I would have written that "Annecy is not IN the Alps." ;)

Yeah, I'd cut a few and go to Chamonix - a primo Alpine resort with thrilling able car rides and mountain trains and hiking for all types.

First, none of your places listed are anywhere near my very extensive list of places that I'd return to in France. I went back to Nice because my wife wanted to go there and it was directly on our way from point A to point B, but it's still a really big city.

Second, none of these places conform to your list of interests. They are all pretty large places that are time-consuming to use as a base. I would look for smaller spots that still could be used as an easy base or places close to each other than can be visited by train or bus without a lot of long trips on public transportation taking up your time.

As an example, Sarlat is a great town and you can find transport plus the local tourism office has an extensive list of excursions. I would focus more on places like that.

<<We are interested in nature / scenery, wildlife, culture, small towns.>>

None of which you are targeting.

All very walkable cities. I live in Paris and do not have a car. A car in Paris is a negative.Transportation in Paris is the best in the world with 16 metro (subway) lines, 5 regional rail lines crisscrossing the city and way out to the suburbs, a tram system that circles the city perimeter, a fenicular to takes you from Pigalle area to Montmartre and hundreds of bus lines. Nice has a nice tram system and bus system and you can buy a 7 day pass for 15 euros. Avignon is easy to get around and Lyon has a good tram system. Chamonix is a small town and you can walk everywhere in no time.

LJM

Thanks, all. Good to know that all the places that we intend to cover are walkable cities, although there are mixed comments on whether these places are good bases.

On our interests, I would've thought that Annecy and Chamonix would cover nature/scenery (with lakes and mountains), and there's also a wildlife park (Parc de Merlet) at Chamonix. Nice (and other seaside towns) would cover culture / coastal scenery / history. Avignon would cover culture / history, and the lavender day trip would cover small towns (Gordes, Roussillon / Sault). Lyon would also cover culture / history (distinct murals / traboules) (and also food). And lastly Paris would be culture / museums.

Also picked these places after reading up for a wide variety of experience and taking into account feasibility of transport, since it is our first time in France, but understand that it may be a little over ambitious. Also hear that the common consensus is to drop Lyon, and perhaps Chamonix.

Will work towards fine-tuning the itinerary, and again, all comments above are appreciated.

Why drop Lyon? It's a really interesting city (much more than Nice or Annecy) and you will have to travel through Lyon anyway.