[Redliner]

I lived in France from 1995-1997 and went back with my wife in 2011, but still haven't made it to the med. So much other cool stuff to see.

Cut Paris down to 4-5 days. Once you've seen all the big stuff (Louvre, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, etc) the rest of it is kind of just different versions of the same stuff. The catacombs are worth a visit but you only get to see a very small "tourist-friendly" area of them. Versailles is impressive as well but should probably be a full day in itself. After 3 days of fighting the crowds in Paris you'll be ready for a change of pace; especially if you have kids with you.

I don't know Normandy that well but if you're going there, Juno Beach and Mont St-Michel are both can't-miss destinations. Courseulles-sur-Mer (where Juno is) is a great little town with a relaxed vibe but there isn't much there besides the beach and the other WWII sites in the area.

The Loire valley is fantastic. Chambord is amazing just for the sheer size of it, and Chenonceau is ridiculously picturesque. Stay in Blois (which in itself is a very cool city) for a couple of days and you're within easy driving distance of dozens of renaissance chateaux.

If I could choose one place in all of France to send someone to, it would be Sarlat la Caneda. It's a medieval village in the heart of the Dordogne region, and walking through the old town is like stepping back in time 800 years. Again, you're within a 20-30 minute drive of dozens of amazing places. Visit Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme, Milandes, Marqueyssac (gardens), or Lascaux for the prehistoric cave paintings. Rocamadour is a little further out (maybe an hour) from Sarlat but is absolutely worth the visit, and on the same day you could visit Lacave or the Gouffre de Padirac, which is a fantastic undergound cave system that you tour partially by boat. You could easily spend a month in Dordogne and not see half of what it has to offer, and the castles there are more of the dark ages knights & dragons-type ones so it will keep your kids entertained as well. High season definitely gets busy with all the tourists, but the area in general is friendly, (for France) laid-back, and beautiful. One of the reasons I have yet to see much of eastern France is that I love Dordogne so much I never seem to make it past there.