Area of France to visit?

Pretty much anywhere you go in France there'll be wine (or hard cider in Normandy), but as non-drinkers we didn't feel pressured to consume alcohol. Wait staff were always happy to bring us bottle of carbonated or noncarbonated water.

The Loire Valley is my favorite; I wish I could spend a month exploring all the different chateaux. We rented a car to drive from Paris and stayed in the lovely small village of Azay-le-Rideau, which is farther from Paris than the typical day-trip territory near Amboise. Can recommend Hotel Biencourt (the owners are just the sweetest people, and you can have a whole load of laundry done for a bargain price). Azay-le-Rideau has its own chateau and several high-end restaurants as well as the usual casual eateries.

We spent half a day a the fortress of Chinon and would have spent the rest of the day strolling through the historic village if we'd had more time. We also had to omit Chateau Villandry because our ferry schedule got changed. Given more time we also would have driven further west to Saumur and Fontevraud. The point being, there's a lot more to the Loire Valley than what people who take a day trip from Paris think.

Did you say what time of year you're going? That might make a difference in your choice. The south of France gets pretty crowded in summer.

Ack! Time of year is important. We'll be there in the middle of May 2017.

Just back from the SW part of France; Dordogne River area around Sarlat. A lot of very old history, remarkable caves, beautiful and not well travelled like other regions of France. We flew into Bordeaux and it was a 3 hour ride out to Sarlat and then explored the region from there. Just thought I'd mention a different area that you didn't mention. Check it out.

You can reach Provence by high speed train in three hours. I'd rent a car in Avignon and explore the area from a home base in St. Remy. You can take the TGV from Avignon direct to CDG for your flight home.

IMO the middle of May should be very nice, its the time of year that we travel, not too many people and the spring scenery is great.
someone has mentioned St Remy, we were there at the start of June and the days were very good and the odd day was quite warm/hot. I don't think you could go wrong with any of your choices. they are all nice.

I would choose one other area -- we love Burgundy, but we also adore the Dordogne area and Normandy and the Loire and Alsace area are also interesting. Pick one and plan to return again. It is nice to be able to rent a place in a small town as a base in one of these areas but they do tend to require 7 day Saturday to Saturday rentals. In Paris you can more easily rent for odds numbers of days from any day of the week.

My best advice -- and we have spent a lot of time in France and are in fact just finishing up a two month stay in France including a month in the south and a month in Paris -- is to plan to start your trip in the region you choose and finish in Paris if you will be flying out of Paris. This way you waste that first miserable jet lagged day getting to your furthest destination rather than wasting your second to last day rushing back to Paris for the trip home. Nothing harshes the mellow of a pleasant vacation than a hurried rush back to the town you are flying from. You will want a car for the region but you won't want to drive after the flight. So come into Paris in the morning and then take a train that afternoon to a major town in the region you will visit, spend the night there and then pick up the car in the morning and head for your base. Friends of ours did this this fall -- they flew from Chicago to Paris and then trained from Paris to Bergerac where we picked them up for a week in the Dordogne in a cottage we rented. Or you could do Burgundy and train into Beaune. Or Alsace and head for Strasbourg or the Riviera and train to Nice. Here are some places we visited in May in Burgundy a few years ago:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/category/burgundy/

Do your regional visit and then spend your last at least 5 nights in Paris and then fly out from there. for a first trip to Paris I'd try to get 6 nights/5 days -- but with so little time to spend you just have to prioritize -- perhaps a small hotel in a nice town in the region (we loved Semur en Auxois in Burgundy, have stayed in a lovely rural hotel with fabulous restaurant Moulin des Ruats near Avalon, Auxerre and Vezelay on another trip -- both were good bases for exploring the area) spend a few nights in a nice hotel in the country or a small town, then head for Paris -- at least 5 nights/4 days.)

Have a great trip.

We've been to many sections of France, and Provence is always a favorite, especially St. Remy de Provence, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Les Beaux. However, you will see a great variety in the Dordogne and Perigord regions, loaded with sights from prehistory (Lascaux) to the middle ages (Rocamadour and Cahors), along with the beautiful town of Sarlat. Following the Dordogne and/or Garonne rivers will take you to some lovely places. If you have time, you could drive to Albi and spend the night in this rose-red city, and visit the Toulouse-Lautrec museum and cathedral there. It's in the Languedoc region, but not that far from the Perigord. Driving along the small roads we had to stop for a large flock of geese crossing the road (they had the right of way, and there were no humans to be seen). It was so pastoral and peaceful! We were there in spring and came across few tourists that weren't European. It wasn't crowded at all. We did have some rain, so bring or buy a poncho. Have a good trip. We will be there in May also, but not the Perigord/Dordogne this time! P.S. If you like pate (not necessarily pate de foie gras, but pate de campagne), you will find lots here. Also, boar, venison, truffles and mushrooms. Be a locavore and you will be glad you're a foodie!

