best city or town lo live like a european

For late September...

https://travelfrancebucketlist.com/southern-france-cities/

Lots of good options on that list, but two weeks in Marseille would be way too long for me, and I'd say the same about Perpignan--though perhaps that's just personal preference. But especially in Marseille, you'd need to select your apartment location carefully.

Since you don't plan a bunch of sightseeing, it may not matter, but Nice is exceptionally well-equipped to serve as a base for side trips to both coastal towns (which can also be reached easily from Cannes) and hill towns.

In Narbonne and Toulouse, you wouldn't be surrounded by a bunch of Americans.

Paris is perfect for this we have stayed in outer arrondissements for months at a time for years and most of our days are spent walking, sitting in cafes, shopping at markets and preparing the great foods available etc etc. Paris is a city of neighborhoods and has many charming ones with little of tourist interest. Try Butte aux Cailles, or the far side of Montmartre, or deep in the 17th.

If you are more of a contemplative person than an active person with no need to visit museums and monuments, go to an island.

For example:

Ré island

https://www.holidays-iledere.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDtfZgpExqE

a little further south, Oléron island:

https://www.oleron-island.com/

These two islands have no or gentle relief

Even wilder Belle-Île-en-Mer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwnOvcc2qq0

https://www.belleileenmer.co.uk/

I can also guarantee you that you will meet more Americans in Nice than in Narbonne and Toulouse combined. :-))

I vote for Toulouse.

Not overrun by tourists. A great central market (Victor Hugo) for fresh foods if you want to cook. Plenty of restaurants and cafes.

Should you want to do some sightseeing, there are plenty of daytrips such as to Carcassonne.

It's fairly flat and the public transportation system is very good.

While Paris is an amazing city, it has so many tourists that I don't consider it the real France anymore. More the tourist office version.

i was considering paris and found a few apartments, but then i thought maybe there is somewhere better.

I haven't been everywhere in France, of course, by a long stretch, but I can't think of a better place than Paris for your purposes. Flat terrain and good public transportation rule out most charming, picturesque villages, leaving you with cities. So why not the city with the most to offer? You want to do some cooking, shop in markets, sit in parks and people watch. Paris offers more of all that (including cooking classes if you want) than anywhere else. Don't stay right in the center near the river, stay in one of the outlying two-digit arrondissements, within a few blocks of a Metro station and close to one or more parks. Or maybe Vincennes, with its huge park at the end of Metro line 1 which runs right through the city.

If food is important enough, you might consider Lyon, France's "food capital," with Les Halles Paul Bocuse and other markets, plus a good subway and tram system. Parts of the city are hilly but the central and eastern parts are flat and walkable. It's smaller than Paris but still a big city, the third largest I think.

Based on Threadware's link, and taking your mobility into consideration, I'd suggest Nice, Aix-en-Provence, or Toulouse. Nice has a large flat area along the coast, access to trains and buses for visiting the rest of the Riviera, and a lot of places to people watch and relax. I'm a fan of Nice, but be aware that the foreign population is huge all along the Riviera, so an international city. Toulouse is a vital, flat city with a lot to see and do and two large covered markets in the center of town. Both cities have good transportation. Aix, always one of my favorites, is relatively flat, very active, easy to get around, smaller than the first two, and has important markets six days a week.
I wouldn't recommend Marseille due to the hills, nor Montpellier due to the large historic district being on a hill with restricted motor vehicle access. I wouldn't recommend the others mentioned in the south. Not a fan of Avignon.
I live in the south of France and have spent time in almost every city mentioned.

There are certainly a lot of other interesting places, relatively flat, that are lively: Lille, Rouen, Bordeaux, Strasbourg.

BTW, if you want to live like a local, you'll want to have your coffee and croissant in a café, not a park. And high fashion is for a tiny fringe of society, not necessarily even French.

As Bets says, the local who has his coffee and croissant in a park before going shopping in high-end boutiques doesn't exist, except perhaps in a soppy version of a Woody Allen movie :))

My recommendation for what you have in mind is Paris.

Last summer's trip I spent just about a month staying in the city, 29 nights.

I went all over riding the buses some based on the route map attached to the particular stop, a real eye-opener in many ways, and using the metro too, plus a lot of walking, especially in those double digit Arrond, did some of what you intend, visited parks eg, that opposite of Gare d'Austerlitz., etc, people watching included, stayed in 3 different hotels in Paris Nord and Est, plus went to several towns , north and east, as day or afternoon trips mostly by regional train, a few TGV too.

These towns , Bar-le-Duc, Orleans, Soissons, Chateau-Thierry, Rouen , Maubeuge, etc, did have visitors, exclusively French. You see that in the restaurants at lunch. I did , however, see Americans in Troyes in the restaurants.

