Anonymous wrote:Bayeux. See the tapestry, drive/tour to the Normandy beaches.

This!!! So awesome and beautiful. We stayed in a lovely chateau outside of Bayeux. It was a wonderful few days exploring the beaches and Bayeux.

I also enjoyed Colmar and other towns in the Alsace region. They have the largest number of Michelin star restaurants in that region.

I also loved Annecy with side trips to smaller towns like Yvoire. Can fly into Geneva and add a stop to Montreux.

Anonymous wrote:Colmar

Another good suggestion. Colmar us very charming, and you can actually walk (through vineyards) from chocolate box village to chocolate box village. An odd but interesting side trip is the stork restoration center nearby.

Anonymous wrote:Lyon is a lovely city with plenty to do and amazing food.

The French Riviera is also lots of fun: Nice, Eze is charming, Cannes, Montpelier is a cool city close to the coast but not on it, I don't love Marseille and wouldn't bother, but others may disagree.

+ 1 on Lyon. We liked it better than Paris. Do a food tour and a walking tour (to see all the street art/graffiti) and then check out the Roman ruins. It's an easy train ride from Paris.

OP here. Thank you all so much for your responses! So helpful!

If you want to relax in one pace (vs traveling and sightseeing), you could plant yourself in this special apartment in Dordogne:

https://www.dordogne-perigord-tourisme.fr/offres/le-grenier-du-chapitre-sarlat-la-caneda-sarlat-la-caneda-fr-4242801/

It is located on a quiet courtyard in the pedestrian part of a village known for its markets (think truffles and foie gras). Shops and good restaurants are just steps away. You will hear cooing doves and church bells outside to windows. We really enjoyed our time here (and it is surprisingly affordable—but there are stairs).

Anonymous wrote:We loved Chamonix in the summer.

I'd hike the Tour de Mt Blanc for a week if it were the summer!

Anonymous wrote:DP but I spend every summer in Provence with my family. I love it but April may be too early (unless you are going right at the end of the month) because a lot of things - restaurants, shops, markets, hotels - close over the winter and do not re-open until the last week of April. If that’s where you want to go, check hotels and restaurants carefully to be sure.

Good point. We went to this area as well in May a few years ago and it was perfect. Stayed about 10 miles east of Avignon at a 4 room bnb that unfortunately looks like it is no longer operating. It was fantastic. A car is pretty important if you want to see the best things of the area. Definitely look for little family farm/restaurants as well,we did one of those for dinner one night and it was the highlight of our trip. This place was great as well.

https://labartavellegoult.com/

Anonymous wrote:Aix en Provence is a good base if you want a larger town

We stayed in both Aix and Avignon and I’d probably lean more to Avignon as a base but partly because it’s not as big so…

I would land in Lyon (best food, lots to do) down to the south of France: Avignon, Nimes, Arles, Vallauris, Grasse, leave from Nice. Lots of other areas are great (Brittany is my favorite) but odds are for better weather there in April.

Anonymous wrote:Lyon and Taize nice trip too. Taize is a spiritual center.

I went to Taize a million years ago as a teen! It is a weird place for a romantic trip I think, but I loved it back then (went with a religious group).

Staying overnight at Mt St Michel is magical. I highly recommend walking the ancient mont, when the throngs of tourists are gone.

On your way to Normandy, stop at Giverny. See Monet’s gardens and charming home.

Anonymous wrote:Consider Reims for a day: you can see the cathedral, WWI history, and champagne cellars.

+1 Good for 1-1.5 days.

Le Havre is a small and gorgeous town in the Normandy region. If you plan to visit Normandy anyway, this can be a beautiful stop with a beach that's good in any weather. It's small thought so it's another 1-1.5 day stop at most.

Colmar

We loved Chamonix in the summer.