Côte d'Azur / Provence

IMO I'd flip your itinerary. 4 days in Nice, 10 in Provence. Aix is pretty but 10 days might be too much and depending on travel time to Gordes, St. Remy may be long as day trips unless you'd don't mind a lot of time in the car. You won't necessarily need a rental car in Nice. Monaco and Antibes, and Eze can be accessed by bus. I get that you'll have 3 month old, so that will have to factor in your visit and attractions schedule.

I would spend more time in Provence; 8 nights in Nice would be the max for me, and 6 would do. And for more variety, I would stay in a smaller town than Aix (where traffic is really annoying). Lourmarin is a great base, in my opinion; quite central to the places you intend to visit.

By the way, you do not need a car for your entire stay in Nice. You could easily spend the first 3-4 days carless, visiting Nice and places along the coast with easy train access.

@clapperdanlynne wow really ? I didn't have many places in mind to visit in Provence, which is why I made it a short stay. We just want to walk around, enjoy the views and good food, so I didn't know if it's worth spending a lot of time in the area.

Do you recommend a different base than Aix? We selected Aix based on its proximity to Marseilles (30 mins), so on our travel day, we'd be close to the airport and not have to stress about leaving too early to get to the airport (vs. staying somewhere more inland), but that does mean spending more time in the car on our day trips...

@balso We selected Aix based on its proximity to Marseilles (30 mins), so on our travel day, we'd be close to the airport and not have to stress about leaving too early to get to the airport (vs. staying somewhere more inland), but that does mean spending more time in the car on our day trips...

In Lourmarin, are there enough things to do if we decide to stay a day or two there (instead of day tripping)? I find that smaller towns can sometimes be boring when staying in them for too long (too long for us, since we're used to traveling at a fast pace).

Any suggestions on what to visit in the Provence area? I imagine you wouldn't encourage us to shorten our stay to just stay in Nice the entire time (doing 12 days in Nice instead of 14 days in Nice + Provence). We thought of Nice as staying at a seaside resort and just enjoying nice weather and beautiful views, but I get that close to two weeks can still be boring, even with a baby ...

@balso We thought of renting the car for the entire stay because we're not sure if we'd stay in Nice for the first day or two, or if we'd feel ready to start exploring the towns along the coast right away, so we appreciated the flexibility of having the car... We figured it's also easier than using the train with a baby.

Aix can be a bit challenging to drive in - lots of one-way streets. (Speaking as someone who could not for the life of me get back to the location where I needed to return my rental car …) I enjoyed L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue as a base for Provence. It's quite a bit smaller so easier to get away from, but interesting to walk around. Roussillon is worth at least a brief visit. If you want to see lavender, go to the Abbaye de Sénanque. There's a lot to see in Provence.

@clawssmith Phew, glad I won't be the one driving. It was challenging to drive in Aix even with GPS and maps ?

There are so many little towns and villages in the area that it's hard to pick where to go. We want to be selective especially since our movement will be more limited with a baby. One day in Roussillon and one day in Gordes? Any other suggestions that we can't miss on our short stay there?

I agree with Balso, no need for a car in Nice....plenty of places to visit via train. I love Aix, but it is really a nice spot to relax, go to shops & cafes & has a good tourist center and bus depot. It doesn't have sights to visit per se. Someone told me their favorite spot in Provence to stay and have day trips from was St. Remy. Maybe stay in Aix your last few days in Provence (for easy access to Marseilles) and somewhere further west like St. Remy the 1st few days in the region. That way you can do day trips from both sides of Provence.

Travel couple,
I agree with others that you should spend more time in Provence and less in Nice. As was said, you won't really need a car in Nice. And traveling with a baby via bus or train is done all the time by the locals, so it's not like taking the subway at rush hour in New York. Buses and trains are very efficient around the Cote d'Azure. I would give Nice 4 days, max.

In Provence, there is so much to see. Aix or St Remy de Provence are two good bases. And you can visit 2 or 3 villages/towns in a day without non-stop driving. Imagine spending an hour driving through the countryside, stopping at a village for a market, lunch or a walk-around, then on to another charming spot to see a cathedral, Roman ruins, village square, a cool drink at a cafe, then dinner there or at your base town. You can pace yourself with the baby, yet still see and feel the magical ambiance of Provence. I won't go into details of places to see and visit, but there is Orange, Les Baux, Arles (Roman arena), Vaison-la-Romaine......check the RS guidebook for a few ideas. I believe he has one just on Provence. In the countryside there are farms with not just wines to taste, but olives, confitures, honey...all kinds of produce. Sometimes we have come across a small village having its own fete, with musicians, locals bringing their special dishes to share or sell, one or two carnival rides for the kids, local crafts booths. (On the order of a somewhat larger church fair here at home.) We have been the only non-locals sometimes, such as at Taulignan last year.

I hope, whatever you plan, you will really enjoy your visit to the south of France (and that it isn't too hot)!

I’ve spent months in both places, lugged kids and carseats around. I’d keep the car even in Nice. Note where the roadwork is in town and stay clear of it. A car will give you more flexibility to get onto the autoroute and go into the backcountry to Tende, a mountain town in the Mercantour National Park, or over the border into Italy,. I’d keep the car for a quck rest, tailgate picnic, nursing, etc. The baby will go to sleep in the car, not necessarily true if you have to wait for a train or crowded bus. I don’t know anyone with children here in France who doesn’t use a car for traveling, either their own or a rental when needed. I’d call lugging a baby around in the heat a need.
If you really want to go to Saint Tropez, famous for its traffic jam along the coast, you have to go by car. It’s an outlier from the rest.
I also think your 10/4 split is ok because by the end of June it does get very hot in Provence but stays cooler on the coast and up in the mountains (Tende). You might consider 7/7. I’d get board going to small Provence towns day-after-day, too. For variety, there’s Moustiers-Sainte-Marie and the Gorges du Verdon. I haven’t driven in Aix in 20 years, so no comment, but one of those smaller places would be nice.
French school vacation begins July 6, so you’ll be just ahead of the most crowded part of the season.

