Annecy or Carcassonne?

Neither town has a beach on its doorstep, but Annecy comes closer. Its clear, clean lake is part of daily summer life, with grassy lawns and jetties at Albigny and the Marquisats and small village beaches at Sevrier and Talloires, all within easy reach of town.

Carcassonne's local swimming is at one reservoir, the Lac de la Cavayère, which has sandy shores and lifeguards. Its advantage is that the sea is near: the long, shallow sands of Gruissan and Narbonne-Plage are about an hour's drive away, so a real Mediterranean beach day is possible, which it never is from Annecy.

Both towns serve hearty regional food, and Annecy has a slight edge. Its Savoyard cooking is based on cheese, with tartiflette, fondue and Reblochon, and the lake supplies féra and char. The best meals are at the gastronomic tables in Talloires and Veyrier, outside the touristy old town.

Carcassonne's food is cassoulet and duck, and its strength is the wine: Corbières, Minervois and Limoux blanquette are good value. In both towns, eat away from the main sight, which means the Bastide and Place Carnot in Carcassonne rather than the restaurants inside the Cité walls.

Carcassonne is clearly the stronger choice for sightseeing. La Cité, with its fifty-two towers, Château Comtal and Gothic basilica, is a landmark of European scale, and the Bastide Saint-Louis and the UNESCO-listed Canal du Midi add a second layer of history below the hill.

Annecy's heritage is prettier than it is substantial. The canals, the Palais de l'Isle and the château museum make a lovely day, but they do not draw people across the country the way La Cité does.

Annecy's students keep a handful of pubs, wine bars and cocktail bars open later, there are one or two small clubs, and in summer the lakefront and old town stay lively until late. Outside the warm months, though, the town is quiet by midnight.

Carcassonne's evenings are calmer still. Once the day visitors leave, the floodlit walls of the Cité make a fine walk, and locals gather in the bars around Place Carnot, but there is almost no club scene. For a proper night out, Annecy has Geneva or Lyon within reach and Carcassonne has Toulouse or Montpellier.

Annecy's landscape is the main reason to go there. Mont Veyrier, the Semnoz and the Tournette rise straight from the lake, paragliders launch above Talloires, and the water suits rowing, sailing and paddleboarding. In winter the Aravis ski resorts are less than an hour away.

Carcassonne's countryside is gentler and drier. Its walks run through the forests of the Montagne Noire and over the garrigue of the Corbières, there is rafting in the Aude gorges, and the plane-shaded canal towpath is good for cycling. It is pleasant, but most of it needs a car, and summer heat and wind limit the walking season.

Cathar castles on limestone ridges give Carcassonne a slightly deeper list of days out, though Annecy's outings are more varied in kind. From Annecy, Geneva is under an hour away, Chamonix sits beneath Mont Blanc, and Yvoire and Évian lie on Lake Geneva, so you can have a city day, a mountain day and a lake day in one week.

Carcassonne's outings share one rich theme of medieval history and wine. Peyrepertuse and Quéribus, the four ruined towers of Lastours, the abbey at Lagrasse and Minerve above its gorges are spread through the Corbières and Minervois estates, and Toulouse and Narbonne are quick by train when you want a break from driving.

Annecy is easier with children. The old town is mostly flat enough for pushchairs, Le Pâquier gives them space to run, and pedal boats, lake beaches, toboggan runs and treetop courses keep a summer week busy.

Carcassonne has the more memorable single attraction: a real castle with ramparts, jousting and falconry. Its steep cobbles and midday heat are harder going, though, so it works better as a couple of exciting days combined with the Cavayère lake than as a relaxed base.

Annecy is easier to get around. The old town, lakefront and station are all close together, a bike path runs down the western shore, and in summer boats link the lake villages.

Carcassonne's flat Bastide is easy too, but the Cité is a steady climb away across the Pont Vieux. Trains to Toulouse and Narbonne are good, but the castles and vineyards are hard to reach without a car, which matters more here because those outings are the main reason to stay longer.

Annecy is the better place to shop, though neither town is worth the trip for shopping alone. The lanes around Rue Sainte-Claire have enough small owner-run shops, good knives and kitchen goods, and mountain clothing and kit to fill an afternoon of browsing. On market mornings the arcades turn into a long counter of cheese, sausage and génépi, and anyone after designer labels drives to Geneva.

Carcassonne has much less to browse. Inside the walls most shops sell toy weapons and dressing-up costumes to children visiting the castle, and the main streets of the Bastide cater to local needs rather than to visitors. The purchases worth making come from the surrounding wine country and the Place Carnot market: a few bottles of Corbières or Limoux sparkling wine, and a tin of cassoulet to take home.

Carcassonne is the cheaper of the two. Rooms in the Bastide, local wine and lunchtime set menus all cost what you would expect in a southern provincial town, though hotels inside the Cité walls charge a premium.

Annecy charges resort rates, especially in summer, because wealthy Geneva is next door. Its saving grace is that the lake beaches, cycle path and mountain trails are free. In both towns spring and autumn are noticeably cheaper than July and August.

The two are broadly level and both modest, but their strengths differ. Annecy has Bonlieu, a national stage that runs contemporary theatre, dance and circus through the year, plus summer classical concerts and the Fête du Lac fireworks.

Carcassonne puts almost everything into July, when its festival brings headline acts to the open-air theatre inside the Cité walls, a setting Annecy cannot match. For opera or a major orchestra, Annecy has Geneva or Lyon nearby and Carcassonne has Toulouse.

Annecy is the more restful place. Hotel spas sit by the lake around Talloires and Veyrier, and there is serious thermal bathing within reach at Aix-les-Bains and Saint-Gervais.

Carcassonne's nearest spas are the small, old villages of Rennes-les-Bains and Alet-les-Bains, which are pleasant but modest. Its quiet comes instead from walks along the canal and evenings on the walls. In both towns July and August crowds make calm harder to find.