Lake Placid or Ottawa?

Neither has sea, and swimming is about as good in both. Each has small summer beaches and lakes that warm to around 22°C from late June to August.

The difference is in the setting. In Lake Placid you swim in Mirror Lake in the village or in rocky holes on the Ausable, usually after a hike. Ottawa has sandy supervised river beaches such as Mooney's Bay, which sometimes close after heavy rain, and the clearer water is a drive away at Meech Lake in Gatineau Park.

Ottawa gives you considerably more to eat. The ByWard Market, the Lebanese shawarma habit, Preston Street's Italian places and the Québécois kitchens across the river in Gatineau give it real range. Neither city has a cuisine of its own.

Lake Placid is a resort village where dinner means diners, pizza, burgers and brewpubs on Main Street, plus a few lodge dining rooms looking over the lake. Some kitchens cut back between seasons, so expect a hearty meal after a day outdoors.

This is one of the widest gaps between the two. Ottawa is a national capital with a set of museums out of all proportion to its size. These include the National Gallery, the Museum of History with its hall of totem poles and the War Museum, along with Parliament's Gothic Revival buildings and the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Together they fill three or four days.

Lake Placid's heritage is the two Winter Olympics, with the 'Miracle on Ice' rink, the ski jumps and the speed skating oval, plus John Brown's Farm just outside the village. That makes for a good day out, but there are no art collections to linger over.

Ottawa has a real if modest night out, with pubs and a few dance clubs in the ByWard Market, a long run of bars on Elgin Street and later closing across the bridge in Gatineau.

Lake Placid has no clubs at all. A night out there means a beer at a Main Street brewpub or a hotel bar by the lake after skiing, and the village is quiet well before midnight.

Lake Placid is built around wilderness in a way Ottawa is not. The High Peaks rise around the village, Whiteface has the biggest ski vertical in the eastern United States, and you can paddle the Saranac chain, fly fish the Ausable and climb at Chapel Pond. It is a full mountain destination for all four seasons.

Ottawa's outdoor side is gentler but still impressive for a capital. It has Gatineau Park's trails and lookouts and its cross-country ski network, long cycle paths along the river, and nearly 8km of skating on the frozen canal. All of it is within reach of the city without a long drive.

Ottawa has the better outings, above all Montreal, which is about two hours by train. Kingston and the Thousand Islands are two hours by car, and Upper Canada Village and the canal towns of Merrickville and Perth are closer.

From Lake Placid, most excursions lead into the forest rather than to other towns. Saranac Lake, the Wild Center at Tupper Lake and Fort Ticonderoga make good outings. Montreal and Burlington are reachable, but only by car and as long days.

Both are safe and easy with children, and Ottawa comes out a little ahead because it has more to do whatever the weather. The Museum of Nature's dinosaurs, the hands-on Science and Technology Museum and the Children's Museum keep children busy on cold or wet days.

Lake Placid suits active families. Children can skate on the Olympic rinks, ride a bobsled, toboggan onto the frozen lake and join the ski school at Whiteface, and Santa's Workshop is nearby. Bad weather leaves fewer indoor options.

In both places the centre is walkable. Beyond it, Ottawa is far easier without a car, with a light rail line, buses, a bike-share system and cycle paths along the canal. You only need to drive to reach the farther lakes in Gatineau Park.

In Lake Placid you can walk from Main Street to Mirror Lake and the Olympic Center, but the trailheads, Whiteface and the nearby towns are spread across the mountains. Buses are scarce, so you'll need a car, and for much of the year the roads are winding and wintry.

Neither is a shopping destination, but Ottawa has more range. It has the Rideau Centre for chain stores, Indigenous art galleries in the ByWard Market, and independent bookshops and boutiques in the Glebe and Wellington West.

Lake Placid's shopping is a single stretch of Main Street. It is good for ski, climbing and fly-fishing gear, maple products and rustic Adirondack gifts, but there is no fashion.

Neither is cheap, but Ottawa is easier on the budget. Downtown hotels drop at weekends, Parliament tours and some museum hours are free, and you can skip the rental car.

Lake Placid is priced like a resort in winter, summer and the foliage weeks, and lift tickets, guides and a car add to the bill. The free hiking and paddling help, and the quiet weeks of spring and late autumn cut costs considerably.

Ottawa has a proper stage scene centred on the National Arts Centre. It is home to an orchestra and to theatre companies working in English, French and Indigenous languages, and in summer Bluesfest, the jazz festival and Chamberfest add more.

Lake Placid's live performance is mostly a summer affair. The Sinfonietta plays at the bandshell by Mirror Lake, and the arts centre puts on occasional shows. Outside summer there is little to see.

Ottawa has the more memorable spa. The large Nordic complex in Chelsea, about fifteen minutes away, has hot pools and saunas set in the woods, and steaming outdoors while snow falls is the experience to have.

Lake Placid relies on spas in its lodges and on its quiet. Its idea of relaxation is a porch over still water, a walk around Mirror Lake and a fireplace after a day in the cold.