one month in France 2022

Lyon might be a good choice. The Alsace and Provence regions are relatively close by to explore by car with several towns to see.

Ok, here are some areas of France that we have visited and loved that you didn't list above.

1) Loire Valley south of Paris. Chateaux country and worth about 3 nights. We stayed in Blois for our time there.
2) Normandy- Lots to see there, don't miss the D-day beaches, American Cemetery and Bayeux, with its marvelous Cathedral as well as the 900 year old Bayeux Tapestry that documents the Norman conquest of England. There is more like Mount Saint Michel, Rouen and more on the Seine Valley. Plan on 4-5 days.
3) Alsace region next to Germany, Strasbourg and some of the nearby smaller cities are worth 3-4 days.
4) Provence and Burgundy, from Lyon down up the Saone River and down the Rhone to the Med. coast. We did a great river cruise for a week, it was fantastic. You can do it without a cruise if you like. Avignon, Aix, Arles and more. Plan on a week.
5) The Riveria with Cannes, Nice, Monaco and more. Plan on 4-5 days.

Lyon seems like a good choice, or maybe somewhere in Provence. With a month, you'll probably want a good-sized city so you have enough to do without having to drive or train too many days. Not knowing how much time you've spent in Paris, you might consider that too. It has plenty to keep you occupied and it's the transportation hub for most of France.

If this were my trip, I might split it into two regions, two weeks each. Like the Loire (Tours), Burgundy (Dijon), Normandy (Bayeux), the Dordogne (Sarlat), Provence (??), Alsace (??) -- pick two. That would let me see more of France with shorter one-or-two-day trips but still at an unhurried pace.

Arles in Provence!

I would probably break it into two or three week or two long stays. And one of those would be in the Dordogne which is my favorite part of France for touring and eating. Bonus is a canoe trip on the Dordogne river. We stayed at the place in Cadouin (la Caducienne) on this site with another couple and we have rented from these people twice and were very happy with their places and their communication and care (like when we managed to blow the fuse).
http://www.perfect-for-two.com/the_dordogne_region.html

We like to visit the markets and cook; Cadouin had a restaurant and a cafe, but if you want to eat out every evening then a larger place like Sarlat makes sense.

We rented an apartment for 3 weeks in Lyon a few years ago. After 3 weeks we were ready to move on. We also did a 3 day road trip to see the cave art in SW france when my father visited during that stay. I think 2 weeks in lyon and 2 weeks somewhere else would be a good idea unless you just want some good downtime. We rented through a rental agency not on airbnb at the recommendation of some friends who have done several Lyon stays. It was a very nice 1 BR in a great location and very reasonable. PM me if interested.

Thanks for all the great information!

Hello from Wisconsin,
With 2022 as the goal, start looking and learning to navigate the 'Gites de France' website. It is really designed for the French, but nothing is stopping you from using it other than its clunkiness. There is a button for language selection.

These rentals typically rent Saturday to Saturday. Prices are great. Accommodations are interesting. There are thousands of them.

I would design the month for two or three rentals. The prices are so good, we have rented and paid for two weeks and arranged with the host to leave after ten days. We used a B&B for the nights until our next Sat. to Sat. rental.

Being in one place for a month makes seeing new area increasingly difficult.

You can rent a car for 30 consecutive days and a typical credit card will cover the insurance costs. But not 31 days. I had to rent a car for 28 days, turn it in, and rent a second car for 15 days and that works.

wayneiNWI

Just chiming in regarding the Loire Valley. I'd say it's worth a full week if you are really keen on chateaux -- their history, architecture, furnishings and artwork, gardens and outbuildings. It takes time to drive to each location, park and go inside. As Rick's guidebook says, don't try to visit more than 2 or at the very most 3 chateaux per day.

We stayed in Azay-le-Rideau (Hotel Biencourt, perfectly lovely!) but you might want to be based a little further to the west if you're serious about exploring the region. Years ago I was supposed to stay on a farm in Saumur, but it fell through and I've still never been there, LOL.

FWIW. you can usually get a break on a month rental -- they range from 3 weeks, to 2.5 weeks rent for the month -- but I would still with this block of time probably break it into at least two blocks. -- Maybe for me it would be Burgundy and the Dordogne.

We stayed in Burgundy in a small cottage at the base of the walls by the river in Semur en Auxois and it was just so amazingly picturesque and we drove out to nearby chateaux and abbies etc:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/medieval-towns/
But there are so many lovely regions to stay: in addition to Paris we have spent substantial time in Brittany, Normandy, the Loire, the Riviera, the Dordogne, Burgundy, Alsace and Provence -- as already noted if I could do two it would be Burgundy and the Dordogne -- although Brittany is also pretty amazing.