Genoa or Nice?

Nice has the better beach life because the sea is part of the city itself. The pebble shore runs under the Promenade des Anglais from the airport to Castle Hill. Villefranche, Paloma and the sandy beaches of Juan-les-Pins are an easy ride for calmer water or sand.

Genoa offers swimming rather than beach days. You get the little cove at Boccadasse, bathing establishments built on the rocks along Corso Italia and platforms below the cliffs at Nervi. For a full day by the sea, you take the train to Camogli or Sestri Levante.

The two cooking traditions are close relatives, built on chickpeas, olive oil and the sea. Genoa has the slight edge because it is where pesto comes from. Trofie, pansoti in walnut sauce and the friggitorie in the caruggi make everyday eating very local and very good.

In Nice, socca, pissaladière and stuffed vegetables are the counterpart, and the Cours Saleya market gives you a good look at Provençal produce. You need more care to avoid the set-menu terraces on the promenade and the main squares, which Genoa largely doesn't have.

Genoa has more to see, and more of it surprises visitors. Its medieval quarter is one of Europe's largest, and above it stand the Rolli palaces along Via Garibaldi and Via Balbi, hung with Van Dyck and Rubens. Add San Lorenzo, the Palazzo Ducale and Staglieno, and you could spend several days here.

Nice is stronger on modern art than on monuments. The Matisse and Chagall museums in Cimiez and MAMAC are the highlights, set against the ochre old town and the Belle Époque villas. Two or three days covers it.

Neither city is built for a big night out, and in both the evening centres on the old town. In Genoa that means aperitivo in the medieval squares around Piazza delle Erbe, where the crowd is mostly students and locals and weeknights are quiet.

Vieux Nice has more pubs and cocktail bars, and a larger mix of visitors, especially in summer. For proper clubbing, people from Nice head to Monaco or Cannes.

Both cities sit with steep hills right behind the sea, and you can reach good walking from either. From Genoa, the funicular up to Righi leads to the ring of old fortresses. The Portofino promontory paths and the Cinque Terre trails are nearby, and boats go out to watch whales in the Pelagos Sanctuary.

Nice reaches higher ground. The Mercantour's larch forests and high lakes are about two hours away, and in winter you can ski at Isola 2000 or Auron. Cyclists come for the corniche roads above the coast.

Both cities are excellent bases, each with a famous coastline along one railway. From Genoa you can reach Portofino, Camogli and the Cinque Terre to the east and Finale Ligure to the west. Milan and Turin are close enough for a city day.

Nice packs more variety into short trips. Monaco is about twenty minutes away, and Èze, Cap Ferrat, Antibes, Cannes and the Lérins islands are all close. So are the perfume houses of Grasse and the Fondation Maeght, and Sanremo is just over the Italian border.

Genoa has the bigger draw for children. The Porto Antico puts one of Europe's largest aquariums next to the walk-through submarine at the Galata museum and a science centre, and the funiculars and public lifts are rides in themselves. The steep, dark lanes are hard work with a pushchair.

Nice is the gentler city for a stroll, with its long flat promenade and the playgrounds and water jets of the Promenade du Paillon. It has less to fill a rainy day, though, and the pebble beaches are hard on small feet.

Nice is the easier city to get around. The old town, Place Massena, the port and the promenade are a flat half-hour walk apart, and the tram runs straight from the airport to the centre.

Genoa climbs steeply from the water. You will use funiculars, public lifts and a single short metro line, and buses are slowed by narrow, busy streets. For both cities, the coastal train is the best way to reach the towns along the shore.

Nice has a little more range. Avenue Jean Médecin and its department store cover the high street, the streets around rue Paradis have the luxury houses, and the Cours Saleya holds a flea and antiques market on Mondays.

In Genoa, the arcades of Via XX Settembre carry the familiar Italian labels. The real finds are in the old town: silver filigree, coral, candied fruit and pesto from long-established shops.

Genoa is the cheaper base overall and feels like good value for Italy. The costs to watch are mostly outside the city. The smart Riviera resort towns charge more in summer, and paying for a lounger at a bathing establishment adds up over several beach days.

Nice costs noticeably more, but it has its own savings. Many of the city's museums cost little to enter, and the trams and coastal trains keep day trips cheap. Coming in spring or late autumn makes the biggest difference, because the whole stay becomes much easier on the budget.

Genoa has a little more to offer on an ordinary evening. The Teatro Carlo Felice on Piazza De Ferrari puts on opera, ballet and symphony concerts. The city also honours Paganini with concerts, and small clubs keep its singer-songwriter tradition going.

Nice's opera house has a similar programme. Its standout moments are tied to dates in the calendar: the long-running jazz festival in July and the Carnival parades in February.

Neither city has a bathing tradition, and in both, spa time means a hotel treatment room. Genoa's calm corner is Nervi, with its villa gardens and cliff promenade. For thermal water you go to Acqui Terme, a little over an hour inland.

Nice is the slightly easier place to slow down. You can take an early swim, then walk the promenade at dusk, and there are thalassotherapy centres along the coast. Out of season it is especially restful.