Biarritz or Strasbourg?

Biarritz was built for the beach. The Grande Plage sits below the casino, the Côte des Basques runs under the cliffs and Anglet's sands stretch on for kilometres. Expect open-ocean swimming with big waves and strong currents, so you need to stay between the flags.

Strasbourg is a long way from any coast. On a hot afternoon, locals take the tram to the Baggersee or head for the other lifeguarded gravel lakes, which have grassy banks and calm, fresh water. They are pleasant for a swim but not a reason to come.

Both cities have a strong regional cuisine, but they suit different appetites. Biarritz eats Basque and leans towards the sea: grilled fish and chipirons, Bayonne ham, Espelette pepper and pintxos with Txakoli at the bars around Les Halles.

Strasbourg's Alsatian cooking is heavier and more German: choucroute, baeckeoffe and tarte flambée in wood-panelled winstubs, with a pichet of Riesling and a stronger fine-dining tier nearby. It is better on a cold evening, while Biarritz's food suits a summer terrace. Neither offers much beyond its own tradition.

Strasbourg is far ahead here. The pink sandstone cathedral, the timber-framed lanes of the Grande Ile, the locks and covered bridges of Petite France and the imperial Neustadt make a UNESCO-listed whole. The Palais Rohan, the Oeuvre Notre-Dame and the modern art museum by the river give you real depth indoors.

Biarritz's heritage is the resort itself: Napoleon III's former villa, the Art Deco casino, the Russian Orthodox church and the footbridge out to the Rocher de la Vierge. Its museums lean towards the sea, with the aquarium and the Cité de l'Océan. For old towns you would go out to Bayonne or San Sebastián.

Neither is a late-night city, and the difference is mostly one of timing. In summer, Biarritz comes alive with wine and pintxos at the counters near Les Halles, surfers' sundowners above the Côte des Basques and the casino, but out of season the evenings end after dinner.

Strasbourg's large student population keeps the bars of the Krutenau and Place Saint-Étienne going all year, with beer cellars and riverside terraces, though there are few clubs. For a bigger night, Biarritz has a real advantage: San Sebastián's bar streets are a short drive away.

Biarritz has the edge, because the outdoors starts at the shoreline. There are beginner surf breaks, paddleboarding and kayaking on calmer days, the cliff path along the Basque Corniche, and the Pyrenean foothills, with La Rhune and the hills around Sare, within half an hour.

Strasbourg is flat and green, with excellent long cycle routes along the Rhine and storks and beavers in the riverside forests. Its real hiking is in the Vosges and the Black Forest, both about an hour away, and they are much easier to reach by car.

Both are excellent bases with options in two countries, but the scenery differs. From Biarritz, the days out mix coast and mountains: San Sebastián, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Basque villages such as Espelette and Ainhoa, and a full day to Bilbao's Guggenheim.

Strasbourg's trips are about wine and old cities. There is Colmar and its Isenheim Altarpiece, the villages of the Alsace wine route, Haut-Koenigsbourg, and Baden-Baden, Freiburg and Heidelberg across the Rhine. Strasbourg's trains reach more of these places, while the inland Basque Country really needs a car.

Biarritz gives children the sea, while Strasbourg gives them a flat city that is easy to get around. In Biarritz, summer days revolve around surf lessons at the beach schools, with the aquarium's seals and sharks and the Cité de l'Océan for a wet afternoon. The big waves keep the youngest in the sheltered Port Vieux cove, and the steep climb from the seafront is hard work with a pushchair.

Strasbourg's compact, largely car-free centre is easier on small legs. Children can take a boat around the Grande Ile, watch the storks and row on the lake in the Orangerie, or try the hands-on exhibits at Le Vaisseau. The big day out is Europa-Park, about an hour away across the border.

Strasbourg is much easier to get around. The pedestrianised old town is compact, trams run out to the station, the European quarter and across the Rhine to Kehl, and separated bike lanes make cycling the quickest option. You will not need a car until you head for the wine villages.

You can walk around central Biarritz, but it is hilly, with steps between the cliffs and the seafront. Buses and coastal trains link it to Anglet, Bayonne and the Spanish border, and most visitors hire a car for the Basque hinterland.

Strasbourg has more range. Around Place Kléber and the Rue des Grandes Arcades you will find chain stores and a department store, and the lanes near the cathedral have independents and delicatessens. Soufflenheim pottery, Alsace wine and the December Christmas market add regional things to take home.

Biarritz is better for browsing than serious shopping. It has fashion boutiques and surf shops, striped Basque linen, espadrilles, chocolate and Espelette pepper from Les Halles, but no department stores. Its smaller selection does have a resort style that Strasbourg's high street lacks.

Strasbourg is easier on the wallet. Winstub meals and wine by the pichet are fair value, trams and bike hire are cheap, and the cathedral and old town streets cost nothing. Hotels are the main expense, so it pays to avoid the Christmas market and the weeks when Parliament sits.

Biarritz charges resort prices, especially for summer rooms, which book up early. Eating pintxos at the market bars, coming outside July and August or staying in Anglet or Bayonne all cut the cost, but a beach vacation here stays expensive.

Strasbourg has a full arts calendar. There is the Opéra national du Rhin on Place Broglie, a philharmonic season, the Théâtre National de Strasbourg and its drama school, the Musica contemporary music festival and a respected jazz festival.

Biarritz's strength is narrower: dance. Its national choreographic centre has a resident ballet company at the Gare du Midi, and an autumn dance festival takes over the town. Beyond that, expect summer seafront events and Basque choirs in the villages. There is no opera and little live music.

Biarritz is ahead for a restful trip, because wellness is part of the town's history. Its seafront thalassotherapy centres offer heated seawater pools, algae wraps and multi-day cures that people plan a whole vacation around, best taken outside the summer crowds.

Strasbourg has the tiled pools, hammam and saunas of the Bains municipaux, an old public bathhouse. For a full thermal day, though, you cross to Baden-Baden's Friedrichsbad and Caracalla. Canal-side walks and riverside cycling give the city a calm pace except in December.