Annecy or Venice?

Neither is a beach destination, and they offer about as much swimming as each other, but of very different kinds. Annecy swims in its lake, which is clear and green-blue. Bathers lie on grassy lawns with short strips of shingle and jetties at Albigny and in the lakeside villages, and the season runs only from late June to early September.

Venice has real sand. The Lido is a short boat ride away, with kilometres of beach on the open Adriatic, much of it lined with private cabanas. The shallow, warm water suits small children, though it is greenish rather than clear. Wilder Pellestrina lies further along.

Venice eats better and with more variety. The best of it happens standing at a bacaro counter with cicchetti and a spritz, or over cuttlefish risotto and lagoon shellfish fed by the Rialto market. The weak spot is the many mediocre restaurants on the main routes around San Marco.

Annecy's cooking is Savoyard, which means mostly melted cheese such as tartiflette, fondue and raclette, plus féra from the lake. It can feel heavy in summer. Its market mornings and the gastronomic tables in Talloires and Veyrier are the highlights.

This is where the two differ most. Venice is one huge historic monument, with San Marco, the Doge's Palace, Gothic palazzi along the Grand Canal and Venetian painting at the Accademia and San Rocco. Modern art at the Guggenheim and the Biennale adds a whole other layer, and you could spend a week there without running out.

Annecy offers a pretty canal-side old town, the much-photographed Palais de l'Isle and a regional museum in the château. It makes a pleasant day, but it is no reason to travel on its own.

Both are quiet after dark, and neither suits a big night out. Annecy has canal-side terraces, a few late bars kept going by students, and one or two small clubs. In summer the lakefront stays lively, but out of season people head to Geneva or Lyon.

Venice is at its best early, in the crowded aperitivo hour along the Misericordia and around the Rialto, and only Campo Santa Margherita stays busy later. Clubbing there means the mainland or Jesolo.

Annecy is far ahead. Its mountains come right down to the water, with hiking from Mont Baron to the Tournette, paragliding above Talloires, the Bauges park to the south, sailing and paddleboarding on the lake, and the Aravis ski slopes in winter.

In Venice, nature means the lagoon: salt marshes around Torcello where you might see egrets and flamingos, kayaking and Venetian rowing. The nearest real hills are an hour away, and the Dolomites are too far for a comfortable day.

Venice has more within easy reach, and it is easier to get there by train. Padua is half an hour away, and Verona, Vicenza and Treviso are close behind. The lagoon islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello make a day out by boat.

Annecy has strong outings too, including Geneva, Chambéry, Aix-les-Bains and Chamonix under Mont Blanc. Several of them work far better with a hire car, though, and the lake villages are as much a part of the stay as trips away from it.

Annecy is the more relaxed choice with children. The town is small and flat, the lakefront has parks with room to play, and summer adds pedal boats, lake beaches, treetop courses and toboggan runs. What it lacks is a zoo or theme park.

Children love the boats and car-free alleys of Venice, and the Lido is gentle for paddling. Still, the stepped bridges, the heat and the scarcity of playgrounds make it better for a short stay with older children.

Venice is slightly easier to get around, because everything happens on foot or by boat. The car-free centre can be crossed in under an hour, and vaporetti run to the Lido and the islands. The catch is all the stepped bridges and the slow, crowded water buses.

Annecy's centre is just as walkable, and its shoreline is easy by bike or summer lake boat. Once your plans reach the trailheads, the passes or Chamonix, a car makes life much simpler.

Venice offers far more to buy. It has centuries-old crafts such as Murano glass, Burano lace, papier-mâché masks and marbled paper, along with the big fashion names near San Marco. The skill is to find the real workshops among the imported copies.

In Annecy, the best things to take home are Savoyard cheese, génépi and honey from the markets, plus kitchen knives and outdoor gear around Rue Sainte-Claire. Serious shoppers go to Geneva.

Neither is cheap, but Annecy is easier on the wallet. Its rooms and restaurants charge resort prices, yet the lake beaches, parks, cycle path and mountain trails cost nothing.

Venice is among the most expensive places to stay in Italy. Hotel rooms in the historic centre are steep, boats are priced for visitors and many churches and sights charge for entry. Eating cicchetti at the counter and sleeping in Mestre or the quieter sestieri helps.

Annecy's stage is Bonlieu, the lakeside national theatre, with a respectable programme of contemporary theatre, dance and circus, plus a summer classical festival and the Fête du Lac fireworks in August. For opera or a major orchestra, you have to go to Geneva or Lyon.

Opera is what puts Venice ahead. La Fenice, where Verdi and Rossini premiered work, runs full seasons of opera, ballet and symphonic concerts, and the Biennale adds contemporary theatre and dance. On most evenings there are Vivaldi concerts in churches, which vary in quality.

Annecy is the more restful choice, with an easy pace built around mornings by the water and slow lunches in lakeside villages. There are calm hotel spas around Talloires, and the thermal baths of Aix-les-Bains and Saint-Gervais are within reach. The summer crowds are the one drawback.

Venice is restful only in places. It is hushed early and late in Castello, Cannaregio and on Giudecca, but the crowds pack San Marco by day. For thermal pools you need to go to Abano Terme near Padua.