Annecy or Dijon?

Neither town is on the coast, but Annecy has a real substitute. Lake Annecy is clear, and by July it is warm enough for proper swimming. The town has lawn-and-shingle beaches at Albigny and Marquisats, and there are more in the shore villages. The season runs only from late June to early September.

Dijon has only Lac Kir, a reservoir on the western edge of town with a bathing area supervised in summer. It is fine for a hot afternoon but not a reason to go.

Dijon is the better place to eat. It has Burgundian classics such as boeuf bourguignon and jambon persillé, along with mustard, cassis and pain d'épices. The iron market hall of Les Halles is surrounded by bistros, and wine bars pour village Burgundies by the glass. Food and wine can easily be the main reason for the trip.

Annecy's Savoyard cooking of fondue, tartiflette and lake fish is good on a cold evening, and its market mornings are a pleasure. The canal-side terraces are uneven, though, and the best cooking is out in Talloires and Veyrier. In high summer the cheese can feel heavy.

Dijon has far more to see. The Palace of the Dukes houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts and the carved ducal tombs. Then there are the gargoyles and lucky owl of Notre-Dame, the crypt of Saint-Bénigne and Sluter's Well of Moses at Champmol, enough for two or three days.

In Annecy the main sight is the old town itself: canals, arcades, the island Palais de l'Isle and the château museum above. It is lovely to look at, but an unhurried day covers it.

Neither town is a destination for a big night out, but Dijon's large university gives it a little more to do. There are small bars along Rue Berbisey and terraces around Place Émile Zola. Annecy's evenings are a drink by the canal or the lake, lively in summer and quiet by midnight the rest of the year. In both, serious clubbing means a trip to a bigger city.

This is where Annecy is far ahead. Mountains rise straight from the lake, with trails up Mont Veyrier, longer days on the Tournette and paragliding from above Talloires. You can paddleboard and sail on the water, and in winter the Aravis ski resorts are under an hour away.

Dijon's countryside is gentle. There are wooded combes west of town for walking and climbing, the flat Burgundy Canal towpath, and a cycle route through the vineyards towards Beaune. It is pleasant but has no mountain scenery.

Both towns are good bases, but Dijon has the edge because its outings are close and easy to string together. You can follow the Route des Grands Crus, take the train to Beaune in twenty minutes, or visit Fontenay Abbey, Semur-en-Auxois and Vézelay, enough for a week of different days.

Annecy's outings are more varied in kind. Geneva is under an hour away, Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains are on the railway, and you can visit Chamonix under Mont Blanc or Yvoire on Lake Geneva. The mountain outings are much easier with a car.

Annecy is better with children, mostly because of summer on the lake. There are beaches, pedal boats, cruises and the flat shore cycle path, plus toboggan runs and treetop courses in the hills. Neither town has a zoo or theme park.

Dijon is safe and easy, with a planetarium at the Jardin de l'Arquebuse and play areas in the Parc de la Colombière. But wine tastings and fine-art museums leave children with less to do.

Dijon is the easier of the two without a car. It has a compact pedestrian centre and two tram lines, regional trains run along the wine route, and the TGV reaches Paris in under two hours. Only the wine villages away from the railway need a car, a bike or a tour.

Annecy is just as walkable in town, and the shore bike path and summer lake boats help. Trailheads, mountain passes and Chamonix are much simpler by car, though, and summer traffic around the lake can be slow.

Shopping in both is modest and mostly about food, so the difference is in what you take home. Annecy has Savoyard cheese, sausages, génépi and honey, plus cutlery and outdoor gear around Rue Sainte-Claire. Dijon has mustard in dozens of flavours, cassis, pain d'épices, Burgundy from its wine merchants and a department store on Rue de la Liberté. Neither is a place for fashion.

Dijon is easier on the wallet. Hotels are moderately priced, bistro set lunches are fair and wine by the glass is cheap. The bill goes up with cellar tastings, wine tours and good bottles.

Annecy charges resort rates in summer, and being close to Geneva keeps it expensive all year. The lake beaches, parks and trails are free, though, and visiting in the shoulder seasons or renting an apartment helps a lot.

Dijon has the fuller programme. The Opéra de Dijon performs in the old Grand Théâtre and the acoustically fine Auditorium, and the city also has a national drama centre and a venue for touring bands, all busiest during the academic year. Annecy relies on Bonlieu, its lakeside stage for theatre, dance and circus, plus a summer classical festival and the Fête du Lac fireworks. For opera, people travel to Geneva or Lyon.

Annecy is the more restful of the two. It has calm hotel spas on the shore at Talloires and Veyrier and slow mornings by the water, and real thermal baths are within reach at Aix-les-Bains and Saint-Gervais. The crowds of July and August break the calm.

Dijon has a few hotel spas, some with grape-based treatments, and a slow provincial pace of long lunches and quiet squares. It has no bathing culture to speak of.