@Bets Thank you for the helpful advice. I also like the flexibility the car gives us, especially with kids, to go at our own pace whenever we want, wherever we want. We could even choose to simply do a road trip around the region without necessarily doing many stops.

Do you not recommend visiting St Tropez? I'm not sure what activity we would do there if it's mostly beach clubs? Is it still kid friendly if we visit one of the beach clubs? I hear the sand beaches there are nice!

I haven't heard of the Mercantour National Park. It looks interesting if we're looking for a change of scene while in Nice. Which town would you suggest as a base in Provence? We chose Aix because of its proximity to Marseille (for our return flight), but it is not the closest to the inland towns, so we will spend more time in the car during our day trips there. We'll be there until mid july so we will have half of our trip coincide with the busiest time. Hopefully it won't be too hot? That was one of my worries with a newborn.

Travel couple,
I bow to Bets' more current information and much wider experience. It's been a long while since I have traveled with little ones. And, of course, everyone does have a car now. Her point about tailgate picnicking, nursing, napping, etc. is a good one. How quickly we forget!
Her comments re temperatures are correct, but I am so much more fond of Provence than the Cote d'Azure that I would still give it more time. Of course, I live 4 miles from the Pacific Ocean, so I tend to not care so much about being near the water.

Have a wonderful vacation!

@Judy we added days to Nice in anticipation of needing to relax before beginning to explore the area. Also, we weren't sure we are interested in Provence so we figured a few days there is safe in case we are not as interested in the area. Is there a lot of traffic when driving around in Provence? In case we decide to do the multiple-towns-per-day road trip. There are so many options to choose from, it's hard to pick! But I'm sure it will be fun in the end.

@Judy What are your favourite areas to walk around in Provence? If you could only see three areas for example. As long as there's beautiful scenery and good food, we're happy!

Travel couple,
Some of my favorite towns are St. Remy de Provence, Arles, Vaison-la-Romaine, Nimes, Les Beaux, Bandol, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Rousillon, and a few tiny ones that I love but wouldn't be interesting to most anyone else (Dieu-le-Fit and Le Pegue, to name two).
Some of these are more convenient to each other for a day's drive. St. Remy and L'Isle are both good for walking around, as are Nimes and Bandol. Bandol is on the coast, so too far from the inland areas of Provence for the time you have available. There are vineyards and farms all around, and many have tastings of, and sell, wine, cider, honey, jams/preserves, olives and olive oil.

I recommend checking out the RS website for his Provence info on the many villages and towns.
Something we always do is get a Michelin paper map of the area, spread it out to get the big picture, and plot out our little driving days. We don't like to spend a lot of time in the car, but the lavender fields might be in bloom when you are there, and they are truly lovely and fragrant. We also have come across huge fields of sunflowers (grown for sunflower oil, the best for cooking pommes frites!) They are fascinating in that all the flowers in the field face the sun as one, and turn together as it moves through the sky (hence the French name for the flowers, "tourne-soleil".) If you drive by a huge field when the flowers are facing your road it is a glorious, golden sight!

But I have digressed., Take a look at the map, decide where you want to stay, and see what is a relatively short drive from where you are staying, then make your plans. Find out where the markets are and pay them a visit for some tasty fresh food. (Almost every town has one, once or twice a week). Take a drive either morning or afternoon (or both, with a nice lunch stop). Or visit a site (Pont de Gard near Nimes, the ruins of the old fortress at Les Beaux, the Roman arena in Arles, Roman ruins at Vaison, , Glanum by St. Remy, etc. Then the other half of the day kick back (picnic, nap time, village stroll, cafe sitting, a drive around the countryside.

By the way, it might be fun to learn a couple of French songs to croon to your little one while you are in La Belle France (Au Claire de la Lune, or Fait Dodo). Music and lyrics can be found online. Imagine yourself sitting below a platan tree, feeding your baby, singing a French song to lull him to sleep.

I hope this helps. Have a wonderful time in the south of France!

Mid-July is hot. You have to get out the door early, rest after lunch in the afternoon and head out again at 4. Baby needs a lie-flat stroller with a shade, too hot for baby in a baby carrier because they dehydrate quickly. Your pediatrician can advise you.
Nîmes is in the bottom of a bowl so retains the heat, hottest place in this area. I live 30 minutes away. Aix is particularly hot, too.
People underestimate the heat. Last summer my DIL packed clothes as if it’s air conditioned US here. It’s not. It’s more like the Caribbean. I wear linen (not even cotton) and sandals every day from July through September and carry a fan in my handbag.
Hats and hydrate.
And Nice will be more crowded for driving.

If you’re still there after the 3rd of July, you don’t want to miss the festival of Avignon! For sure you won’t get bored there ! And you’ll be close to Les baux-de-Provence, carrières des lumières, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, fontaine de Vaucluse, Venasque, Colorado Provençal… you could even spend en day in Camargue or at the few rivers and cascades spots you can find all around.
Sorry if it has been said already but I think 3 days in Nice is great to visit the city and the surrounding reachable by train. Don’t miss to visit St-Paul-de-Vence !! Also I agree that it’s very hot at that time so you might want to do things early morning and at the end of the day. But it’s also the best time to admire the lavender field and to have fun at the Avignon festival.

As Judy said upthread, Rick has a guidebook specifically for Southern France. Don't fly blind; read that book and identify the places that sound most interesting to you. Then mark them on a map and see which ones fit together in the time you have.