Annecy or Basel?

Neither city has a seaside, but Annecy's swimming is easier and more varied. Lake Annecy is clean and calm, and it warms to the low twenties by July. You can swim from the grassy lawns at Albigny and the Marquisats or from small village beaches around the shore, which suits children and casual swimmers.

Basel's version is a float down the Rhine past the old town, with your clothes in a waterproof bag. It is memorable, but the current is strong and it is meant for confident swimmers. Both seasons run only through high summer.

The two eat about equally well, in different ways. Annecy is all Savoyard comfort food: fondue, raclette and tartiflette made with local cheeses, féra and char from the lake, and Savoie whites to drink with them. Its market mornings are the best food experience in town, while the canal-side terraces can be hit and miss.

Basel has few dishes of its own and borrows from Alsace and Baden, with tarte flambée next to Swiss-German comfort food. There is a small fine-dining tier above that. Its border position means the wine villages are a short ride away for an evening.

Basel has much more to see. The Kunstmuseum's Holbeins and Old Masters, the Fondation Beyeler's modern art and the Museum Tinguely make it a destination for art alone, and the Vitra campus and Herzog & de Meuron buildings add architecture. The Münster above the Rhine and the painted Rathaus give it a fine old town as well.

Annecy's sights are mostly its scenery: canals, arcades, the island Palais de l'Isle and the château museum above it. It is lovely and very photogenic, but an easy day covers it, where Basel needs three or four.

Neither city goes out hard, but Basel offers a bit more. It has bars around the Kaserne and the Rheingasse, a few clubs playing electronic music in old harbour buildings, and summer drinking on the Kleinbasel steps. Its Fasnacht carnival, three days of drums and lanterns starting before dawn, has nothing to match it in Annecy.

Annecy's evenings mean a terrace drink by the canals or wine by the lake. The town is lively in summer but usually quiet by midnight for the rest of the year.

This is Annecy's biggest advantage. You can hike from the edge of town up Mont Veyrier, take on bigger Alpine days on the Parmelan, paraglide from one of Europe's best launch sites, and sail, kayak or paddleboard on the lake, with the Aravis ski slopes and Mont Blanc close by.

Basel's countryside is pleasant rather than dramatic. The Jura, the Black Forest and the Vosges are all within reach for marked trails and cycling along the Rhine, but the high Alps are a couple of hours away.

Basel is the better base for touring. In about an hour by train you can reach Colmar and the Alsace wine villages, Freiburg in Germany, or Lucerne, Bern and Zurich, and Augusta Raurica's Roman ruins are closer still. That is three countries on fast trains, enough for a week without repeats.

Annecy has strong outings too: Geneva, Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains and Chamonix under Mont Blanc. The choice is narrower, though, and several of the best trips are easier by car.

Both are safe, easy places with children, and they appeal in different ways. Annecy's appeal is outdoors in summer: lake beaches, pedal boats, the flat shore cycle path and mountain toboggan runs. It has little that works on a cold day.

Basel has the attractions Annecy lacks: the Zolli, one of Europe's best zoos, a toy museum, the current-powered ferries and Europa-Park within an hour. The Rhine, though, is no place for small children to swim.

Basel is far easier to get around. Green trams cover the city and cross into France and Germany, hotel guests ride them free, and the main station sends direct trains in three directions, so you will not need a car.

Annecy's centre is small and walkable, and bikes and summer lake boats help along the shore. For trailheads, mountain passes or Chamonix, though, most visitors end up hiring a car and dealing with summer traffic around the lake.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Basel has more on offer. Freie Strasse has Swiss watchmakers and chocolatiers, the Spalenberg lanes have design shops, and the Christmas market around the Münster is a draw in its own right. Annecy's best buys are edible: Reblochon, sausages, génépi and honey from the market stalls, plus outdoor gear around Rue Sainte-Claire.

Annecy is expensive, but Basel is in another league. In Basel, a room, a dinner and a museum ticket all cost what they would in Switzerland, and trade fairs push hotel rates higher still. Free trams and cheaper meals over the border help, and some visitors stay in France or Germany to save money.

Annecy charges resort prices in summer, but its main attractions cost nothing. The lake beaches, the shore path and the trails are free, and a self-catering flat in May or September makes a stay noticeably cheaper.

Basel has much more to offer here. Theater Basel stages opera, ballet and drama known well beyond Switzerland, the Stadtcasino is home to two orchestras, and early-music concerts and jazz-school gigs fill out the calendar from autumn to early summer.

Annecy's performing arts centre on Bonlieu, the lakeside national stage, with contemporary theatre, dance and circus. Summer adds a classical festival and the Fête du Lac fireworks over the water. For opera or a major orchestra, people go to Geneva or Lyon.

Both cities are good for winding down, and in both the serious spas are a short trip out. In Annecy the calm comes from the setting: slow lunches in lake villages and hotel spas looking over the water, with thermal baths at Aix-les-Bains or Saint-Gervais. Summer crowds take away some of the peace.

Basel is quiet on Sundays and relaxed by the river. Rheinfelden's saline baths are about twenty minutes away, and the German spa towns of southern Baden are close for a day of saunas and mineral pools.