You might want to get a general guidebook on France to get an idea of what there is to see. There are a variety of regions that would be worth a week's stay: Alsace, Burgundy, Provence, Dordogne, Normandy, to name the obvious one. Stays in the provinces will normally require a car rental. Check on www.kemsel.com for rates.

www.kemwel.com

Hi,
I'd definitely get an apt, and then you can explore areas that interest you, and then return "home" to your apt. My suggestion: get a good guidebook, or search sites such as this, and decide what you want to see/experience. If I had 4 weeks, I'd spend a week in each locale. Paris, for sure.There are some day trips from Paris you could take, too, Versailles, Giverny, and others. A week in Nice on the riviera would be excellent...there is plenty to see and do, and your teens would love the boardwalk area, Old Town, and the pedestrian areas. Lots of apts. to rent, too. Since you'll be in France, you can't help but see interesting sights while you're out for a stroll. So much history, art, you'll have a wonderful time. I'm heading to Provence this fall, you may want to add that to your destinations.

I would rent an apartment in Paris for a week and explore the neighborhoods and do day trips from there. Kids like odd things; for example, when we took my (younger) kids to the Arc de Triomphe, what they really liked was visiting the chi-chi car dealers on the way! So you have to kind of roll with them. You might spend another week or so in the south of France. I have stayed in an apartment in Tourrettes-sur-Loup (a very cool hill town where the kids could walk around without fear) to explore the Riviera and the hill towns, as well as in a house in L'Isle sur La Sorgue to experience more rural Provence. You would all like the weekly markets in Provence. In July, you'll definitely want to get some beach time in in the South. If the kids are happy, you will be happy. Go to museums but don't spend too long in them. If either of you are into WWII history, I think the kids would be impressed by Normandy. Try to find a private guide who will take you on a day-long adventure of the cemeteries, the bunkers, the battlefields. Sometimes having a guide feed kids history is more palatable than listening to their parents. If you're lucky, you'll run into some American vets and you'll be impressed by how they're treated like gold there. You might also try some active things in regions like Normandy such as horseback riding or kayaking. Kids like to move! We took advantage of two lifesavers with kids: France has minigolf and ice cream everywhere. When in doubt, let them play and eat.

Your kids are old enough to help with the planning. Put them to work with guide books and web sites such as this one. I think they will enjoy it more if they are more involved.

How lovely to have a whole month in one country!

How much fun to have a whole week to spend in France. I like the idea of spending a week in Paris and a week each in three other places. Have each member of the family come up with a place they would like to spend a week. Once you have decided on the places you would like to visit, Fodorites can help with accommodation ideas and thoughts for great things to do in each area.

Thanks for your reply. I checked out a guide book from the library today. Thanks for the car rental website. Will definitely do that.

Love the idea of getting a guide for a day in Normandy. Kids would certainly find that more interesting than listening to their dad "lecture". I'll have to do a little research and ask more specific questions later

One of the very best guidebooks is the Michelin Green Guide to France. That would get you started, and then you can move on the to the regional guides and maps. The viamichelin.com web site is very useful for itinerary planning, as it gives routes and time estimates (usually erring on the short side).

What do you mean by "sleeping comfort" for your husband? Size of bed (europe queen is like out double and kings are very rare) or noise or quality of bed (you take what you get except for ultra lux hotels).

If it were me in a month I would do a week in paris, a week on the riviera and then rent a car and do 3 or 4 other areas - each from a central hotel. (Perhaps Loire, Alsace, Dordogne, Burgundy - whatever interests you most - you need to do some heavy reading quick.)

Your kids are definitely old enough to help with planning (and then they can't complain when they don;t like anything) and make sure they brush up their French (a local conversation course if they're not taking it in school).

When we took out tween/teen daughters they loved being independent during the day - doing some things they preferred while we did some galleries (having both been to Paris quite a few times). You don't want to be joined at the hip for a whole month. But to do that the kids need basic French and city smarts.

Nytraveller makes a good point about learning some language. There are good aps for that these days. It will make all the difference to your trip if you have the basics.