French Riviera

That sounds lovely,, I can't speak from where is best in terms of flights from your area, but for me it would be Nice,,from there you can train to many other places.
I am going late July this summer, which is not ideal at all, will be hot and crowded, but its how my time off worked. If I had a choice I would go late May, June, or September.

I'm not sure about the flights. We flew into Paris and took the train down to that area. But we were there in early September. It was not crowded and the weather was really nice. In Nice, it was in the mid-80's.

Rick, What month are you retiring? I'd suggest travelling in either the spring (May / June) or Fall (Sept. / Oct.) shoulder seasons. You may find greater flight availability and better prices into Paris. If you decide to stop there for a few days, you can either travel via TGV to Nice or go via budget airline. The rail trip is about 6H and the flights about 1.5H. EasyJet currently has flights listed from both CDG and ORY for about €45 PP (plus a few "fees"). with a 10-day time frame, you could either use one or two locations for a "home base" in that area. I'd suggest spending at least several days in Nice, as it's so convenient for visiting Monaco / Monte Carlo, Villefranche, Eze and other locations in the area. It's great to wander around the "old town" or visit some of the Museums. Congratulations on your retirement! I retired in spring 2010, and so far it's been the best job I never had. Happy travels!

In terms of flights, I'd suggest you try pricing the flight from Paris to Nice (most likely airport for the Riviera) on the same ticket as your flight to Paris. Last September we flew Air France and planned to bypass Paris altogether. We found that if we bought the whole journey on the same ticket, it only added $8 CAD to the ticket. We could not buy a separate airfare, train, or car rental for that amount. (this assumes that flights available in your end of the world don't go non-stop to Nice). We stayed four nights in Villefranche-sur-Mer at the Hotel de la Darse (seaview balcony room only 89 euros!) and could have happily stayed a week. We took the bus to Nice and Monaco for day trips, and although you can bus it to Eze, we had a car so chose to drive that day. Had we stayed a week we might have done an additional day in Nice (or part day, the bus is so convenient and cheap there would be no reason not to); and also gotten to Antibes. Maybe next time! September was hot and sunny and beautiful!

I'd try to go in spring or fall and fly into and out of Nice if you can. As for cities, what are your interests? I would get Rick's Provence and French Riviera book and see what interests you. If you stay in Nice, I would not recommend having a car. Use the buses and trains. If you decide to rent a car, I'd stay outside of Nice and have a GPS with you. I've stayed in Villefranche sur Mer at the Hotel Darse and agree with Andrea's comments.