Regions to Visit in August - 11 days total

Try the Loire Valley stay in Blois or Amboise. Visit the castles at Chambord and Chenonceau. On your way visit Chartres and its cathedral. It is probably going to be hot though and crowded with tourists. The only way to avoid that is to go September to May

1. Train to Tours. Pick up car. Stay Loire Valley - Amboise (2N)
2. Chateaux
3. Drive to St Malo - MSM (1N) (Mont St Michel, not mainstream media)
4. Drive to Bayeux (2N)
5. Visit D Day beaches
6. Via Honfleur to Amiens (2N)
7. Visit Rouen & Giverny
8. Depart from CDG
   

The Dordogne/Perigord region. I've not been but friends have and loved it. Great old towns and villages, wonderful food and fewer tourists. My friends were hiking and said it was never too hot.

We loved our trip going from Paris taking the train to Tours ( St Pierre des corps) where you can pick up a car to see the Loire Valley. We stayed three nights which was perfect, then drove over to burgundy for another three nights but four would be even better. Gorgeous chateaux's, beautiful gardens, medieval villages and beatiful countryside. In burgundy we have wandered many small, medieval villages with very few tourists.

I think those areas would fit your desires and they are not too far from each other or from Paris.

I have suggestions for accommodations if you want to pm me.

Thank you, everyone, for these great suggestions! We'll definitely look into the Loire valley. The Dordogne was one of the regions I was especially interested in, but I feel like I read that it gets extremely crowded in August. Does anyone have any experience with that area during the high season? Thanks again!

The Dordogne is high on my list, but it isn't as easy to get to. Look at driving times before you commit to going there. I haven't been yet, but it looks amazing.

Thank you for the additional comments! This is just the type of information I was looking for. I think we'll stay in the north, closer to Paris, since it sounds like the Dordogne may be too far, too crowded, and too hot at that time of year. We'll look into the various options given by all the posters. I see that the Lorient Interceltic Festival is happening when we'll be there. Of course, that would be really crowded, but it would also be really special, so maybe we'll check that area out. I really appreciate all the help!

By the way, Susan and Monte, I liked your description of Burgundy, so I looked it up in the guide books. The names of some of the towns sounded familiar, so I looked in our old photo album from 20 years ago, and it turns out we've already visited Burgundy! I guess I'm getting old and have no sense of geography. We loved it, too!

You could take the train for easy day trips, especially to Normandie. There are lots of day trips that are only 2 hours one-way.
You can Google "day trips from Paris" for directions and things to do.
August is massively crowded and will be extremely hot. Most places are not air-conditioned, except hotels.
You might not be able to reserve a car at all, depending on when you plan to go in August.
The beach at Trouville-Deauville is very nice - only 2 hours from Paris.