Chamonix or Dijon?

Neither is a place for a beach vacation, and the swimming differs only in setting. Chamonix has the mountain lake at Passy, which faces Mont Blanc and is warm enough in July and August, and Lake Annecy is within a day out.

Dijon's option is Lac Kir on the edge of town, a supervised reservoir beach used by local families on hot afternoons. It is closer to hand but plainer than the Alpine lakes.

Dijon is the stronger place to eat. It sits at the head of Burgundy's wine country and offers boeuf bourguignon, jambon persillé, Époisses and mustard at the source. Les Halles works as the city's kitchen, and its wine bars pour village Burgundies by the glass.

Chamonix eats well within a narrower range. Fondue, raclette and tartiflette are best on a refuge terrace facing the glaciers. Away from the slopes, though, town menus repeat themselves, and many kitchens close between seasons.

This is where Dijon pulls clearly ahead. It was capital of a medieval duchy, and its palace, the Valois tombs, Renaissance mansions, a Romanesque crypt and Sluter's Well of Moses repay several days of looking. The centre is also part of a UNESCO listing.

Chamonix's heritage is the story of alpinism: the 1786 first ascent, the 1924 Winter Olympics, the Musée Alpin and the guides' quarter. It is interesting, but you can see it in half a day, and the real sight is the massif above town.

Both are small scenes, and Chamonix's winter evenings are the louder of the two. Après-ski starts at the foot of the slopes, the bars on the old-town lane fill with guides, seasonal workers and a young English-speaking crowd, and a couple of clubs run late.

Dijon goes out more quietly, at wine bars and pubs on Rue Berbisey and terraces near Place Émile Zola, with student life during term. It is better for a long dinner and a glass of Burgundy than a night of dancing.

Few places anywhere match Chamonix for scenery. The summit of Western Europe rises almost 4km above the valley, with hanging glaciers and granite needles, and lifts put you in high-mountain terrain within minutes. Summer brings climbing, via ferrata and trail running, and winter brings ski touring and glacier descents.

Dijon's countryside is pleasant but gentle. There are walks and rock climbing in the combes west of town, a flat canal towpath and the vineyard cycle route to Beaune, and the Morvan hills are the wildest country within reach.

Dijon makes the better base for excursions. The Grands Crus villages, Vougeot's château and walled Beaune are all close by, and Fontenay Abbey, Semur-en-Auxois, Alésia and Vézelay fill further days. Besançon is about an hour away by train.

From Chamonix, the draw is how close the borders are. You can reach Courmayeur and Roman Aosta through the tunnel, Martigny by the Mont Blanc Express, and Annecy and Geneva by road. After those, mostly other resorts lie within reach, and mountain roads slow every trip.

Chamonix gives children more to do, as long as the family enjoys being outdoors. There are nursery slopes and sledging in winter, and the summer luge, treetop courses, the little red train and the marmots at Merlet in summer. Toddlers should skip the highest cable cars, and rainy days are hard to fill.

Dijon is calm and safe, with a pedestrian centre, a planetarium at the Arquebuse and lawns at the Colombière. Its wine tastings and fine-art museums will hold the adults' interest more than the children's.

Both are easy without a car, in different ways. In Chamonix you use valley buses and the Mont Blanc Express, free with the guest card, and the main lift stations are in town. Winter ski buses can be crowded, though, and evening services thin out.

Dijon has a compact walking centre, two tram lines and trains to Beaune and Paris. A car or bike matters only for wine villages away from the railway.

Dijon has a little more range. Its food shopping is excellent, with mustard, cassis, pain d'épices and Burgundy from the cellars, and Rue de la Liberté adds a department store and independent shops.

Chamonix is specialist rather than broad. Its outdoor and climbing shops, some run by the same families for generations, are worth saving a big gear purchase for. Apart from cheese, génépi and crystals from the massif, though, it is mostly souvenirs.

Dijon is clearly the cheaper stay. It has the prices of a provincial French city, with moderate rooms, good-value bistro lunches and inexpensive wine by the glass. Costs only climb if you add serious restaurants and wine tours.

Chamonix charges famous-resort prices, especially at Christmas, in February and in midsummer. On top of that come lift passes, guides and paragliding. Self-catering, free valley transport and trails from the valley floor soften the bill, and so do the shoulder seasons.

Dijon has a real season. The Opéra de Dijon plays in the nineteenth-century Grand Théâtre and the acoustically admired Auditorium, and there is a national drama centre and a venue for touring bands, mostly during the academic year.

Chamonix has little beyond a summer jazz festival, with some sets played high in the mountains, plus church concerts and mountain film nights. For opera, you would go to Geneva.

Chamonix is the better place to soak tired muscles. Its large day spa has hot outdoor pools facing the glaciers, many chalets have their own saunas, and Saint-Gervais has warm springs in a wooded gorge. Crowds and early starts in high season make the town itself less peaceful.

Dijon offers rest of a different kind: long lunches, quiet squares and slow afternoons among the vines, with only a few hotel spas and grape-based treatments.