Como or Saint-Tropez?

Saint-Tropez is the real beach destination here. Pampelonne's 5km of fine sand, lined with beach clubs and public stretches, and the wilder coves at Escalet and Gigaro make a summer stay revolve around the sea.

Como is for swimming, not sunbathing on sand. The lido by Villa Olmo and the pebble jetties at Moltrasio or the Tremezzina are pleasant on a hot afternoon, but the lake water is cooler, the shore is mostly walls and gardens, and the water at the city end is less inviting.

The two eat on a similar level but in very different registers. Como cooks lake and mountain dishes: perch risotto, missoltini and polenta, with an aperitivo ritual on the cathedral squares and the best meals in family places up the lake.

Saint-Tropez is Provençal and polished, with bouillabaisse, aïoli, rosé from the surrounding vineyards, the Place des Lices market and its own tarte tropézienne. Its top end is stronger, but simple, good-value meals are harder to find than in Como's trattorias, and in winter much of it shuts.

Como has more to see and of greater architectural weight: a Gothic-Renaissance marble cathedral, the Lombard Romanesque of San Fedele and Sant'Abbondio, and Terragni's Casa del Fascio, which architects travel to see. Volta's temple and the silk museum add the city's own story.

Saint-Tropez has one notable collection, the pointillist and Fauvist paintings at the Musée de l'Annonciade, plus the citadel's maritime museum and the lanes of La Ponche. Pleasant for a morning, but people come for the setting rather than the heritage.

In summer Saint-Tropez is in a different league. Beach-club parties at Pampelonne run into harbour terraces and a handful of famous clubs open until dawn, all glamorous, dressy and table-service, though it falls silent once October comes.

Como is an early-to-bed town, with a few wine and cocktail bars around Piazza Duomo and a lakefront stroll after dinner. Anyone wanting a big night does what young locals do and takes the train to Milan.

Both have splendid landscapes, but Como's is grander and easier to reach. The 1894 funicular lifts you to Brunate in minutes, with ridge paths to the Volta lighthouse, the Via dei Monti Lariani and views from Monte Bisbino to the Alps, while cyclists climb to the Madonna del Ghisallo.

Saint-Tropez answers with the sea: the coast path past pine-backed coves to Cap Camarat, sailing and snorkelling round the rocky points, the Maures forests inland and the national park of Port-Cros and Porquerolles. Summer heat and fire risk can close trails.

Como is one of the best bases anywhere for outings. Ferries reach Bellagio, Varenna and the gardens of Villa Carlotta and Balbianello, while trains put Milan, Lugano and Bergamo's upper town within easy reach, with Lake Maggiore and the Certosa di Pavia beyond.

Saint-Tropez's outings are charming but smaller: the hilltop villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin, Grimaud's castle, the canals of Port Grimaud by boat, wine tastings and a day on Porquerolles. Nothing is of great historic rank, and the jammed summer roads slow every trip.

Neither is built around children, and they suit families in different ways. Como offers the gentler adventures: boat rides, the funicular, Villa Olmo's gardens and a flat promenade for pushchairs, all in a calm town with easy transport.

Saint-Tropez has the better beaches for small children, with gently shelving sand at Pampelonne and Gigaro, but the adult-focused scene, the costs, hot afternoons and traffic make it harder work. Many families stay across the gulf in Sainte-Maxime and come over by boat.

Como is much easier to get around. Its flat old town and lakefront are walkable, two stations connect it to Milan and a line runs to Lugano, and ferries reach every lakeside village, if slowly. Narrow shore roads clog in summer, but a car is rarely needed.

Saint-Tropez has no railway at all, and its main beaches lie several kilometres out of town. Visitors rely on cars, scooters or taxis, and in July and August the single gulf road jams for hours, which makes the boats from Sainte-Maxime the best way in.

Saint-Tropez is the stronger shopping stop, with the summer boutiques of the big fashion houses behind the port, resort wear and jewellery, hand-stitched Tropézienne sandals and the linen and baskets of the Place des Lices market.

Como's offer is narrower but distinctive: silk scarves, ties and fabric from old-town specialists and mill outlets, with a short run of Italian boutiques on Via Vittorio Emanuele II. For real fashion shopping, people head to Milan.

Como is the easier of the two on the wallet, though it is far from cheap. Rooms in the town centre or back from the water are reasonable, old-town trattorias and places in the hills give fair value, and trains and ferries cost little, so you can sidestep the luxury lakefront and still enjoy the lake.

Saint-Tropez is costly at every turn, from beach loungers and harbour coffees to taxis and parking, as there is little public transport. Budget visitors tend to sleep inland or across the gulf, picnic from the market and use the public beaches.

Como has a proper stage in the Teatro Sociale, a neoclassical opera house with a season of opera, ballet, concerts and theatre, plus summer performances in its open-air Arena and chamber music in churches and villas. La Scala is a short train ride away.

Saint-Tropez offers summer concerts in gardens and on the citadel and live sets at beach clubs, and its most memorable occasion is the musket-firing Bravade procession in May. Outside summer there is almost nothing to attend.

Neither has thermal springs, and in both places spa treatments come from the luxury hotels. Como is the more restful place overall: still water, gardens running down to the shore, slow ferries and villages where evenings end early.

Saint-Tropez can be calm, but only out of season. In May, June and September it slows to long lunches and pétanque under the plane trees, while high summer brings crowds and loud nights.