Another option is the french alps? I would go back to the area around briancon, annecy and chamonix in a flash. just a thought.

Y'all (sorry, I'm from TX) are a WEALTH of information. Thank you!

I would pick Provence. If you don't want to rent a car, Avignon would be a good base - for both public transportation and private tour guides. The food and wine are wonderful and you have Roman sights to explore. You don't have to spend a fortune to get a really good meal. When we were in Provence, I felt like we were living in a real life Williams-Sonoma catalog - if you've ever thumbed through one you'll know what I mean.

You've picked a great time to travel. And ultimately you should follow your hearts about where. But here are some general observations.

Provence, the Loire, and Burgundy are logistically sweet. All have fast train connections to Paris and also direct trains to Charles deGaulle. Other regions are certainly within reach, however.

You will want a car to get to the pretty, scenic, non-urban places, and to explore. But the super fast trains may still be the best way to get to where you are going from and to Paris.

The Dodrogne is simply wonderful. And also hard to get to. Ideally you would fly into, or home from, Toulouse or Bordeaux to make a trip there work better.

If you are after rural splendor and La France Profonde, that's not the Riviera. But if you go (its a good 6 hours from Paris) you should fly home from Nice.

The above is not to slight Normandy or Alsace or other wonderful places. Get a guidebook and see what calls to you, that's the important thing.

Brittany can also be a good option to get another view of France. There is much to see (rich heritage and culture), either along the coast or in the inlands (Saint Malo, Dinan, Rennes, Gulf of Morbihan, Quimper, Pont Aven, Mont Saint Michel is also very close). Brittany can be grouped with a trip to Normandy or the Loire valley. You can find some hints about Brittany (Bretagne in French) on http://visite.bretagne.free.fr/index.php/en/itineraries.html

All good suggestions here -- the best of course being 'pick one' ---

Open jaw flights are great if you can find them e.g. into Paris out of Nice or vice versa, but while it is easy to go into and out of different major cities, it is trickier with smaller cities within the country. Our last 4 trips including right now: into Moscow out of Paris, into Vienna out of Paris, into Paris out of Madrid, into Rome out of Amsterdam. If you can't do open jaw for your itinerary -- then high speed train to and from Paris will work well.

So many great options. it is hard to pick one.

Have to get in my vote for the Loire Valley. Husband and I flew into Paris this past May......weather was great....and left CDG in our rented car for Giverney. We loved driving through some of France's most beautiful villages on our way (http://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/en/the-most-beautiful-villages-of-france).....Gerberoy was like stepping into a postcard! We toured Etratet, Honfleur and Normandy on our way to the Loire Valley. We were CHARMED by the Loire Valley!!!! We stayed at the Le Manior les Minimes.....a beautiful old home with really nice rooms and breakfast. The Seine had just flooded and the rivers were all up so it closed one castle that we did not get to see....but driving each day from that wonderful hotel and going through these small villages and seeing 5 castles and Villandry was so relaxing and fun. Before we drove each day we would walk through the town of Amboise to get fresh chocolates and breakfast pastries. It was such a relaxed spot to come home to each night. We left there for 4 days on the Ile St Louis in Paris.....which was also heaven. Our first trip plans were to try to get to Provence but since we did not think we had that much time after Normandy we opted for the Loire Valley and castles.....AND WERE SO GLAD WE DID!

My personal favorite so far is Brittany, but I've only seen less than a quarter of France. In April/May I'll be back and this time will see some of Provence.

I think that you have received great advice from the previous posters. I think that you should probably identify the one area that has the highest appeal to you. If WWII history intrigues you, then Normandy is probably the place to go. Prehistoric cave paintings and riverside chateaux, then head to Dordogne, etc.
Once you have the area of France that appeals to you, then pick out the perfect village for you.
You may want to go to your local library or purchase RS DVDs about France to help select your French region.