Beaune, Normandy, Mont St Michele and Lavender Fields in Provence

I believe what you've laid out will be tight for 15 days. Neither Normandy nor Provence would be just a 3-day destination for me, especially when you factor in the travel time back and forth. But you've been to France before, so I assume you have a good sense of how much time you'll want for regional explorations.

If part of the reason for Normandy is D-Day sights, I highly recommend a one-day tour so you get the benefit of the driver/guide's knowledge and logistical expertise. So that's one very full day right there.

I think Beaune is too far from Provence to allow you to hit some of the Provencal sights on day-trips from your base in Beaune.

Not sure if the time in Beaune is set or can be adjusted.
You didn't really say what you planned on doing there for a week but mentioned places that you would like to see that would not work as day trips from there.
If it is changeable you have enough days to shift to see different areas instead.
If not changeable it only leaves you a couple of free days for everything else so could pick a couple of days in Provence at the fields or a couple seeing the coast and fly out of Marseille or if electing the coast to the east, maybe Nice.

If you just want to see the fields in bloom and ok skipping the cities, Roman sites and other major points of interest in Provence you could definitely do that in a couple of days (see the lavender fields and couple of neighboring hill towns) and then fly out of Marseille.
Blooming times can vary by town/elevation so may need to research a little to see what would be best based on your dates.
Timing full bloom is never an exact science of course and varies from year to year.

thank you mcreynolds. I apologize. We would only be staying in Beaune for a week. We have not set our dates yet so we are flexible. From Beaune we would only be visiting that area. From there we could go to Provence for a couple of days and then fly home from someplace other than Paris as you suggested. We are just trying to figure out what to do before and/or after Beaune or if we should schedule that for the last week we are in France and then take the train to Paris to fly home.

I think you would benefit greatly by investing in a guide book like Rick Steve's France book, or the Lonely Planet guide to France. Both of these resources can get you oriented on what you want to see and how to approach your travels. Otherwise, it seems to me that you are kind of twisting in the wind, getting input from folks who may not be interested in what you might think are good destinations and adventures.

I spent 12 days in Brittany and Normandy and still have plenty of places I want to go back since i didn't have time for them. Personally since the focus of your trip is the Burgundy area then I'd spend the time there and save Normandy for another trip. But I'm not you; maybe 2-3 days in Normandy are enough. The RS book covers the highlights for such a short trip. If you ever go there for longer then the green Michelin guides have more detailed info, I also liked the Lonely Planet guide.

A week out of a 15-day trip spent in Beaune just doesn't leave a great deal of time for Normandy plus Paris plus Provence. If all you want to do is drive down to see some lavender then head to the Marseille airport afterward to fly home, it could work, but there is a lot to see in Normandy as well as in Provence, and you're proposing to spend a lot of time driving or training back and forth.

Jacque,

I spent a week in Burgundy (with a bike) and loved it. But if I had 2 weeks and also wanted to visit Normandy and Provence, I would not spend a week of it in Beaune.

Mont St. Michel is the prefect base for visiting MSM—and a poor base for anything else. So were you to spend more than 2 nights seeing other parts of Normandy, you might spend the last one there.

It's a long way from MSM to Beaune by car, but only 5 hours (including transfers, one easy, one not so much) by train, if you catch the TGV from Rennes. So you might consider serial car rentals in each of your destinations.

In my opinion, since you ask, you are trying to do too much IF you spend a week in Beaune Otherwise (remember you asked) you can connect all these dots IF you are efficient, nimble travelers (which you sound like).

Otherwise let me point out that Normandy is, logistically, the outlier in this itinerary. Le cour a ses raisons, but if Normandy can be saved for the next trip you can have a splendid time in Burgundy and Provence, with perhaps even a stop in Lyon.

Thank you Adam. We are now thinking that we will take the train to Lyon or Avignon and explore that area when we arrive. That should give us enough time to see the area and then make our way to Beaune where we will stay a week exploring that area. We will fly home from Paris. Still have a lot of planning to do and hope to get some schedules nailed down this week. I guess my question would be base from Lyon or Avignon? We were planning to see that area lsat year but had to cut our trip short due to a death in the family. So, we are making our way back. Lavender fields is high on the list to see.

Don't know at this time what we will do in Beaune. We just know we have a place to stay for a week and plan to explore.

Thanks for your advice and help. We will probably train to wherever we will base in the beginning and then rent a car.

Jacque,

If it's lavender you want, then your base should be in Provence, not Lyon. Lyon is also an attractive and interesting city on your route, if you have time for it.

I'm a little skeptical of the virtue of Avignon as a base, versus a smaller town where you can get in and out quickly (assuming you will rent a car). But I am sure you can make Avignon work for you if that is where you want to spend your nights.

Adam, thank you for your suggestions. We do not necessarily need to base out of Avignon for the lavender fields. We prefer smaller, less crowded, towns. We like to drive and explore. I would welcome your recommendation on where to base from that would be easier to get around. I am an amateur photographer and love to photograph the landscapes. Thank you for your thoughts.

Jacque, I hope others will weigh in on the virtues of such venues as Isle sur la Sorge, Cavillion, and Rossillion, all popular here. I have only ever based myself in Arles or St. Remy, both very pleasant.

You might prefer a smaller town to Arles, a place you can drive in and out of easily, but Arles is very much worth a visit.

Where will you be spending most of your time? You might plot your trips on a map and look for a nice village near the center of your activity.

Its feasible to visit the Luberon as a day trip from the Rhone valley, but if you plan to be in the hills every day, you'd be better off basing there. And vice versa.