“While Paris is an amazing city, it has so many tourists that I don't consider it the real France anymore. More the tourist office version.”

I could not disagree more. It’s absolutely authentic and the real France.
I do agree with Dick, janet and Fred. Paris is wonderful, mostly flat, exceptional bus system, plenty of neighborhoods with no tourists, wonderful parks, cafés, beautiful views, and lots of life going on outside all around you, yet you can find peace and solitude in many places if that’s what you want. It’s a great walking city and in my experience, the vast majority of Parisians are kind and friendly.

I just got back from my yearly month in Paris, and it’s as wonderful as ever.

Re: Paris....."You can find peace and solitude...." How utterly true.

How is your conversational French? Enough to live for 2 weeks without English, or do you need a lifeline of a place with numbers of folks who speak tourist English?

Some of the provincial cities will likely be more the former, whereas in Nice and Paris you can find the latter.

sit at a park with a coffee and croissant and people watch

Sounds amazing. I do the same here from time to time. Go enjoy. And don't fret the language. It's not much of an issue compared to your dream.

I did what you describe, but in another city, and ended up not leaving. So be careful.

Paris is not ideal for people with mobility issues; the metro has a lot of steps and many apartments are walk-ups.
I would suggest a smaller city. Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Toulouse, are all very flat, with step-free transportation systems (modern streetcars) in the first two.

I am quite disabled when it comes to walking, standing and steps and Paris is no more difficult in that regard than anywhere else. In fact, Paris has lots more places to sit and rest than any place else i’ve been.

Definitely dont take the métro though, take a bus instead, super easy.

yes, unless you are in Montmartre, Paris is flat and of course if you have mobility issues you don't take the metro, but the city is well served by bus which is not true of small towns. FWIW while Europe is less accommodating for the disabled than the US, it is getting there and you are more likely to find accommodation in big cities than smaller towns.

And as to walk up apartments, well don't rent one of those. When we were middle aged we often had 5th floor walk ups -- kept us in shape. Now that we are old, an elevator is one of the requirements for any place we book.

Another small city that would work is Lille -- we have friends who often spend weeks at a time in Paris but are finding it too pricey and recently spent a month in Lille and found it both more affordable and lovely as a place to just stroll and live 'like a Frenchman'.

One more recommendation: Orleans. Very little tourist traffic, the Loire is clear as crystal, plenty of good restaurants and fun shops. And it's about as flat as any French city I've visited. The tram system is first-rate.

Bordeaux would be another great option, but it's a big city and I'm not sure it's representative of the nation writ large.

I’m in general agreement that while it may feel like a punt on paper, that Paris will offer what you’re looking for and then some. One of my favorite days in Paris was while visiting Pere Lachaise, I just stumbled across a street antiques market. There were no tourists, just the locals browsing and chatting. Paris can be like that, there’s always a little discovery to be had. And Paris won’t run the risk of getting stale, there will always be something for you to do or see. I suggest finding a place just a bit out of the center, a real neighborhood (i.e. away from Ile de La City, Left Bank, etc.)

My only other suggestion might be Lyon. I only visited briefly, but really enjoyed it. I felt like it was like Paris but 5x more “French” if that makes sense. Some parts of town are on hills, but Lyon has an excellent tram and metro system.

Aside from my obvious number 1 recommendation of Paris, I do say that Orleans is also a very good choice, not merely for the city itself, visiting the centre ville and exploring on foot, but also due to its location and proximity to Blois.

Take the TER train to Blois from the Orleans train station, then the bus from the station to Chambord, if you want to include that chateau.

thanks everyone for their input. i decided on. just saying in paris. i found a cute apartment on rue daguerrre, with the market at my door step. depending on how i feel i will try to do some day trips to some nearby areas. i am looking forward to being in paris again. at 70, this may be my last chance.

thanks again everyone!

I think you choose well. Look for me in the park early mornings. Sounds like a glorious idea.

I just discovered Rue Daguerre by accident on my spring 2023 trip to Paris. Good choice!

Sounds terrific. You’re going to have a wonderful time. I’ll have to keep Rue Daguerre on my list!

Have you considered Bordeaux or Nantes?

Bon jour! The first I would suggest is Chartres. A lot of people know the town because of its famed pilgrim cathedral. The town outside the cathedral area is as charming as could be. It's completely flat.

Another is Bayeux in Normandy. It's charming, small and very livable. Also, it's flat.

Nearby is Caen. It's a bit bigger city than the above -- maybe 100,00 people -- but the advantage is the public transportation. I took the tram there.