France itinerary help please (Paris, Provence)

Agree that you should put Paris at the end of your trip, since you would really want to be there the night before you fly home anyway. Since your arrival day will be half lost to jet lag, you might as well just head to Provence from the airport.

How many days in Paris? As many as you can manage. Even 3 days is too little to get a really good feel for the city.

"How many days would you suggest we spend in Paris? 1 or 2 or 3?" This depends on what you want to see. I suggest you ask your family members to look at guidebooks for ideas of what appeals to them. Here's Rick's suggestion: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/paris-itinerary

"Would you recommend doing Paris first for a few days, or a few days after we are in Provence for a week?" Depending on where you arriving from, you may be seriously jet-lagged on your arrival day (my family calls it Zombie Day). But if you are seasoned travelers you probably know that. Better in my mind to recover in Provence where you can wander around without stressing that you should be in a museum.

You can get lodging ideas by searching the forum, or asking a specific question including # of rooms, price in Euros, and whether you need air conditioning.

You’ve built in some logistical challenges by the round trip Paris flight. And, having this many people adds complexity-lets hope all stay healthy and can adapt if things go sideways. I’m sure you realize your destination in Provence is very far from Paris. There are flights, but, unless you’ve booked them as part of your departing flight to Paris I would not risk a separate flight booking on the arrival day. If you miss that flight you are out the cost of 14 tickets. The suggestions that you go directly to Provence don’t allow for the significant travel. I believe a train would be about 6-7 hours then you’d need to rent a several cars and drive to your villa. I would not consider driving from Paris as after a transatlantic flight I’m brain dead so it’s not safe. Brings me around to this recommendation: I would stay in Paris, spend a few days then fly to Marsielle. Rent your cars, enjoy Provence. Fly back to Paris the day before your outbound flight and get a couple of rooms at the airport to overnight. It’s too late for changing your flights (I think) but I have to point out you would have saved a long travel day within France had you booked an open jaw flight, into Paris out of Marsielle or vice versa.

Thank you for your recommendations! We have not booked our flights yet... but just looking at them, it was significantly cheaper to fly round trip to Paris and take the TVG train to Avignon. But we are open to suggestions!! :)
thank you all
K

The suggestions that you go directly to Provence don’t allow for the
significant travel. I believe a train would be about 6-7 hours

I don't think so. It's only 2 hr40 min from Gare de Lyon to Avignon by TGV. Even adding an hour to get to the train station from the airport, that's still only around 4 hours. Might as well get some practical use out of their jet lag day. This also cuts down on the number of hotel moves they would need to make.

I prefer to always start in the city I fly into, in this case Paris. If 3 days is your maximum I would spend all three in Paris. There is enough for everyone to enjoy. I prefer to walk in the sunshine for my jet lag and Paris is very walkable. I’m not sure what your budget for accommodations are, I would check AirBNB for homes that can house all of you. If you’re thinking hotels, I would choose a central area, close to the metro maybe St Michel on the left bank, contact hotels you like directly for some type of multi rooms discount. Also if staying 3 nights there is usually a discount too. In the summer air conditioning may be of benefit too. I have stayed at the Ibis chain in the 15th which is generic but acceptable. Also, Holiday Inn Opera-Grands Boulevard 30 Poissonniere in the 9th steps from metro.

I stand corrected on the train time, you are correct. But, I still say stay in Paris, get over the jet lag strolling, snacking, sleeping. The thought of getting on a train with 14 people, however fast that train is, then renting 2 or 3 cars, navigating everyone to the rental....I’d be falling over. Stay in Paris for a few days, train to Avignon, stay in Provence, fly home from Marsielle. Or, if you are a gambler, return your vehicles to Avignon, train back in time for your flight.

Please rethink the possibility of a multi-city plane ticket. In many cases you can connect to a southern airport (Marseille, Nice, Toulouse) and fly home from Paris for the same cost as a simple round-trip Paris ticket . The itinerary will often include changing planes in a gateway such as Paris or Amsterdam but it is still more efficient than making your way south and back by rail. The key is to use a multi-destination search function for the whole trip. These itineraries are not single tickets bought separately.
I agree that Paris should be your final stop. You should be able to find a flight home that leaves at a reasonable hour.

Spend as much time as you can in Paris. Three days isn't enough to see everything but it's a decent first visit, hopefully with more to come.

Provence has a lot to see. I think you will enjoy yourselves there (be ready for hot) but any time spent in Paris will be well worth it.

The key in all of France is to be polite. It's not hard, just not the way Americans interact. Never approach anyone without a formal greeting (Hello Sir/Madam, Pardon me Sir/Madam, Excuse me Sir/Madam). This applies even with a clerk in a convenience store. Asking a question without exchanging a greeting is considered the height of rudeness by the French. We think they are rude for ignoring us but they ignore you because you are being rude. Always end the conversation with Thank You, Goodbye. It's more important to follow the pattern than to speak French. "Pardon me madam, do you speak English" is fine. "Do you know how to get to the Eiffel Tower?" is a horrible way to start. Never forget to end with Merci, au revoir. If you do this, you will be head and shoulders above most tourists in locals' eyes.