Cannes or Turin?

Cannes is a true beach town. A curve of fine sand runs along the Croisette, the wide Plage du Midi is mostly free, and a short boat ride to the Lérins islands brings clearer water under the pines. The red-rock coves of the Esterel are about twenty minutes away.

Turin lies inland on the Po plain. The nearest sea is the Ligurian coast around Savona, and in summer locals in town make do with lakes such as Avigliana. If swimming matters, treat it as a separate stay on the coast.

Turin eats much better. Piedmont has a cuisine of its own, from agnolotti del plin and vitello tonnato to white truffles from the Langhe in autumn, served with Barolo and Barbaresco. The city also gave the world vermouth, gianduiotti and bicerin, and the aperitivo ritual is taken seriously here.

Cannes has good Provençal produce at the Forville market, and bouillabaisse, socca and rosé in Le Suquet. Away from the hotel dining rooms, though, the range is narrow, and much of the seafront serves expensive food made for passing crowds.

There is little contest here. Cannes offers a morning's worth: the castle museum and church on Le Suquet, the Belle Époque palace hotels and the red-carpet steps of the Palais des Festivals.

Turin was the first capital of united Italy and looks it. It has the Museo Egizio, the Royal Palace and armoury, Palazzo Madama, a ring of UNESCO-listed Savoy residences and contemporary art at Rivoli. For film lovers drawn by Cannes's name, the National Cinema Museum inside the Mole tells the story far better than a walk past the Palais.

Turin has the steadier night out. Evenings start with aperitivo and drift on to the wine bars of the Quadrilatero Romano, the crowded pavements of San Salvario, Vanchiglia's more alternative bars and, in summer, the Murazzi on the Po. The mood is sociable rather than wild.

Cannes depends heavily on the calendar. From June to September its beach clubs and late venues offer champagne and dressing up, and many of the famous parties are private. Out of season the town goes to bed early.

Turin has the Alps on its doorstep. Gran Paradiso's ibex and high trails, the Susa valley and the slopes around Sestriere are about an hour or so away, and there is skiing in winter and hut-to-hut hiking in summer. Nearer at hand there are the Superga hills and the walled Mandria forest.

Cannes has the better coast. There is red volcanic rock in the Esterel, pine paths on Sainte-Marguerite, the shore path around Cap d'Antibes, and sailing and diving around the islands. Its real mountains are around two hours inland, and in high summer fire risk can close the forest trails.

Both make excellent bases, but for different kinds of day out. From Cannes the coastal train strings together Antibes and its Picasso museum, Nice, Villefranche, Monaco and Menton, and buses climb to Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Èze and Grasse.

From Turin the days out are wine country and other cities. There are the Langhe villages of Barolo and La Morra, Alba for truffles and Bra for Slow Food, Milan by fast train and the Sacra di San Michele on its rock. Choose Cannes for seaside towns and art, and Turin for vineyards and history.

Age decides this one. Cannes suits small children, with gently sloping sand, calm water and a flat promenade with carousels. Little in the town is made for them, though, and the midsummer heat means long lunches indoors.

Turin has more to keep older children interested: the glass lift up through the Mole, the mummies of the Museo Egizio, the car museum and the planetarium on the hill. Its arcades shade pushchairs from sun and rain. The big day out is the zoo park at Cumiana, which is best reached by car.

Cannes is the smaller of the two to cover on foot. The Croisette, the old port, the Forville market and the station are all within about twenty minutes' walk, and only the climb up Le Suquet slows you down. Turin's centre is larger, a flat grid of arcades running from Porta Nuova to the Po. It has one driverless metro line and trams that take some working out.

A car is only useful for trips out of town. Near Cannes that means the perched villages and the Esterel corniche, where summer traffic and parking are hard work. From Turin it means the wine hills and the mountains, and fast trains cover the rest of Italy.

The two are about even, but they sell different things. Cannes packs the great Paris fashion and jewellery houses onto the Croisette, with mid-range fashion on Rue d'Antibes and Provençal soaps and olive oil on Rue Meynadier.

Turin's designer list is short despite the labels under the arcades of Via Roma. Its strengths are food and old things: chocolate makers, truffle delicatessens, antique dealers on Via Maria Vittoria and the Balon flea market.

Cannes costs far more. Seafront restaurants, cocktails and loungers on the private beaches are priced for a wealthy crowd, and hotel rates rise much higher during the film festival and the big trade fairs. In spring and autumn, outside event weeks, prices come down closer to ordinary French levels, and the regional trains along the coast are cheap.

Turin is comfortable rather than cheap, but it is much easier to plan for. Trade fairs raise hotel prices there too, though from a fairer starting point. Neighbourhood trattorie, bakeries and the Porta Palazzo market keep everyday meals good value. The costs that add up are fine dining, museum entry and white truffles in season.

Turin has a real year-round programme. The Teatro Regio stages full opera and ballet seasons, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra has its own hall, and concerts fill Renzo Piano's Lingotto auditorium. The theatre is in Italian, so music is the easier way in.

Cannes's famous festival is for the film industry, and the public mostly sees it through free screenings on the beach. Beyond that there are the Palais shows, a dance festival and summer concerts in the Le Suquet castle courtyard, with the Juan-les-Pins jazz festival nearby.

Neither has a bathing tradition, so rest comes from the pace more than the facilities. Cannes adds sea air, with palace hotel spas and thalassotherapy centres, and its calm spring and autumn seafront. Avoid August and festival weeks.

Turin relaxes in a different way, through long coffees in historic cafés and walks under the arcades and in Valentino park. Real thermal water means a trip of about two hours to Acqui Terme or the Aosta valley.