Aix-en-Provence or Annecy?

Neither town has a sea beach, but Annecy comes closer to a swimming vacation. Its clean, clear lake is right on the doorstep, with grassy lawns and jetties at Albigny and the Marquisats and small village beaches around the shore. The catch is a short season, from late June to early September.

From Aix, swimming always means a trip of up to an hour to the coves of the Cote Bleue, Marseille's city beaches or Cassis. Those are pebbly or rocky, fill up in August and are awkward without a car, which is why many visitors simply use the pool where they are staying.

Aix eats better, and more lightly. Morning markets on Place Richelme supply goat's cheese, olives and vegetables for long lunches of daube, tians and grilled fish with Coteaux d'Aix rosé, and calissons from the old confiseries are worth taking home.

Annecy's Savoyard table of tartiflette, raclette and fondue is hearty and good in cold weather, but it can feel heavy in July, and the canal-side terraces vary a lot. Lake fish such as féra and the gastronomic tables at Talloires and Veyrier are where the town does best.

Aix has far more to see. The plane-shaded Cours Mirabeau, the 17th- and 18th-century hotels particuliers of the Mazarin quarter and the layered Cathedrale Saint-Sauveur reward slow walking. Cezanne's studio, the Jas de Bouffan and the Bibemus quarries add an artist's trail you will not find elsewhere.

Annecy's heritage is pretty but compact: the canals of the old town, the island Palais de l'Isle and the château museum above it. An unhurried day covers it, while Aix fills two or three.

Neither is a party town, but Aix has more going on after dark. Its large student population keeps the bars around Place des Cardeurs busy on warm nights, and there are a few wine bars and small clubs, though term breaks quieten things. For a real night out, Marseille is close.

Annecy's evenings are a drink by the canals or the lake, and outside summer the town is quiet by midnight. Going out properly means the longer trip to Geneva or Lyon.

Annecy is the stronger outdoor base because the mountains start at the edge of town. Hikes up Mont Baron or the Tournette, paragliding from the Col de la Forclaz, a flat cycle path along the western shore and a lake made for sailing and paddling fill summer. In winter the Aravis ski resorts are under an hour away.

Aix has fine scenery too, from Cezanne's Sainte-Victoire to the white cliffs of the Calanques and the Verdon gorge. It is at its best in spring and autumn, though, since midsummer heat closes the massifs on high fire-risk days, and most of it needs a car.

Aix is one of the great touring bases in France. Marseille is half an hour away, the TGV reaches Avignon's Palais des Papes in about twenty minutes, and Arles, Nimes and the Pont du Gard give a run of Roman sites. With a car, the Luberon villages of Gordes and Roussillon and the Alpilles are close.

Annecy's outings lean towards lakes and mountains: Geneva and Chamonix under Mont Blanc, Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains by train, and Yvoire on Lake Geneva. Lyon is a long day at about two hours, so the choice is narrower than from Aix.

Annecy is the more natural fit for children, especially in summer. The lake beaches, pedal boats, cruises, the flat shore cycle path and the lawns of Le Pâquier give easy days in town, and the mountains add toboggan runs and treetop courses. It loses much of that once the lake turns cold.

Aix is safe and pedestrian, and the fountains and ice cream help, but its sights are mansions and museums and summer afternoons are very hot. Families tend to base themselves at a pool and drive to the La Barben zoo or the coast.

On foot the two are much alike, with compact centres where everything is a short walk. The difference shows further out. In Aix the TGV station sits on a plateau outside town, and the Provencal villages are poorly served, so a car is almost essential for the countryside.

Annecy does a little more without one, with the shore bike path, summer lake boats and buses to the lake villages and ski resorts. Trailheads and Chamonix are still easier by car, and summer traffic round the lake is heavy.

Aix is the better place to browse. The lanes around Rue d'Italie and Rue Fabrot hold French fashion boutiques, delis and homeware shops, the Allées Provençales add chains, and the markets bring textiles, flowers and bric-a-brac. Santons, olive wood, Marseille soap and printed fabrics make good things to take home.

Annecy's shopping is mostly edible: Savoyard cheeses, sausages, génépi and honey from the market, plus cutlery and outdoor gear around Rue Sainte-Claire. Serious shoppers go on to Geneva.

Both are expensive for their size, so the question is where the money goes. In Aix it goes on scarce old-town hotels, especially in festival July, terraces on the Cours Mirabeau and a hire car for Provence. Market picnics and back-street lunch menus soften it.

Annecy's prices stay high all year because Geneva is so close, and summer brings resort rates by the lake. Its saving grace is that the lake beaches, parks, cycle path and trails cost nothing, and self-catering in the shoulder seasons helps a lot.

Aix is clearly the stronger stage. In July the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence puts on major opera in the courtyard of the Archbishop's Palace, and the rest of the year Ballet Preljocaj at the Pavillon Noir, the Grand Théâtre de Provence and the old Jeu de Paume keep a real programme going.

Annecy relies on Bonlieu, its national stage by the lake, for theatre, dance and circus, plus a summer classical festival and the August fireworks of the Fête du Lac. For opera or a major orchestra, people go to Geneva or Lyon.

The two are about even, and both relax you mostly through their pace. Aix has an actual thermal tradition in town: the Romans founded it for its warm springs, the Fontaine d'Eau Chaude still runs warm, and the Thermes Sextius spa stands on the old baths.

Annecy offers quiet hotel spas on the lake around Talloires and Veyrier, and for thermal bathing you take a short trip to Aix-les-Bains or Saint-Gervais. Aix is calm outside festival July, while Annecy gets crowded through July and August.