Arles or Chamonix?

Neither is a beach destination, but only Arles has the sea within reach. About 40km across the Camargue are the sands of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer and the wide, wild strands of Piémanson and Beauduc. By midsummer the water there is shallow and warm enough for a proper day of swimming.

Chamonix has mountain lakes instead. Lac de Passy has a small sandy strip and a view of Mont Blanc, and Lake Annecy is a drive of over an hour. A swim there is a summer afternoon off, not part of the plan.

Both kitchens grow out of their landscape, but Arles has the broader table. Gardiane bull stew, Camargue rice, tellines and the long Saturday market on the Boulevard des Lices make eating a pleasure in itself, with rosé to follow on the Place du Forum.

Chamonix eats Savoyard food: fondue, raclette and tartiflette, best on a refuge terrace facing the glaciers. Down in town, resort menus repeat one another, and the cheese shops and charcuteries for a picnic are the real highlight.

On culture the two differ more than anywhere else. Arles has a UNESCO-listed Roman core: the arena, the theatre, the cryptoporticus and the Alyscamps. It also has the Romanesque carving of Saint-Trophime, the Roman barge in the Museum of Ancient Arles and Gehry's tower at Luma.

Chamonix's story is mountaineering. The Musée Alpin tells it well, and the guides' quarter and the climbers' cemetery fill it in, but half a day covers everything.

Chamonix is the livelier of the two after dark, at least in winter. Après-ski runs into a lane of busy pubs, and a couple of small clubs stay open late for a young, largely English-speaking crowd. In summer, evenings are mostly terrace drinks after a day in the hills.

Arles winds down after dinner on its squares, with a few bars and little else. The exception is the ferias, when bodegas fill the streets and the town stays up for a few nights.

Arles has real nature on its doorstep: the flamingos, white horses and reed beds of the Camargue, with the Alpilles for hiking. Chamonix is in another league, though. The Aiguille du Midi lifts you to 3,842m, the Mer de Glace is a short train ride away, and the valley offers skiing, mountaineering, climbing and paragliding.

The Camargue is flat and open, best explored on horseback or by bike. Chamonix is steep and demanding, and high up the weather can turn quickly.

Arles sits in the middle of one of the richest stretches of southern France. Avignon and Nîmes are short train rides away, and the Pont du Gard, Les Baux, Saint-Rémy and Aigues-Mortes are easy by car. Few bases offer as many first-rate outings.

Chamonix's outings take you across borders. Courmayeur and the Aosta valley are through the tunnel, Martigny is a ride on the Mont Blanc Express, and Annecy and Geneva are also within reach. Beyond those, the mountain roads mostly lead to other resorts.

Arles has the arena towers to climb, Camargue ponies and flamingos, but no attractions made for children. Cobbles, mosquitoes and summer heat add to the effort, so it suits older children who enjoy history and animals.

Chamonix is better set up for active families. Winter brings nursery slopes and sledging, and summer brings the luge, treetop courses, the Merlet animal park and the little red train to the Mer de Glace. The highest cable cars are not suitable for small children.

Both centres are compact and easy to walk. In Arles, trains to Avignon, Nîmes and Marseille are good, but the Camargue ranches, the villages and the wild beaches need a car or a bike. Most visitors staying a while hire a car.

Chamonix is easier beyond the centre. Valley buses and the Mont Blanc Express run from Les Houches to Vallorcine, free with the guest card, so a car is optional, though winter ski buses get packed.

Neither is a shopping destination, and for fashion both send you elsewhere: Arles to Aix or Marseille, Chamonix to Geneva or Annecy. What you take home is completely different.

Arles is for Provençal cottons, santons, Camargue salt, olive oil, and photography books from its good bookshops. Chamonix is the place for technical climbing and ski gear from long-established specialists, along with Savoyard cheese and génépi.

Arles is far kinder on the wallet. It is priced like any French provincial town and is cheaper than the smart Luberon villages, with car hire as the main extra cost. Chamonix charges the rates of a famous resort for rooms, and lift passes, the big cable cars and guides add up quickly.

In Chamonix, self-catering, the free valley buses and trails that start from the valley floor all help. Both towns cost more in July, and Arles also during its ferias and the photography festival.

Arles has the stronger summer programme. There are concerts in the Roman theatre and the arena, the Les Suds world music festival in July, and brass bands and the course camarguaise around the ferias. Out of season there is little on.

Chamonix has less still: a jazz festival with some sets played up in the mountains, church concerts and mountain film evenings, and no theatre season. For opera, you would go to Avignon from Arles or to Geneva from Chamonix.

Chamonix has more for unwinding. A large thermal-style day spa has hot outdoor pools facing the glaciers, many chalets have saunas, and the warm springs of Saint-Gervais are down the valley. The town itself is busy and starts its days early.

Arles has no spa culture beyond a few hotel spas. It relaxes you through its pace instead: shaded squares, long lunches, and farmhouses in the Camargue and the Alpilles run as quiet retreats with pools.