Cannes or San Marino?

In Cannes the beach is part of daily life. Fine sand and calm water run along the Croisette, and the wider, mostly free Plage du Midi lies west of the old port. For clearer water there are the rocky coves of the Lérins islands and the Esterel.

San Marino is on a mountain. Its beaches are the sandy Romagna shore at Rimini and Riccione, about half an hour away, with neat rows of numbered umbrellas and shallow water. They make a good summer outing, but you visit them rather than wake up beside them.

Cannes eats better, mainly because of the sea and the Forville market. You can buy goat cheese, olives and the morning catch there, then eat grilled fish and socca in the lanes of Le Suquet. There is a fine-dining tier towards Mougins, but much of the waterfront food is overpriced.

San Marino serves honest Romagna cooking: passatelli in broth, piadina and the layered Tre Monti cake, with wine from the republic's own vineyards. The summit terraces are selling the view, though, and the best meals are in family trattorias down in Borgo Maggiore.

You can see either place in a morning or an afternoon, but San Marino is the more memorable sight. It is a medieval town along a cliff edge, with the Guaita and Cesta towers joined by a path along the cliff. The Palazzo Pubblico tells the story of one of the world's oldest surviving republics.

Cannes offers a pleasant walk rather than a destination: the castle museum on Le Suquet, the Belle Époque palace hotels and the red-carpet steps of the Palais des Festivals. For serious art, you take the train along the coast.

Cannes has a real night out, though only in season. From June to September the beach clubs turn into party venues and the lanes behind the old port fill with wine and cocktail bars. It is a dressed-up, champagne crowd, and in winter the town goes to bed early.

San Marino has almost nothing after dark beyond dinner and a glass of wine above the lights of the coast. For dancing you drive down to the clubs of Rimini and Riccione.

The landscapes near Cannes are wilder and more varied. The volcanic red rock of the Esterel drops into the sea about twenty minutes away, there are pine paths on Sainte-Marguerite and a rugged shore around Cap d'Antibes. You can sail, kayak or dive around the islands, and the pre-Alps are within reach.

San Marino's nature is quieter. There are woodland paths around the limestone ridge of Monte Titano, long views to the Adriatic and the Apennines, and gentle cycling in the Marecchia valley. It is fine for a morning walk, but there are no long trails or water sports.

Both towns make good bases, but Cannes is easier to explore from. The coastal train reaches Antibes, Nice, Villefranche, Monaco and Menton one after another, and Grasse, Mougins and the perched villages are a short drive inland.

San Marino has excellent places within reach: the fortress of San Leo on its rock, Renaissance Urbino, the mosaics of Ravenna and the castle at Gradara. Apart from the bus to Rimini, almost all of them need a car.

Cannes is the gentler choice with small children. Its beaches slope gently into calm water, and the long, flat Croisette has carousels and room for scooters. The boat to the pine woods of the Lérins makes an easy outing.

In San Marino, children are more likely to be thrilled by the towers, the battlements and the cable car ride. The steep streets and steps are hard work with a pushchair, though, and the theme parks and waterparks are down on the coast near Rimini.

Cannes is flat and compact, and the station is right in the centre. You can walk between the market, the port and the shops, and regional trains along the coast make a car optional for much of a stay.

In San Marino almost every lane climbs or drops by steps, and the cable car to Borgo Maggiore helps. The only practical public link to the outside world is the bus from Rimini, so a car makes a real difference.

Cannes is a proper shopping town. The big Paris fashion and jewellery houses face the sea on the Croisette, Rue d'Antibes runs behind with mid-range French labels and chocolatiers, and Rue Meynadier sells olive oil and Provençal soaps.

San Marino's shops mostly sell souvenirs, such as ceramics, decorative crossbows and collectors' stamps, along with lower-tax perfume, watches and spirits. A large outlet centre in the valley adds fashion brands.

San Marino is noticeably easier on the wallet. Hotels are moderate outside August, trattorias in the lower villages are fairly priced and the sights cost little, although the summit hotels and view terraces charge more.

Cannes is expensive near the waterfront and much more so during the film festival and the trade fairs. Lunch menus in the backstreets, picnics from the market and the public beaches help, and some visitors save by staying in a neighbouring town and arriving by train.

Cannes has much more to see on stage. Most visitors cannot attend the film festival itself, but the free screenings on the beach are open to everyone. The Palais hosts concerts and touring shows, the regional philharmonic plays through the season, and in summer there are concerts in the castle courtyard. The jazz festival at Juan-les-Pins is just along the coast.

San Marino has a small theatre and occasional concerts. Its highlight is the Medieval Days festival in summer, with costumed musicians and crossbow contests. For opera, people go to Bologna or Pesaro.

Cannes is better for pampering. The palace hotels on the Croisette have polished spas, and there are seawater thalassotherapy centres along the coast. Spring and autumn bring a slow pace of terrace coffees and walks by the bay.

San Marino has only a few hotel spas. Its form of rest is the summit after the coaches leave, with evening walks along the walls and long views over the plain. Thermal spas exist, but they are a separate trip down the mountain.