Annecy or Saint-Malo?

These two are about level for swimming, but the water is very different. Annecy's lake is clear, warm enough by July for long swims, and the swimming spots are grassy lawns with jetties and a little shingle, in town and in villages such as Talloires.

Saint-Malo has proper sand, including a long beach that starts right below the walls. Its tides double the size of the beaches and fill the sea pool at Bon-Secours. The Channel is cold, though, so most people take a quick dip and spend the rest of the day on the sand.

The two are evenly matched, and both have narrow menus built on regional cooking. In Annecy that means Alpine cheese: fondue, tartiflette and lake fish with Savoie whites. The arcaded market mornings are the highlight.

Saint-Malo cooks from the sea: buckwheat galettes with cider, mussels, and oysters eaten by the harbour wall at Cancale. In both towns the touristy centre is the weakest place to eat. The better tables are in the lake villages around Annecy and in Saint-Servan and towards Cancale.

Neither town has much in the way of serious museums, and in each the old town is the sight. Annecy is about canals and pastel houses around the Palais de l'Isle, with the château museum above, and an unhurried day covers it.

Saint-Malo has a little more to fill a day. You can walk the full circuit of the granite ramparts, cross to Chateaubriand's grave on the Grand Bé at low tide, see the Solidor Tower and visit the shipowners' malouinières in the countryside. Its corsair history is told more in the streets than in exhibitions.

Both towns are equally quiet after dark, so going out mostly means a drink after dinner. Annecy has canal-side terraces and lakeside wine, while Saint-Malo has pubs and Irish-style bars inside the walls, kept busy by sailors in summer. For clubs you would head to Geneva or Lyon from Annecy and to Rennes from Saint-Malo.

This is where Annecy pulls well ahead. Mountains rise straight from the lake, and trails up Mont Veyrier, the Semnoz or the Tournette start almost from town. The Col de la Forclaz is one of Europe's great paragliding launch sites, and the lake suits paddleboards and sailing boats. In winter the Aravis ski slopes are under an hour away.

Saint-Malo's outdoors are on a smaller scale but still distinctive. The GR34 coastal path runs to Pointe du Grouin and the cliffs of Cap Fréhel, the tides are among the largest in Europe, and the Rance suits kayaks and bikes. Inland, though, there are no hills to climb.

Saint-Malo has the stronger list, led by Mont-Saint-Michel about an hour east. Medieval Dinan is half an hour up the Rance, Dinard is a boat ride across the estuary, and Rennes is close by train. In summer you can also take a ferry to Jersey.

Annecy's best outings go in other directions. Geneva is under an hour away, Chamonix sits under Mont Blanc, and Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains are short train rides south. For both towns, a car makes many of these trips much easier.

Both towns are safe and easy with children, and their summers suit different ages. Annecy is built around the lake, with pedal boats, flat lakeside lawns and a shoreline cycle path, plus summer toboggan runs and treetop courses in the hills. It has no attractions built specifically for children.

Saint-Malo appeals to children who like pirate stories. They can build sandcastles, jump into the Bon-Secours sea pool and walk out to the island forts, and the Grand Aquarium is there for wet days. Parents need to keep a close eye on the fast-rising tides and the cold water.

The two are level here, and both are small enough that you rarely need transport within town. In Annecy you get around by bike and boat. The shoreline path makes cycling to the southern villages an easy outing, and summer boats link the villages around the lake. The mountains are another matter, because trailheads and passes are hard to reach without a car. Anyone coming mainly to hike or climb will probably want to hire one.

Saint-Malo connects better with the wider world. Direct high-speed trains reach Paris and Rennes, so a car-free trip is realistic, and the passenger boat to Dinard means that crossing the estuary is part of the fun. The beach, the walls and Saint-Servan are all within walking distance, so a car only matters for outings to places like Mont-Saint-Michel, and in summer it is more trouble than help near the ramparts.

Shopping is limited in both towns and is mostly about food to take home. In Annecy that means Savoyard cheese, sausages, génépi and honey from the markets, plus cutlery shops and outdoor gear around Rue Sainte-Claire. Saint-Malo offers striped sailor tops, salted-butter caramels, cider and faience. For serious shopping you would go to Geneva from Annecy and to Rennes from Saint-Malo.

Both are priced as resorts, but Saint-Malo is a little easier on the budget. A galette and cider or a set lunch keeps meals affordable, and prices fall noticeably in spring and autumn.

Annecy stays expensive all year because wealthy Geneva is so close, and eating out costs what it does in prosperous French resorts. What softens the bill there is that the lake beaches, cycle path and mountain trails are all free.

Annecy has the more dependable programme. Bonlieu, its national stage by the lake, runs contemporary theatre, dance, circus and concerts through the season, and summer adds a classical festival and the Fête du Lac fireworks.

Saint-Malo's town theatre has a modest season, with occasional concerts in the cathedral. Most of its cultural life comes in festival bursts: La Route du Rock for indie music, Étonnants Voyageurs for books and Quai des Bulles for comics. Outside those dates there is little on most nights.

Saint-Malo is the better place for a restorative break, thanks to its thalassotherapy tradition. The seafront centre on the Sillon beach has heated seawater pools and hydrotherapy, and a quiet off-season weekend there combines low-tide walks with afternoons in the water.

Annecy relies on its slow pace and a few hotel spas in calm lakeside spots around Talloires and Veyrier. For proper thermal bathing you have to make the short trip to Aix-les-Bains or Saint-Gervais.