Brittany or Corsica?

Both have long, varied coastlines, but Corsica's beaches are in a different league for swimming. Its southern bays around Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio have the pale sand and clear turquoise water of the best Mediterranean shores, and the sea is warm enough from June to October.

Brittany has plenty of sand too, from the wide south-coast bays at Carnac and Quiberon to the pink granite coves of Ploumanac'h. It is a traditional bucket-and-spade coast with wind shelters and sailing schools, but the water stays cool even in August and the large tides decide which beach works on a given day.

Brittany eats better overall, built on the sea and the dairy: oysters from Cancale, shellfish platters in the harbour towns, buckwheat galettes with cider and salted butter in everything. Rennes adds a deeper restaurant scene and the great Saturday market at Place des Lices.

Corsica's cooking looks inland rather than to the sea, with cured pork, brocciu, chestnut flour and wild boar, plus serious wine from Patrimonio and Sartène. The catch is that the best of it is found in village inns, while the beach resorts often serve forgettable summer menus.

Brittany has the richer and more concentrated heritage. The rows of menhirs at Carnac are among Europe's great prehistoric sites, and Saint-Malo, Dinan, Vannes, Quimper and Concarneau pack ramparts, half-timbered streets and parish closes into short distances.

Corsica's sights are fewer and further apart: Genoese citadels and watchtowers, Bonifacio on its white cliffs, Corte's upper town and Napoleon's Ajaccio, with Filitosa's carved stones for prehistory. They reward a road trip, but much of the pleasure is the setting rather than the monuments themselves.

Neither is a place to travel for nightlife, though Brittany has a little more to offer. Rennes, a large student city, keeps bars busy late through the year, and a village fest-noz gives a night out Corsica has no equivalent for. Corsica comes alive only in high summer, with open-air clubs in the hills behind Porto-Vecchio and late beach bars at Calvi, and goes quiet early the rest of the time.

Brittany's outdoors is gentle and almost entirely coastal. The GR34 path runs past Cap Fréhel and Pointe du Raz, gannets and puffins nest at Sept-Îles, the Gulf of Morbihan is ideal for sailing and kayaking, and the Atlantic shores have good surf. Inland, though, it is low moorland and canal towpath.

Corsica is wilder and far more dramatic. High mountains rise within sight of the sea, and the GR20 crosses them as one of Europe's hardest treks. The red rocks of Piana, the Scandola sea caves and the Bavella needles stand out, and there is canyoning, diving and sea kayaking on top.

Brittany is far easier for outings. From Saint-Malo you can reach Mont-Saint-Michel, Dinan and Cancale, from Quiberon Belle-Île, and in the west Quimper, Locronan and Pont-Aven make an easy loop, so almost any base has a full week of days out.

In Corsica, slow mountain roads keep each base to its own few outings: the Balagne villages from Calvi, Cap Corse from Bastia, Sartène from the south. Its one distinctive extra is the short ferry crossing from Bonifacio to northern Sardinia.

Children in Brittany spend their days in rock pools at low tide and at sailing schools, and on wet days there are Océanopolis in Brest and the Saint-Malo aquarium. Families base themselves in gîtes and campsites, and the drives between sights are short, so it takes less planning.

Corsica works for families who mainly want calm water, especially the shallow bays around Porto-Vecchio, plus river pools and boat trips. Little is built for children, though, and long, winding drives are hard on young passengers.

Fast trains run from Paris to Rennes, and regional lines carry on to Saint-Malo, Vannes, Quimper and Brest, so the main Breton towns work without a car. You will still want one for the coast and the villages, but the toll-free dual carriageways make that driving easy.

In Corsica a car is all but essential, and its narrow, twisting roads take far longer than the map suggests. The little railway between Ajaccio, Corte, Bastia and Calvi is a scenic ride rather than a proper network, and it does not reach the south.

Brittany is good for regional crafts and treats: Quimper faience, striped sailor tops, salted caramels and Guérande salt in the old towns, with excellent weekly markets and real high-street shopping in Rennes. Corsica's best buys are mostly things to eat and drink, such as charcuterie, cheese and wine, plus hand-forged knives and Balagne crafts. Beyond those there are only a few summer boutiques, so Brittany gives you more to browse.

Brittany is the more affordable of the two, though neither is cheap in high summer. Campsites, gîtes, crêperies and toll-free roads keep a trip reasonable, and the costs mainly climb at seafood platters and in resorts like Dinard.

Corsica is expensive in July and August, when coastal rooms, resort restaurants, car hire and ferry crossings all add up. Inland villages, campsites and June or September travel ease the bill.

Brittany has a far stronger music culture. Bagad pipe bands and fest-noz dances are part of everyday village life, summer brings the Festival Interceltique in Lorient and Les Vieilles Charrues, and Rennes keeps an opera house and national theatre running all year.

Corsica's distinctive offer is polyphonic singing, close-harmony male voices heard in churches in summer, along with jazz in Calvi. Outside those, the island has little live performance.

Brittany is built for a restful stay. Thalassotherapy began in Roscoff, and seawater spas line the seafront at Quiberon, Carnac, Dinard and Bénodet, so a spa-centred trip in spring or autumn is easy to plan.

Corsica relaxes you in a different way, through heat, long lunches and quiet mountain villages. Its formal options are limited to hotel spas and a few simple thermal springs such as Pietrapola.