Thoughts Needed on my France Itinerary - Thanks!

You don't need a car for your first three days. Trains will be much easier. Also, I'd base in either Avignon or Arles rather than switching hotels to stay in both. Other than that, very doable.

This itinerary shows lots of thought and planning.

I think Doug is right about Provence. It's exhausting and time consuming to move around unnecessarily. With a car you can visit these sights from one base.

Lyon is a big place, in many ways not a good candidate for a quick get-a-sense-of stop enroute to someplace else. So, pick something that you are going to see or a restaurant where you are going to have lunch and focus on that. Otherwise you may leave wondering, What did we just spend three hours doing?

The drive from Burgundy to Normandy is going to be long and tiring. It's kind of a weak spot in your plan. I question whether you will enjoy a quick visit to Mont St. Michel as you describe. I'm not even sure it's realistic.

Not sure what you should do about that, I guess either skip MSM with regrets or skip something else and maybe spend one night there.

Finally, after all that time in the car, you may actually appreciate returning the car a day earlier in Bayeux and taking the train to Paris.

Generally, though, a fun and well-thought-out plan--have a great trip!

Here is some info for your Nice section that could be useful:

All about Nice:
http://www.rivierarentalguide.com/explore_riviera/nice/where+is+nice.html

All about Villefranche:
http://www.rivierarentalguide.com/explore_riviera/the+corniches/villefranche-sur-mer/where+is+villefranche-sur-mer.html

All about Eze:
http://www.rivierarentalguide.com/explore_riviera/the+corniches/eze-bord+de+mer/

I hope all this helps,

Enjoy

I would cut out June 5th and reduce Paris from 6 days to 4 days. With your 3 extra days spend 2 in Colmar (between Beaune and Normandy) and 1 in Honfluer (Normandy).

I also agree with the other posters that you should choose either Avignon or Arles for all of your overnights. I slept in Arles and day tripped to Avignon. I loved night time in Arles and the hotel we stayed in was such a great value (name slips my mind but can look it up if interested).

How much do you want to see in Nice when you say "explore"? If you don't intend to see the art museums you could easily follow the RS walking tour and instead "do" Nice in a long morning or afternoon. I used Villefranche as a home base and the RS (Riviera) book was very helpful- it was so hard to believe that Villefranche is really only about 5-10 minutes from Nice and how easy it was to use the bus or train to get to Eze and Monaco. We actually walked to Monaco (if you are walkers) from Villefranche- a gorgeous about two miles, mostly hugging the Riviera on a path shared with wealthy joggers. So it is really all very close.
Except once you are heading west, anyway, on your Saturday I wonder why go all the way back to Nice and instead make an interim stop on the way to Avignon/Arles (if at all).
Also, I agree- changing lodgings is hard m(unless you enjoy it)- Arles was a perfect base for all the places you want to go- but so would Avignon be. Just choose one or the other. We stayed in a RS- recommended hotel in Arles right next to the coliseum but I can't remember the name- it was fabulous.
Lucky, lucky you- what a fantastic trip!!!!

I agree that a car is a nuisance in the Nice area, although it makes it easier to get to Eze with the freedom not to worry about bus schedules.

I'd offer encouragement (straight from RS books) to mostly stick with the toll freeways. We wasted a lot of time trying to go on the secondary roads in order to get character and save money. We soon learned that a roundabout every mile or two was a tremendous slowdown and that we got plenty of character in the towns we planned on stopping in.

Our experience was that M-S-M was okay for a short visit, unless you plan on spending much time in the Abbey. I think the setting is the main thrill (seeing it rise out of the tide flats) and walking the wall for awhile. There are many other places I'd rather spend my time.

Sorry, the bit on M-S-M didn't come out well -- I guess I'm too sleepy. I tried to say that I think it's worth going to for a few hours, but not necessary to linger there.

Sarah,

Unless there is something very special to you about Beaune, I wouldn't disrupt your entire trip to accomodate it. If you were to leave the Arles/Avignon area and drive west to Bordeaux, then up the coast to MSM and other coastal attractions (including even the Loire Valley), you will have a very broad exposure to France with less stress and hassel. Save Beaune, Lyon and Alsace for another trip (maybe tied into a visit to Germany or Switzerland). While in Nice, you simply must try a local favorite there called "Socca"...it's a snack food that is sold in the old city...like a crepe, but better.