could be a good base for Annecy and Chamonix?
Is it nice to do some walking there in the evenings or is it too small?

Thanks a lot!