French Alps or Provence?

The Alps offer lake swimming, not a beach vacation. You can swim from the grassy shores of Lake Annecy at Sévrier and Talloires, in little Lac d'Aiguebelette and from the pebbly lidos at Évian, but only from late June to early September.

Provence has the real sea, and plenty of variety along it: the sand of Pampelonne, the pale shallows of Porquerolles and Hyères, and the turquoise calanques near Cassis. The season runs from June into early October, though August crowds and the mistral can spoil a day, and bases inland are a long way from the water.

Savoyard food is hearty but narrow: fondue, raclette, tartiflette, Reblochon and Beaufort bought at the farm, and perch from the lakes. Above the melted-cheese menus sits a small group of celebrated kitchens around Annecy, Megève and Courchevel. Provence eats more widely through the day and the year, from Marseille's bouillabaisse and North African quarter to daube, aïoli and winter truffles at Carpentras.

Markets make a difference too. Annecy's old town has a fine one, but Provence has them in dozens of villages, and its wines range from coastal rosé and Bandol reds to Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Neither region offers much beyond its own regional cooking.

Provence is far stronger for sightseeing. Avignon's papal palace, the Roman remains of Arles, Orange and Vaison-la-Romaine, Cézanne's Aix, the MuCEM in Marseille and the Cistercian abbeys of Sénanque and Le Thoronet could fill a trip on their own.

In the Alps, culture adds to a mountain stay rather than drives it. Annecy's canals and the Palais de l'Isle, the ducal château in Chambéry, Grenoble's fine-arts museum and Vauban's walls at Briançon make good half days, not a cultural itinerary.

The two are level overall, but their nightlife happens in different seasons. In the Alps it is winter après-ski: dancing on tables in mountain restaurants and late clubs in Val Thorens, Val d'Isère and Méribel. In summer, evenings there come down to Annecy's terraces and Grenoble's student bars.

Provence is at its liveliest in summer, with the beach clubs of Saint-Tropez, while Marseille keeps a year-round city scene of bars and clubs around Cours Julien and La Plaine. Most Provençal villages, like most Alpine family resorts, are quiet well before midnight.

Both regions are superb outdoors, but the Alps are on another scale. Mont Blanc, the cable car to the Aiguille du Midi, the Tour du Mont Blanc, the ibex of the Vanoise and Écrins and some of the world's largest ski areas give serious mountain time in every season.

Provence is lower and more varied: the Verdon gorges, the coastal paths of the calanques, Mont Ventoux for cyclists, the flamingos of the Camargue and the lavender fields of Valensole. Summer heat and fire closures of its massifs mean it suits walkers best in spring and autumn.

Provence is made for day trips. From Avignon or the Luberon, Gordes, Roussillon, Les Baux, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and the Pont du Gard all lie close by, and the coast adds Cassis and Porquerolles. Nearly all of them need a car.

The Alps do well from the right base. Annecy and the Lake Geneva shore put Geneva, Yvoire and the ferries to Lavaux close at hand, and from Chamonix you can reach Aosta and Martigny. From the deep Tarentaise valleys, though, most of the day goes on the road.

The Alps are better set up for children. They have ski schools with snow gardens and car-free resorts such as Avoriaz and Flaine, where families walk to the slopes. Summer brings marmots, the train to the Mer de Glace and shallow beaches on Lake Annecy, though cold, altitude and transfer days take their toll.

Provence suits families who want a villa with a pool or a campsite by the coast, with sandy shallows at Hyères and canoeing on the Sorgue. July heat, long drives and steep hilltop villages make it harder going with small children.

Both regions are easier with a car, for different reasons. In the Alps, lifts make a resort simple once you arrive. Getting there means transfers from Geneva, Lyon or Grenoble, Saturday queues up the Tarentaise and snow chains in winter.

In Provence, trains link Marseille, Aix, Avignon and Arles well, but buses are too sparse to reach the villages, abbeys and gorges. On the coast in summer, the ferries across the gulf beat the traffic into Saint-Tropez.

Provence has more to browse. There are the antiques dealers of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, printed fabrics, Marseille soap, Moustiers faience and santons at the markets, and a proper mix of town-centre shops in Aix.

The Alps are for specialists. Chamonix sells first-rate mountaineering gear, Courchevel and Megève have luxury boutiques, and there are cheeses, Génépi and Opinel knives to take home. For anything wider you go to Grenoble or Geneva.

Neither region is cheap in season, but a winter week in a big Alpine resort, with lift pass, equipment hire, ski school and chalet, usually costs more than a stay in Provence. To spend less in the Alps, self-cater, go in the quieter January weeks or in summer, or stay in Grenoble or Chambéry.

Provence has its own costly corners in Saint-Tropez and the Luberon villas. Marseille, Arles and the less famous Var villages are more reasonable, though, and market food and local wine keep daily spending down, especially in spring and autumn.

For anyone who travels to see performances, July in Provence is a real draw. The Avignon festival fills the papal palace courtyard and has a huge fringe, Aix and Orange's Roman theatre stage opera, and La Roque-d'Anthéron holds piano recitals. Marseille keeps a year-round programme that is strong on rap and world music.

The Alps have Grenoble's arts centre and chamber orchestra, the chamber music gatherings at Évian and summer concerts in mountain churches. For opera, most visitors go to Lyon or Geneva.

The Alps have the stronger spa tradition. Aix-les-Bains and Évian are grand lakeside spa towns, Saint-Gervais has thermal baths in a gorge below Mont Blanc, and in smaller towns such as Brides-les-Bains the cure is the whole point. In winter, hotel pools and hot tubs look out over the snow.

Provence relaxes you through its pace more than its baths: market mornings, long lunches and a pool among the vines. It also has spas at Aix, Gréoux-les-Bains and Digne, but its coast in high summer is anything but calm.