Amynenni

Hi! My husband and I are planing a 2 week (this includes travel time from Raleigh, NC). trip to France in May, mainly travel by train although not opposed to a flight. I have spent countless hours researching and thought I had a rough itinerary but the more research I do the more confused I get. We love food and wine sprinkled with a little history, art and some relaxation. I originally thought San Sebastián, Bordeaux, Paris and Lyon. Brussels seems like an awesome trip from Paris. Have also considered Mont Saint Michel (seems though to get too), and Provence. I’m rethinking Bordeaux based on a lot of info I’ve read in these threads. We don’t want to spend the entire trip on a train either. Any advice would be greatly appreciated or if you have a travel agent you might recommended. Thank you!!

Madam397

Mont St Michel while a worthy destination is far afield from the other places you've mentioned. We did it on a trip to Paris and Normandy but in October with stops along the way in Rouen, Caen, Honfleur and Bayeux. May in Normandy will be especially busy this year as it the 80th anniversary of D-Day. So something to think about.
Actually the most interesting thing about Mont St Michel is the view of the Mont as you approach it and it is a dramatic view depending on the time of day and the weather. Unfortunately we were there in heavy rain making the stone steps you walk up very slippery so you had to look down and be very careful not to fall. Not all that much of interest to see in the actual monastery and it is still in use as a monastery, so not all of it is available.

AJPeabody

Welcome to Fodors!

You got caught in the kid and the candy store trap. The kid wants everything and ends up with a belly ache.
Your candy store is France. You want almost every place in the country. But you only have 12 days of your two weeks since arrival day and departure day do not count. Then remove one day every time you change lodging, as those intermediate travel days are also not tourist days. Maybe pick just three locations, losing only two intermediate days. You will be left with 9 real tourist days, or 3 each for each location. Look through some guide books and choose your targets, perhaps three that are connected by high speed trains.

thomasrutledge6541

Hi!
My wife and I are doing a similar trip in early May with 13 full days in France in addition to the arrival day (we have early a.m. arrival). We have similar interests to yours. We can't see it all, so decided on 2 areas - Paris for 5 full days (plus the arrival/jetlag partial day) then high speed train south for 7 full days in Provence with a rental car, flying home from Marseille. Our thinking is to pick an area to really explore or just exist in and not feel rushed to get from place to place. We also wanted a mix of city and rural/smaller towns, and plan the Provence days to be slower. We considered adding Lyon for a day to the end, but felt that was too much moving around. We don't have everything booked yet - still working out the details.

Unless you really have 'can't miss' places for some reasons, my advice would be to spend half time in Paris area and pick one other area that interests you with great options around it (or 2 if the travel is convenient and not round trip - sort of 'on the way' stops). I'd also look into open-jaw flights if you venture far from Paris to avoid that return trip to CDG.
Happy travels!