which one town is good to stay in for a 2-week period

Paris is an good choice since there is so much to do there with multiple day trip options.

Paris for sure. You can visit Rouen, Monet's gardens/Giverny, Normandy & the American Cemetery & Omaha Beach, Les Andelys, Abbaye de Jumieges, etc.

Don't miss St. Chapelle's - it is SO close to Paris NotreDame and most seem to miss it. They do concerts there often that are VERY VERY good.

Do you need somewhere with public transportation or will you have a rental car? What time of year? What are your interests? Are you looking for beaches, museums, wine tastings, hiking, biking, canoeing down a river, exploring historical sites???

You mention "town" rather than "city" so I presume places like Lyon, Paris, Marseille, and so forth aren't what you're envisioning.

Approximately what size town are you thinking of, and what characteristics of that town are you hoping to enjoy?

Keep in mind that French towns generally have much more in terms of cultural attractions, events, and commerce than comparably-sized American or Canadian towns would. A town of approximately 10,000 people in France commonly will have assets a town 4 or 5 times that size might have in the U.S. -- and sometimes more.

We have spent two weeks in Nice several times. It is a wonderful base for visiting many interesting towns such as Antibes, Cassis, Cannes, St-Tropez.

We have spent two summers in Bordeaux and still haven't seen everything that city and region has to offer. Easy train connections all over southwest France, including the coast, and loads to do in the city and immediate area. It's a laid-back city with it's pedestrianized center, excellent tram system, and river promenade. Good living!

France is a big place, can you narrow it down to a region? I personally wouldn't make Paris a home base unless you really want to see Paris - it is more expensive than smaller towns, and of course way more crowded. But if you can give an idea of what area of the country you want to explore you can get some more specific answers.

You’ve said town, but you didn’t say time of year, so you need a place that doesn’t close down outside tourist season. Uzès- we spent five months there and recommend it highly. Others- Aix-en-Provence, Bergerac, larger towns in the Loire Valley. Smaller towns will be very quiet from November to April.

Thank you all!
We are thinking town or city; we like traveling in May or September/October.
Renting a car is a possibility although we prefer traveling by train.

A small town in the Dordogne with maybe a cafe and a bakery and a car would be my choice. We have done that in Cadouin and Limeuil but neither would be good choice if you wanted to travel with public transport. Larger cities have more to do and better transport. Lyon, Nice, Lille all work for that. And 'charming smaller towns' tend to have no local economy except tourism or as. bedroom communities and to be dead as a doornail in winter.

Beaune is a great choice, especially if you're visiting in the fall!

Best of luck.

Another fun option could be Saint-Malo.

I would suggest Lyon. Direct train from CDG, wonderful public transportation in Lyon and lots to see. Has a wonderful "Oly Lyon" minus the cars.