Bordeaux or Chamonix?

Neither city is a beach destination, but from Bordeaux the sea is within reach. The Atlantic is about an hour away, with long surf beaches at Lacanau and the calmer, warmer water of the Arcachon basin a train ride away, so a coast day works well in July and August.

Chamonix can only offer lakes and a pool. Lac de Passy, lower down the valley, is swimmable in high summer, Lake Annecy is a little over an hour's drive, and the town pool has an outdoor basin. A swim there is an afternoon off, not a reason to come.

Bordeaux is one of France's great places to eat and drink. Wine leads, with Médoc, Graves, Saint-Émilion and Sauternes on every list. Beside it come entrecôte grilled over vine cuttings, lamprey, Landes duck, raw Arcachon oysters at the Marché des Capucins and canelés in every bakery. Brasseries and serious bistros fill Saint-Pierre, Chartrons and Saint-Michel.

Chamonix eats like a mountain resort. Fondue, raclette and tartiflette made with local Alpine cheeses taste right after a day outside, and terrace lunches facing the glaciers are a real pleasure. Beyond that, menus look much alike and many kitchens close between seasons.

Bordeaux is the place for sightseeing. The whole 18th-century riverside centre is the attraction: the Place de la Bourse and its Miroir d'eau, the colonnaded Grand Théâtre, the cathedral and the Saint-Michel bell tower. Add the Musée d'Aquitaine, the Beaux-Arts and the CAPC, and that is three or four days of walking and looking.

Chamonix's culture is the story of alpinism. The Musée Alpin, the old guides' quarter, the climbers' cemetery and the statues of the first Mont Blanc ascensionists take half a day. After that, the mountains are the sight.

Bordeaux gives you more choice after dark. A typical evening is a long dinner followed by wine bars and terraces in Saint-Pierre. Place de la Victoire is the cheap student end of town, Chartrons suits an older crowd, and the Quai de Paludate warehouses keep the clubs going until morning, especially at weekends in term time.

Chamonix's scene is louder than you might expect but much smaller. Après-ski starts at the foot of the slopes and moves to a single lane of pubs, with a couple of clubs on busy winter nights. It is young and largely English-speaking, quieter in summer and partly shut between seasons.

Here Chamonix is far ahead. The Mont Blanc massif rises almost 4km above the town. The Aiguille du Midi cable car and the Mer de Glace railway take anyone into high-mountain terrain, and Lac Blanc, the Grand Balcon trails and the Tour du Mont Blanc start from the valley. Winter brings steep skiing and the Vallée Blanche.

Bordeaux's countryside is flat and gentle: vineyards, river meadows and the Landes pine forest. Its highlights are about an hour away on the coast, where you can climb the Dune du Pilat, kayak or birdwatch on the Arcachon basin, or surf at Lacanau. Cycling the greenways is the easiest pleasure, and there is no hiking terrain nearby.

Bordeaux is the better base for excursions. Saint-Émilion is about forty minutes away by train, the châteaux of Margaux and Pauillac and the Sauternes villages are within an hour, and Arcachon, Blaye and Cognac add variety. For estate tastings you will want a car or a tour.

Chamonix's day trips are about crossing borders. Courmayeur and the Roman town of Aosta lie through the Mont Blanc Tunnel, the Mont Blanc Express climbs to Martigny in Switzerland, and Annecy and Geneva are a little over an hour by car. Once you have seen those, most places within reach are other resorts.

Both work for families, but in different ways. Bordeaux is a flat, largely car-free city where pushchairs roll easily. Children splash in the Miroir d'eau and visit the carousel and puppet theatre in the Jardin Public, and the best days out are climbing the Dune du Pilat and paddling at Arcachon. Older children may find a city built around wine and long meals slow.

Chamonix suits outdoorsy families. In winter there are ski schools and sledging. In summer children get the Merlet animal park, the red train to the Mer de Glace, the luge and easy trails to lakes. The highest cable cars are unsuitable for toddlers, though, and on wet days there is little to fall back on.

Both are easy without a car, and Bordeaux has a slight edge. Its flat, partly pedestrianised centre runs along the left bank from Chartrons to Saint-Michel, trams fill the gaps, and bike lanes are everywhere. Only the Médoc and Sauternes estates call for a car or a tour.

Chamonix's compact centre is walkable, with the main lift stations in town. Free buses and the valley train run with the guest card, but in winter the ski buses are packed and evening services thin out.

Bordeaux has a wider range of shops. Rue Sainte-Catherine holds the chains and a department store, the Triangle d'Or has the luxury labels, and Rue Notre-Dame in Chartrons has antiques and independent boutiques. The cellars, which sell everything from everyday bottles to rare vintages and will ship them home, are the real draw.

Chamonix is about one thing: mountain gear. Its long-established climbing and ski shops are worth saving a big purchase for. Beyond them you will find Savoyard cheeses, génépi, crystals and souvenirs, and for fashion you have to go to Geneva or Annecy.

Neither is a budget destination, but Bordeaux is noticeably easier on the wallet. Set lunch menus, cheap trams and a centre that costs nothing to walk keep daily spending sensible. Tastings, wine tours and good bottles are where the money goes.

Chamonix is expensive across the board, from rooms in the peak weeks to lift passes, cable cars, guides and resort restaurant prices. Self-catering, picnics, free valley transport and trails that start without a lift help, as does avoiding the peak seasons.

For an evening at a performance, Bordeaux is the obvious choice. The 1780 Grand Théâtre hosts opera and ballet through the season, the national orchestra plays nearby, and a right-bank hall puts on jazz and world music. It goes quiet in high summer.

Chamonix has no theatre or concert season. Summer brings outdoor concerts and a long-running jazz festival with some sets played high in the mountains, and the rest of the year offers occasional church concerts and mountain film nights.

Chamonix does relaxation better, as a reward after effort. Its large thermal-style day spa has hot outdoor pools and saunas facing the glaciers, many chalets have their own saunas, and the springs at Saint-Gervais-les-Bains are about 25 minutes away. The town itself is busy and starts early, so the hamlets up the valley are calmer.

Bordeaux has no bathing culture. Its local speciality is vinotherapy at a few vineyard spa hotels outside the city, and otherwise relaxing means long lunches and evening strolls along the quays. Dax, the nearest thermal town, is about an hour and a half away.