I thought Spain was more fun.

Never been there. Are you interested in Spain too, herc?

Hot chicks always welcome.

But seriously, trip tips appreciated.  My folks want to spend a week in Paris and a week in Provence next summer.

Well, I'm just back from France (Alsace, to be precise).
I don't know if it's global warming or anything, but the place is absolutely blooming, and I'm still trying to ID some 1,000 photos of mostly unfamiliar flowers and little beasties. The greenery is positively stunning, and the Vosges mountains are still there in all their glory, but with a receding summital tundra increasingly turning into a forest ("mischwald"). Coming from the dry and dusty Middle-East, it was the appropriate vacation, and even a few real rainstorms didn't spoil anything for us. Also, I discovered, much to my surprise I must say, that using a bicycle for sightseeing is a permitted behaviour, even with kids, and that French drivers do respect "life on the road shoulders" a lot more than they used to. Besides, everybody else is either walking or cycling!

So, my advice is: if you go to France, go for the natural vistas and the rural/ wilderness areas, which are absolutely stunning in most regions. Paris is expensive, congested, and, after all, just another big city like the one you probably live/work in.

Oh, by the way, I got a glimpse of the Alpine foothills too, on the Italian side! Wow!