I see no car (missed that) so the Luberon wouldn't work. Sorry.

What a wonderful idea!

In June we spent two weeks in Paris in an emerging trendy but not tourist neighborhood -- the 10th near the Canal St Martin. A month would have been better.

In two weeks the only tourist site we visited was the Champ de Mars-Eiffel Tower-Trocadero area and then only to change buses. It was awful.

We had no illusions that we were living like "real Parisians" but we were living like real city people, the way we did when we were young and living in Cambridge, MA.

Mid-May through early June is a perfect time. Later in June it stays light too late for us.

I might try this in Berlin during opera season (three companies!) or Amsterdam because it is easy to take quick trips, but Paris? In a minute!

Go!

Great idea!

Those are my two cents:

-- One month in Paris, with as many day trips as you like, so many options!

-- Two weeks in Paris and two weeks based in, may be, Nice.

-- One week Barcelona, one week Valencia, two weeks Madrid with many day trips.

-- Twoo weeks Rome and day trips, one week at he Amalfi Coast, one week Firenze, with visits to Siena, and little towns, maybe Pisa also.

You have a beautiful problem to solve! Enjoy!

I think it would be helpful (and interesting) to all the people trying to give you suggestions if you could say WHY you ruled out the cities you did. I see a lot of people are suggesting some of the cities you ruled out, and I can't blame them as they are obvious (and good) choices for a months stay. If you could share why you don't want to go to them....

Also, everyone's idea of cost is different. I thought there was a lot of merit to traveler1959s list but I totally disagree about the cost estimates on some of them. Most people agree Switzerland is much higher than most of the rest of Europe. I also though all the Scandinavian countries were uncomfortably expensive. On the other hand, I find both London and Paris very affordable. If you compare the price of one thing (e.g. a loaf of bread) London is more than a lot of places, but due to the huge variety of things you can get, places you can go, free museums (very important for a month long visit where you would probably enjoy re-visiting museums for short periods of time), etc. I think time in London is not that expensive. I also think the Eastern European cities, while less than some other places, are not all that much a bargain.

Following your topic with interest as this is something I'd love to do when my teens are out of the house.
I'd probably pick London because of the ease of the English language and the endless list of things to do. I know you are not interesting in London, but have you considered other cities in England? Say Bath for a smaller yet interesting town or Birmingham for a larger, livelier city?

If it were me, I'd also try to find lodgings that weren't at the top of my budget so that I could do overnights to other places and not feel guilty about staying at a hotel.

My choice would be for a city either on the coast or close to it, so maybe San Sebastian, or Bilbao in Spain (having been to Barcelona that doesn't appeal at all), Marseille perhaps. I don't know enough about Italy to suggest somewhere in Italy.

A coastal city gives you somewhere else to go, without leaving the city, something else to look at than buildings.

But what do I know? I don't like cities that much that I'd spend a month in one voluntarily (San Fransico excepted!).

This is such an interesring thread. We talk about doing this too, from one to three months. Dijon,Lyon, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Torino are on our list.

DH and I liked Montpellier in France. It has a spectacular youthful vibe; wonderful local shops; TGV to Paris; and easy modern train station (we went to Avignon and Arles).

Florence could be a good base for day trips if your DH can do those easily.

I was having asthma problems when we were in Nice and we were able to get a good van tour right from our hotel. That saved me trying to get up hills!Easy train trips along the Riviera from there as well.

Mokka4: Yes, my husband can ascend hills and take long walks (he does 2 miles a day regularly). It is other pesky problems and meds that keep him from the level of activity that he had even just 5 yrs. ago. Luzern is definitely on our radar as well as Vevey which would have a lot of side trips to take and we love mountain/lake scenery! We are thinking that we would return to a place we have been to before and loved rather than a new place. Much more relaxing because of familiarity.
KTtravel and swandav2000: I love Paris and would go in a minute, but DH (that stand for Dear Hubby, right? ) does not want to—he can’t quite give me a good reason why except we have spent a week there twice. He love Berlin, but I don’t particularly want to go back, although I thoroughly enjoyed it—but, it is so modern that I do not get the “old Europe” experience. I love the architecture of the older buildings. We drove through part of the Engadin Valley but there is not a town there I would want to be for 2 weeks to a month.
Traveler1959, you have my number! You seem to understand where we are coming from as to a vacation on the somewhat slow but interesting side. Think strolling rather than hurrying which gives one time to really look around and enjoy some of the little things that are frequently missed. I really appreciate you suggestions. I have been afraid that Luzern would be too small and am considering Zurich—with several day trips. (Trying to convince DH to do two weeks in one place and two in another. Wish me luck! The travel between would have to be easy--read not stressful.)
Dismaying to hear from you that the costs are rising so much—someone else who replied disagrees with you though.  We spent 2 weeks in Amsterdam in 2012 and loved it—I would even go back if DH was as enthusiastic. We have said for years that we wanted to spend a couple of week or more in Nice with day trips into the countryside. In the past it has been 3 days there a couple of times. Thinking seriously about it.

So many good ideas everyone, thanks! Will try and keep you interested parties updated.

This will probably seem a bit "off", but I've always wanted to spend about a month in Naples and environs. Admittedly, this is because I have a great interest in ancient Rome, and the area is full of ruins and remnants. However, it is also a vital, if chaotic, city, with tremendous day-tripping options by rail and boat: the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Paestum, etc. If you're looking for serenity this would not suit you, though the smaller nearby towns might.

If not Paris, where we have spent 3 weeks on one trip, I would love to spend a month in Florence. We've been 8 times and have yet to see all of the wonderful things it offers. Florence is also an ideal place for many day trips.

sunrise, I have spent a good deal of time in and around Toulouse, and it is one of my favorite cities in France. But one of the things that draws me to it is the wealth of lovely nearby towns and villages, which could be difficult to access without a car (I, too, missed that you won't have one). Still, there is plenty to do in Toulouse itself and even though France has a paucity of public transportation in areas like that, I'm sure there must be some places you could get to on train or bus (like Albi).

Marseille I've been to a handful of times, but only for a couple of days each, so maybe I'm not well qualified to suggest it for a month. It's also a place that a lot of people find slightly off-putting, probably because there are parts of it that are gritty and chaotic (I don't mind gritty and chaotic).

I haven't been to Turin in probably 20 years.

You might consider Nice, though. From there you have a lot of public transportation options, and it's a fine city on its own.

What about Montpellier?

I just talked to DH about this thread and he said he could spend a month in Edinburgh or Glasgow quite easily, especially if he could make some trips from there, either day trips, or for a night or two.

He also suggested considering an island, Sicily, Malta and Cyprus were ones he came up with.