Annecy or Turin?

Neither city has a sea, but Annecy has the next best thing on its doorstep: a clear, clean lake that warms to the low twenties by July. The town beaches at Albigny and Marquisats are lawns with jetties and a little shingle, and Talloires, Sevrier and other villages add more places to swim around the shore. The season runs only from late June to early September.

Turin has nothing comparable. Locals cool off at small lakes such as Avigliana or go further to Lago Maggiore, and the Ligurian coast near Savona is a long day out. If swimming matters to you, stay on the Riviera instead of basing yourself in the city.

Turin is the more rewarding place to eat. Piedmontese cooking runs from vitello tonnato and agnolotti del plin to white truffles from the Langhe in autumn, with Barolo and Barbaresco on the wine list. The city's own traditions of vermouth, aperitivo, gianduja and bicerin give every part of the day something to look forward to, and Porta Palazzo market is good for cheap snacks.

Annecy's table is narrower: Savoyard cheese dishes such as tartiflette and raclette, lake fish like féra, and Savoie whites. The old-town markets are the highlight, the canal-side terraces are uneven, and the best meals are out in lakeside villages such as Talloires. In midsummer all that melted cheese can feel heavy.

The gap here is wide. Turin has all the sights of a former royal capital: the Museo Egizio with its great Egyptian collection, the Royal Palace, Palazzo Madama, and the UNESCO-listed Savoy residences led by the Reggia di Venaria. Add the cinema museum inside the Mole and contemporary art at Rivoli, and there is enough for several full days.

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

Turin keeps going later. After the aperitivo, people drift to the wine bars of the Quadrilatero Romano, the pavement crowds of San Salvario or the more alternative Vanchiglia, and in summer to the Murazzi by the Po. There are clubs too, some in old industrial buildings, though the mood stays sociable rather than wild.

An evening out in Annecy means a drink on a canal-side terrace or by the lake. Summer nights on the lakefront have some life, but out of season the town winds down by midnight, and anyone after a proper night out goes to Geneva or Lyon.

Both cities have the Alps in view, but Annecy sits right among them. Trails start at the edge of town for Mont Veyrier and Mont Baron, the Semnoz and the Tournette make longer days, paragliders launch from the Col de la Forclaz, and the lake is there for paddleboarding, rowing and sailing. The Aravis ski resorts are under an hour away.

From Turin the mountains need a train or a car. The Gran Paradiso, the Susa valley and the Via Lattea slopes are an hour or more out, though they are big country, with ibex and hut-to-hut routes. In town, the Superga hills, the Mandria forest and the cycle paths along the Po are pleasant rather than wild.

Turin has the richer list of days out. The Langhe wine hills, with Alba, Barolo and Bra, are about an hour south, and Milan is an hour away by fast train. The Sacra di San Michele, Aosta and Genoa take you in three quite different directions.

Annecy is well placed too, just with less variety. Geneva is under an hour away, Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains are a short train ride, Chamonix makes a mountain day and Yvoire sits on Lake Geneva. Lyon is possible but long.

For families the two come out about even, but they suit different ages and seasons. Annecy is a summer playground of lake beaches, pedal boats, cruises, the flat cycle path along the shore and toboggan runs in the hills. It has no zoo or aquarium, though, and loses much of its appeal once the lake cools.

Turin works all year and suits older children better, with the glass lift up the Mole, the car museum, the Egyptian mummies and a planetarium. Its arcades shelter pushchairs from both rain and sun. Its big animal day out, the Zoom park at Cumiana, needs a car.

Both centres are easy on foot, and Turin has the slight edge for getting about. Its flat grid and long arcades link the station, the main squares and the river, a metro line and trams cover longer hops, and fast trains reach the rest of Italy. You only need a car for the wine hills and the mountains.

In Annecy the old town, the lakefront and the station are close together, and bikes and the summer lake boats are a pleasure to use. Trailheads, mountain passes and Chamonix, though, are far simpler with a hire car, and summer traffic around the lake can be slow.

Turin offers far more. The arcades of Via Roma carry the big fashion labels and Via Garibaldi has the mainstream shops. There are antique dealers and the Balon flea market, and above all chocolate makers and delicatessens selling truffles and wine, even if the designer choice stays short.

Shopping in Annecy is mostly about things to eat: Savoyard cheese, sausage, génépi and honey on market days. Around Rue Sainte-Claire there are independent boutiques and outdoor gear shops. For anything more, people go to Geneva.

Turin is the easier city on a budget. Central hotels are fairly priced outside the big trade fairs, a generous aperitivo can stand in for dinner, and public transport is inexpensive. Costs only climb with fine dining and the truffle season.

Annecy charges resort rates in summer, and being so close to Geneva keeps it expensive all year. The saving grace is that its main pleasures, the beaches, trails and cycle path, are free, and a self-catering flat outside high season makes a real difference.

Turin has a proper season, with opera and ballet at the Teatro Regio, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra, concerts in the Lingotto auditorium, jazz clubs and long-running music festivals. Plays at the Teatro Carignano are in Italian, so music is the easier way in for visitors.

Annecy's programme centres on Bonlieu by the lake, with contemporary theatre, dance and circus, plus a classical festival in summer and the Fête du Lac fireworks in August. For opera or a major orchestra, you would travel to Geneva or Lyon.

Neither city has a bathing tradition of its own, but Annecy is the more restful stay. Its calm comes from the lake: slow mornings by the water, hotel spas in quiet settings around Talloires and Veyrier, and real thermal baths at Aix-les-Bains a short trip away. The July and August crowds take the edge off it.

Turin's kind of calm belongs to the city: long breaks in its cafés, walks under the arcades and afternoons in Valentino park. Its nearest thermal waters, at Acqui Terme or in the Aosta valley, are close to two hours away.