Need one more city to add to itinerary.

I cast a second vote for Strasbourg. Great city with great tourism infrastructure and lots of connections to surrounding areas.

DJ

I would add Bayeux and use it as a base to visit the Normandy area with Mt St Michel and Honfleur .Bayeux also has the Tapistry Museum as well as a jump off for WWII battlefield tours.
Mike

Thanks for your replies. I should have given more information - we've spent time in Strasbourg (loved it!), as well as Bayeux, Normandy and Mont St. Michel. I think that Bordeaux would be a great base (love the idea of a day trip to Biarritz), but I'm not too excited about the train time from Lyon to Bordeaux. We've stayed in Nice, Villfranche-Sur-Mer, and Collioure and I'm drawn to that coast (plus the train options are better), but I'd like to try a new (to us) town. Do any of you have thoughts on spending a week in Marseilles, Cassis, Antibes? RS never seems to recommend more than two days anywhere, but we're past that stage in our traveling and we're far more interested in longer stays at each location.

Strasbourg is a great city to visit and very underrated, but spending a whole week there even with day trips could be a lot. Colmar is an easy trip on the train from there, with a rental car you could also venture into the German side of the border. Looks like Strasbourg would be only a few hours from Lyon on the train but with a few changes. I think you could also do very well in Provence with a base of Avignon or Arles, both of which I think are well connected to other places in Provence by public transit. Train connections between Provence northward are much more straightforward – as little as an hour with no changes from Avignon to Lyon. If you are staying in one place and favor larger cities, I would go with Avignon. Nimes and Arles are both quick on the train, and that's just off the top of my head. Even better would be to stay in a smaller city in Provence and have a rental car. Easier to get to Pont du Gard and Les Beaux that way. Marseilles is only a little more than a half an hour from Avignon by train according to bahn.de. Provence has a lot to offer; my wife and I blew through there in a day and a half on our 2003 France trip and I would like to go back and spend a whole week in the region.

I can't comment on the Med coast area but if you are considering Bordeaux still my go to "vacation-within-a-vaction" spot is Cap Ferret on the Atlantic side of the Bassin d'Arcachon. I couldn't tell you what exactly it is about this area that draws my wife and I back. It's a good place to relax and go to the beach, eat fresh seafood (the oysters from the bay are a local specialty take a stroll or bike ride around. The people and atmosphere is very laid back.

DJ

Arles, right in the centre of Provence for a week?
Nimes and Montpellier just to the west.
Marseille and Aix-en-Provence just to the east.
Avignon and Orange to the north.

Strasbourg and Bordeaux would be appealing options also.

Keep in mind that France will be hosting the 2016 European Football Championships ("Euros") from June 10 - July 10. This is a HUGE sporting event and there are host cities all over France, including Paris, Lyon, Nice, and Marseille. Be sure to book your hotel and train travel as early as possible, and be prepared for large crowds. It will be one big party all over the country, especially when the French team is playing - June 10 in Paris, June 15 in Marseille and June 19 in Lille. Pick a country to support, buy a tee shirt and join the party!

We were inspired by Rick's episode about the Loire Valley and are going there next August. Then, when we return, we'll have a ready-made home movie of the trip thanks to Rick.

Oh my goodness, I was completely unaware of the soccer schedule! I immediately hit the computer when I read that - thank you so much for the "heads up." We have our flat rented in Paris for June 2-16. The plan was to go to Lyon next for the week of June 16-23, but I'm not finding hotel rooms available. I've checked all of the listings in my RS book (2014), and the following are full - Hotel Globe et Cecil, Hotel des Artistes, Hotel des Celestins, Elysee Hotel. My first choice was Okko Hotel, but it's full. Same for Sofitel Bellecour. Do any of you have other suggestions for hotels you like? I'd like to keep the nightly rate under €250 and I'd prefer being in a central location.

Lyon has no matches 27/6 to 5/7, so perhaps schedule your week there during this time.
Montpellier and Strasbourg are not hosting matches, so perhaps either of these for your 4th week.

Thanks, David. I considered switching weeks, but that week also was booked. I think I have a reservation (waiting for confirmation) at Hotel Elysee. It's more of a budget hotel than I'd prefer, but the location looks good, Trip Advisor reviews are good, and they told me they have rooms available.

I'm looking at Montpellier and considering some of the other suggestions for our last week. Many thanks to everyone who has given me locations to think about.