Chamonix or Lugano?

Neither town has a beach, but Lugano gives you real lake swimming, with lidos, pools and wooden decks along the shore and boat trips to small village baths. It works well for a hot summer afternoon in the middle of a city stay.

In Chamonix, swimming means the town pool or a drive down to Lac de Passy, and the trip to Lake Annecy takes over an hour. Unless you plan the outing, you probably won't swim.

Both have a strong regional cooking tradition and little range beyond it, but the traditions are very different. Chamonix serves Savoyard cheese dishes such as fondue, raclette and tartiflette, often on terraces at mountain refuges, along with resort bistros whose menus look much alike.

Lugano's food is Ticino's Italian-leaning cooking: polenta, risotto and braised meats served in grotti under chestnut trees, with local Merlot to drink. The Lugano meal is a long, slow lunch, while the Chamonix one is a big plate after a hard day outdoors.

Lugano has more to see, although a day covers it. The Lombard-style arcaded old town, San Lorenzo cathedral, the Luini Passion fresco and the city art collection split between LAC and Palazzo Reali make a satisfying day of sightseeing.

Chamonix's heritage is the story of alpinism, told at the Musée Alpin and in the statues of the first Mont Blanc climbers. It is interesting if you care about mountains, and you can see it all in a morning.

Chamonix has the better nights out. In winter, après-ski bars fill from the late afternoon, and a narrow old-town lane of pubs keeps guides, seasonal workers and visitors out late, with a couple of small clubs after that. It is loud, young and largely English-speaking, and it gets much quieter in summer.

Lugano's evenings are smarter and calmer: an aperitivo under the arcades or by the lake, then a long dinner, and the town is mostly asleep before midnight. Locals who want a real night out go to Milan.

Chamonix is the stronger choice for anyone who wants real mountains. Mont Blanc rises almost 4km above the valley floor, and cable cars carry you straight up to glaciers and granite needles, with the Aiguille du Midi at 3,842m and the rack railway climbing to the Mer de Glace. Winter brings steep skiing and the Vallée Blanche descent, and summer brings climbing, via ferrata and trails to Lac Blanc and along the Grand Balcon.

Lugano's landscape is gentler and greener. A lake winds between wooded slopes, funiculars run up Monte Brè and San Salvatore, and a lakeside path leads to Gandria. The ridge from Monte Lema to Monte Tamaro and the Verzasca valley make good days out for keen walkers, and kayaks and paddleboards are easy to hire on the lake. There is no ice or high-mountain terrain close by, though.

Lugano is the better base for day trips. Milan, Como, the castles of Bellinzona, Lake Maggiore and Bergamo are all easy to reach by train or boat, without a car, and they range from Renaissance art to lakeside villages like Morcote.

From Chamonix, the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Courmayeur and Aosta, the train to Martigny and the drives to Annecy and Geneva make good outings. Once you have done those, you are mostly left with other ski resorts at the end of slow mountain roads.

Both are safe, manageable places for children, and both work best for families who like being outdoors. In Chamonix the fun is active: ski schools, sledging, the summer luge, treetop courses and marmots at the Merlet park. The very high cable cars are not for small children, though.

Lugano's family days are gentler and built around the water: lidos with slides, boat trips, funicular rides and the miniature Switzerland park at Melide. Its steep streets are hard work with a pushchair, and neither town has much to offer on a rainy day.

Lugano is a little easier, mainly because the Swiss rail network starts at the station, which a short funicular links to the old town, and lake boats and mountain railways fill the gaps. The slope is the only real nuisance.

Chamonix's centre is flat and compact, and the guest card gets you free buses and trains along the valley. In winter, though, the ski areas are spread out, so expect crowded ski buses and thin evening services.

Lugano has more general shopping, with watchmakers, jewellers and Italian fashion under the porticoes of Via Nassa and a big designer outlet near Mendrisio. It still sends serious shoppers on to Milan.

Chamonix is a specialist: its pedestrian streets are lined with long-established climbing, ski and outdoor shops that are worth saving a gear budget for. Beyond those, it sells cheese, génépi and souvenirs.

Both are expensive, but Chamonix gives you more ways to save. Apartments and supermarkets make self-catering easy, many trails start without a lift, the valley transport is free, and the shoulder seasons cost noticeably less.

Lugano charges Swiss prices for nearly everything, from lakeside hotels to boat trips, and there is no real budget way to stay there. Grotti and set lunches help, and some visitors eat across the border in Italy.

Lugano has a real cultural season. LAC's concert hall is home to the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, and its theatre stages drama and dance, while Estival Jazz fills Piazza della Riforma with free concerts in summer.

Chamonix has a summer jazz festival with some sets played high in the mountains, plus occasional church concerts and mountain film evenings. It has no season to plan a trip around.

Chamonix has the stronger bathing culture. Its large thermal-style day spa has hot outdoor pools facing the glaciers, and the old springs of Saint-Gervais are just down the valley. The town itself is busy, with early starts and climbers in the streets.

Lugano has no thermal tradition, and its spas are mostly in hotels. What it does offer is a slower pace: lazy afternoons at a lido, benches in Parco Ciani and grotto lunches that last for hours.