Andorra la Vella or Toulouse?

Neither city is a beach destination, and the gap between them is small. From Andorra la Vella the Mediterranean is about three hours by road. The mountain lakes are too cold to swim in, so warm water means a hotel pool or the lagoons at Caldea.

Toulouse is a little better placed. The coast at Narbonne and Gruissan is about two hours away, and in summer the supervised lakes at Sesquières and La Ramée give you an outdoor swim without leaving the city.

Andorra la Vella feeds you well after a day on the slopes. The best of it is escudella, trinxat and lamb grilled over wood in the bordas of the side valleys, while the restaurants along the shopping avenues are uneven.

Toulouse is a place to travel for the food. Cassoulet, duck confit and foie gras are its home cooking, the Victor Hugo market is a meal in itself, and Fronton and Gaillac wines come from nearby. The everyday set lunch makes eating well routine rather than a hunt.

Andorra la Vella covers its sights in a day. You see the Casa de la Vall, Sant Esteve and the lanes of the Barri Antic, then take a short ride to Romanesque churches such as Santa Coloma.

Toulouse has far more. Saint-Sernin is one of Europe's great Romanesque churches, the Jacobins vault and the Capitole state rooms are close by, and the Augustins, the Hôtel d'Assézat and Les Abattoirs give you real collections. The aerospace museums add a modern strand that no mountain capital has.

Evenings in Andorra la Vella end early. There are a few pubs and wine bars around the centre and Escaldes-Engordany, and the real après-ski happens up in the resort villages.

Toulouse's huge student population keeps it out late. The terraces of Place Saint-Pierre spill onto the quays, and the wine bars around Carmes and the Daurade suit an older crowd. Be aware that it quietens in July and August.

This is Andorra la Vella's great strength. The town sits at about 1,000m, ringed by peaks near 3,000m. It has lift-linked ski areas a short ride away, the glacial Madriu valley on its doorstep, and refuges, summits and mountain-bike trails from spring to autumn.

Toulouse's own surroundings are gentle: farmland, the Garonne and flat cycling along the Canal du Midi. The Pyrenees, the Montagne Noire and the Aveyron gorges are within reach, but each one is an outing rather than something you step straight into.

From Andorra la Vella the choice is short. You can go to La Seu d'Urgell's cathedral and market, the Cerdanya with Puigcerdà and Llívia, or over the pass to Ax-les-Thermes and Foix.

Toulouse is a far better base. Carcassonne's walled Cité and brick-built Albi are each about an hour by train, and Moissac's cloister and Montauban's arcaded square are close. With a car, Cordes-sur-Ciel and Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges are within reach too.

Both work for children, in different ways. Andorra la Vella suits families who ski or hike. It has ski schools and beginner slopes, summer toboggans and rope courses, and Caldea for rainy days, but the busy shopping street offers little for children otherwise.

Toulouse has a slight edge because it fills days without any sport. The Cité de l'espace, with its Ariane rocket and Mir module, the Concorde at the aircraft museum, the mechanical creatures in Montaudran and a safari park all appeal to children. The flat centre suits pushchairs, though midsummer is hot.

Andorra la Vella's centre is easy to walk, but reaching it means a long drive from airports in Spain or France, with no train in the country. Valley buses help, yet the main road clogs in ski season and side valleys favour a car.

Toulouse is simpler. The flat centre inside the boulevards is walkable, two automated metro lines and trams cover the rest, bikes are easy to rent, and the main station is a short walk from the Capitole.

The two are broadly level, but they sell different things. Andorra la Vella is a long, low-tax strip of perfume, electronics, spirits and especially ski and outdoor gear, which is ideal for stocking up but short on character.

Toulouse offers mainstream chains on Rue d'Alsace-Lorraine, independent boutiques and antiques around Saint-Étienne, and the best edible souvenirs: violet sweets, duck confit, jars of cassoulet and Armagnac from the markets.

Andorra la Vella comes out slightly cheaper. Rooms are good value outside the peak ski weeks and low taxes help with drinks and shopping, though lift passes, equipment hire and Caldea cost as much as in any resort.

Toulouse is reasonable for a French city, with the set lunch, student bars and cheap public transport helping. Dinners out and bottles of wine still add up, and trade fairs push hotel rates higher.

Andorra la Vella has little on most nights. Its music comes mainly in summer, with the jazz festival in Escaldes-Engordany and classical concerts in Ordino.

Toulouse has a year-round programme. The Théâtre du Capitole stages opera and ballet with its own company, the Orchestre National du Capitole plays in the round Halle aux Grains, and the piano festival in the Jacobins cloister and Rio Loco on the riverside fill the summer.

Andorra la Vella has the stronger offer, almost entirely thanks to Caldea. Its spring-fed lagoons, saunas and adults-only section are just along the river, which makes a soak a natural end to a day outdoors, even if the town itself is not restful.

Toulouse's version of relaxing is long lunches, shaded squares and slow rides along the canal. For hot springs you would have to go to Luchon or Ax-les-Thermes, which is best done with an overnight stay.