Antibes or Genoa?

Antibes has the easier beach life. Juan-les-Pins and La Salis are proper sand shelving gently into the sea, which is unusual on this coast, and Cap d'Antibes adds rocky coves such as La Garoupe with very clear water.

Genoa's swimming is urban and rocky: the small pebble cove at Boccadasse, bathing establishments built over the rocks of Corso Italia and the platforms below Nervi. For better beaches, at Camogli, Sestri Levante or sandy Varazze, you take the train. In both places, paid loungers cover much of the shore in summer.

Genoa is the place to eat. Pesto comes from here, and a day can run from focaccia dunked in cappuccino to trofie at lunch and farinata or panissa from an old friggitoria in the caruggi. In the harbour trattorias, the seafood comes with a glass of Vermentino, and the Mercato Orientale shows off what Liguria grows.

Antibes eats pleasantly around its covered market on Cours Masséna, with socca, pissaladière and rosé outdoors, and Cap d'Antibes has a few serious tables. The streets near the port, though, lean on tourist menus, so it pays to choose with care rather than walk in anywhere.

Genoa works on another scale. Its medieval centre is one of Europe's largest, and the Rolli palaces of Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi hold Van Dyck and Rubens in painted halls. Add San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Ducale, the Lanterna and Staglieno cemetery, and several days go quickly.

Antibes has one outstanding sight, the Picasso Museum in the Château Grimaldi on the sea wall. Around it are the ramparts and lanes of the old town, Fort Carré and the Villa Eilenroc. Two days covers it all, which fits a beach stay but will not sustain a culture trip.

Neither is a place for a big night out, and they are quiet in different ways. Antibes is seasonal. In July and August, Juan-les-Pins has beach bars, lounges and a few late clubs, and the lanes by Port Vauban have pubs and wine bars full of yacht crews, but much of it shuts out of season.

Genoa stays open all year, but gently. Students and locals gather for aperitivo around Piazza delle Erbe and in the university lanes, and it is busiest at weekends. Expect wine in a medieval square rather than dancing.

Genoa has the stronger outdoors, because the hills begin right behind the city. A funicular to Righi leads to the trail past the ridge-top fortresses, and the Portofino promontory has cliff paths down to San Fruttuoso. The Cinque Terre trails are a train ride away, and boats leave the harbour to watch whales and dolphins in the Pelagos Sanctuary.

Antibes is more about the sea: the coastal path round Cap d'Antibes, good snorkelling and diving, sailing and paddleboarding. For real hiking you have to reach the red cliffs of the Esterel or the hills above Grasse, because the land around the town is flat and built up.

Both are excellent bases, and the difference is in where the line takes you. From Antibes the French Riviera is close at hand. Nice is twenty minutes away, Cannes, Monaco and Menton are on the same train line, and boats cross to the Lérins Islands. Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Eze and Grasse lie inland, with Biot and Vallauris next door.

Genoa opens up the Italian Riviera, with Portofino, Camogli and the Cinque Terre to the east and walled Finale Ligure Borgo to the west. Milan and Turin are close enough for a big-city day by train. Antibes fits more into short hops, while from Genoa you can go further afield.

Genoa gives children more to do. The Porto Antico has one of Europe's largest aquariums, a science centre, a tropical biosphere and a submarine to walk through, and the funiculars and public lifts are rides in themselves. The steep, dark old town and its many stairs are hard work with a pushchair, though.

Antibes is simpler. Its sandy, shallow beaches suit toddlers far better than Genoa's pebbles, the town is small and safe, and there are boats to watch in Port Vauban. Beyond the beach, little is aimed at children.

Both are walkable at the core, and both rely on the coastal railway for trips out. Antibes is flat and compact, with Juan-les-Pins a half-hour stroll from the old town. Grasse and the Esterel, however, really need a car, and traffic on the coast road is heavy in summer.

Genoa climbs from the water, so walking is steeper, but funiculars, a rack railway, public lifts and a short metro line take much of the climb out of it. Buses are slow in both towns, and in Genoa's centre the car is better left behind.

Genoa has more shopping, though not a great deal more. The arcades of Via XX Settembre, Via Roma and the Galleria Mazzini carry the familiar Italian labels. In the old town, long-established shops sell candied fruit, pesto and olive oil, and workshops make silver filigree and coral.

Antibes is a town of markets and boutiques: Provençal linens, soaps, olive oil, ceramics and deli goods, with no luxury street at all. For fashion, people go to Cannes or Nice, and the glass and pottery are best bought in Biot and Vallauris.

Genoa is clearly the cheaper stay. Focaccia and farinata cost little, trattoria lunches are fair and central hotels are cheaper than in Italy's most visited cities. The smart Riviera resorts and paid loungers do add up in summer.

In July and August, Antibes prices rooms near Juan-les-Pins and on the cape like a luxury resort, and the beach clubs are expensive. Visiting in spring or autumn, using the cheap coastal trains and self-catering from the market all bring the cost down.

Genoa has a programme that runs through the year. The Teatro Carlo Felice on Piazza De Ferrari stages opera, ballet and symphonic concerts, and the Teatro Nazionale puts on drama in Italian. There are also Paganini concerts and small clubs that keep alive the city's singer-songwriter tradition.

Antibes has one big moment: Jazz à Juan each July under the pines at Juan-les-Pins, one of Europe's oldest jazz festivals. The rest of the year, the Anthéa theatre and summer events in the old town are modest, and for opera you go to Nice.

Neither has a tradition of public baths, so wellness in both mostly means hotel spas. Antibes adds a seawater thalassotherapy centre and the grand hotel spas of Cap d'Antibes. It is at its gentlest in May, June and September, with market mornings and walks along the ramparts.

Genoa's centre is lively rather than calm, so for rest you head to Nervi's promenade and villa gardens. Further out, the thermal waters of Acqui Terme are a train ride inland.