Annecy or Lugano?

Neither town is on the sea, but Annecy's lake gives the better summer swimming. The water is famously clear, the Albigny and Marquisats lawns slope down to shingle and jetties, and village beaches at Sevrier, Talloires and Doussard spread the bathing all around the shore.

Lugano's bathing is more organised. You swim from lidos with decks, pools and ladders, the main one at the mouth of the Cassarate, rather than from anything like a beach. That works well for a hot afternoon but makes a smaller part of the trip.

The two are broadly level, but the cooking is very different. Annecy serves heavy Savoyard dishes such as tartiflette, fondue and raclette, plus féra and Arctic char from the lake, and its morning markets and the gastronomic tables at Talloires and Veyrier are where it shines.

Lugano eats Italian-style in rustic grotti, with polenta, braised meats and risotto under chestnut trees and Ticino Merlot to drink. The range is narrow in both places, and many Lugano visitors save their big meals for trips over the Italian border.

Each town's sights fill about a day, but they appeal in different ways. In Annecy the old town is the main attraction: canals, pastel houses, the island prison of the Palais de l'Isle and the château museum above it.

Lugano has more actual art to see: Luini's large Passion fresco in Santa Maria degli Angioli, the city collection at LAC and Palazzo Reali, and the Hermann Hesse museum up in Montagnola.

Both towns are quiet at night, and going out properly means a trip to a bigger city. Annecy's evenings are canal-side terraces and a few later pubs kept going by students, with Geneva or Lyon for clubbing. Lugano does lakefront aperitivo and well-dressed lounge bars, and its young people head to Milan.

Both have lakes ringed by mountains, but Annecy's landscape is bigger and more athletic. You can walk from town up Mont Veyrier, take on the Tournette or the Parmelan, paraglide from the Col de la Forclaz, cycle the old railway line along the shore or ride the Alpine passes. Ski resorts and the Mont Blanc massif are close enough for a day.

Lugano's outdoors are gentler and easier to reach. Funiculars lift you up Monte Brè and San Salvatore, the lakeside path to Gandria makes a classic short walk, and the Lema to Tamaro ridge is the big day out. The high Alps are further away, and summer can be too humid for long hikes.

Lugano has the richer choice of outings, because the border puts two countries in reach by train. Milan's cathedral and The Last Supper, Lake Como, the castles of Bellinzona, the Borromean Islands on Lake Maggiore and Bergamo's walled upper town are all easy days out.

Annecy's outings are good but more scattered. Geneva, Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains are close, and so are Yvoire and Évian on Lake Geneva. Chamonix is easiest by car, and Lyon is a long day.

Both are safe, calm lake towns without a zoo or theme park, so the lake and the outdoors keep children busy in either. Annecy is easier with a pushchair because its old town is flat, and it adds pedal boats, the flat shore cycle path and summer toboggan runs. Lugano climbs steeply, but children love its funiculars, the rack railway on Monte Generoso and the park of Swiss landmarks in miniature at Melide.

Lugano is the easier place to be without a car. The station funicular, city buses, lake boats and mountain railways cover nearly everything, and the Swiss rail network makes Bellinzona, Locarno, Como and Milan simple outings.

Annecy's compact centre is flat and easy to walk or cycle, and summer boats link the shore villages. Once you aim for trailheads, mountain passes or Chamonix, though, a hire car makes things much easier, and summer traffic around the lake can be slow.

Lugano has more to offer here. Via Nassa's arcades are lined with Swiss watchmakers, jewellers and Italian fashion houses, and there is a big designer outlet village near Mendrisio.

Annecy is mainly for edible souvenirs such as Reblochon, sausages, génépi and honey from the markets, plus cutlery, kitchenware and outdoor gear around Rue Sainte-Claire. Serious shoppers from either town end up in Geneva or Milan.

Neither is cheap, but Annecy is clearly easier on the wallet. Being close to Geneva and charging resort rates in summer keeps prices high. Even so, the beaches, parks, cycle path and trails cost nothing, and a self-catering flat in spring or autumn brings the cost down a lot.

Lugano charges full Swiss prices for hotels, meals, wine, boats and mountain railways. Grotti, set lunches and the regional transport pass that comes with most hotel stays help a little, but there is no cheap way to stay in the town itself.

Lugano has the stronger music scene. LAC's concert hall is home to the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, and in summer Estival Jazz puts on free open-air concerts in Piazza della Riforma.

Annecy's main venue is Bonlieu, which leans towards contemporary theatre, dance and circus. It also has a summer classical festival and the August fireworks of the Fête du Lac. For opera, Annecy looks to Geneva or Lyon and Lugano to La Scala in Milan.

For thermal water, Annecy has the edge. The old spa town of Aix-les-Bains and the baths at Saint-Gervais under Mont Blanc both make easy outings. Lugano has nothing like that nearby, but it offers milder, brighter winter days and a large indoor pool and sauna complex near Rivera for a wet afternoon.\n\nOtherwise the two are much alike. The spas in both are mostly in hotels, and what really helps you unwind in either is the slow pace of a lake town.