Lille or Lyon?

Neither city is a place for beach life, and they are broadly level. The difference is in the kind of water. From Lille you can take a train to the wide, windy North Sea sand at Dunkirk or the Opal Coast dunes, which are good for a bracing walk, but the water stays cold.

Lyon has no coast within easy reach. Instead it has a supervised bathing lake at Miribel-Jonage on its edge and, further out, the much warmer Alpine water of Lake Annecy and the Lac du Bourget. That makes Lyon the better bet for an actual swim and Lille the one for a seaside day out.

Both cities have strong regional cooking, but Lyon is the one people travel for. Lille's estaminets serve carbonnade, waterzooi and the welsh with good Belgian and northern French beer, which is satisfying but not wide-ranging, and fine dining is thin.

Lyon has the bouchon tradition, a deep line of famous chefs and generous set lunches. It also has Les Halles for Bresse poultry and oysters, and Beaujolais and northern Rhône wine close by. For a trip built around meals, the gap is wide.

Lille has one very strong reason to visit, the Palais des Beaux-Arts. Around it are the Flemish baroque streets of Vieux-Lille and the belfry, with La Piscine in Roubaix as a memorable extra. It is rewarding but compact.

Lyon has more of it and more layers of history: Roman theatres on Fourvière, a large Renaissance quarter with its traboules, the silk-weavers' hill at Croix-Rousse and an equally fine Musée des Beaux-Arts. Those who like history and art will need more days in Lyon and will find more to fill them.

Both are student cities with lively, informal nights, so the difference is in style. Lille is about bars: loud, cheap student strips on Rue Masséna and beer cafés in brick cellars. For serious clubbing, locals have traditionally crossed the border into Belgium.

Lyon keeps its late nights at home. Barges on the Rhône turn into bars and clubs, and the electronic scene runs in warehouse-style venues. On the other hand, its evenings can wind down early outside weekends and term time.

Outdoor life is where Lyon pulls well ahead. Inside the city there are the river quays, the Parc de la Tête d'Or and the climbs up its two hills. Beyond it lie the Monts d'Or and Beaujolais within easy reach, with real hiking in the Chartreuse and Vercors and the Alps not far beyond.

Lille's surroundings are flat and farmed. A loop around the Citadel park, level canal towpaths and short walks on the Monts de Flandre are pleasant but modest. Its one dramatic landscape, the chalk cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez, is a long day out.

Lille is the stronger base, because few cities have so many capitals so close by train. Brussels, Ghent, Bruges and Paris are each about an hour or less away, and London is possible for a long day. Closer to home are Arras, Amiens cathedral and the Somme and Ypres battlefields.

Lyon's day trips are good in a different way. They lean towards wine and old towns: Roman Vienne, medieval Pérouges, the Beaujolais villages and Burgundy, with Annecy and the Alpine lakes further out. They are lovely days, but many are easier by car and none matches Lille's reach.

Lyon is the easier city with children. The Parc de la Tête d'Or alone has a free zoo, pedalos, pony rides and a little train. The dinosaurs at the Musée des Confluences, Guignol puppet shows and the funiculars add plenty more.

Lille manages a pleasant morning in the Citadel park with its small zoo, and the science centre is useful on a rainy day. Its best family outings, Pairi Daiza and the Nausicaá aquarium, mean leaving the city. Both cities have one pushchair problem: cobbles in Lille, stepped lanes on Lyon's hills.

Lille's centre is flat and compact, and its two main stations stand right beside the old town, so most visitors step off the train and simply walk. The automated VAL metro and the tram matter mainly for Roubaix, Tourcoing and the museums on the outskirts.

Lyon spreads across two rivers and up two steep hills. The Presqu'île is easy walking, but getting up to Fourvière or Croix-Rousse means a funicular, the rack metro or a stiff climb, and with only a small metro network some journeys need a change. In return there are shared bikes and riverside cycle paths, and a direct tram runs from the airport to Part-Dieu.

For everyday shopping the two are level, with chain streets, a large mall by the main station and independent boutiques in the old quarters. Lille's special draw is the Braderie in early September, when the whole city becomes one vast flea market.

Lyon's finds are more about craft and food. Look for silk scarves from the weaving tradition, designer workshops on Croix-Rousse, antique dealers on rue Auguste Comte, and pralines and cheese to carry home.

Day-to-day costs are similar, and Lille comes out slightly easier on the budget, with fairly priced estaminet meals, beer and a cheap metro. In both cities, hotels fill up and rise in price for big events: the Braderie and trade fairs in Lille, the Fête des Lumières and trade fairs in Lyon. Lyon's best savings are its generous set lunches and the free zoo.

Lyon has the richer stage life. It has a respected opera and ballet, the Célestins and TNP theatres, and above all its dance scene, centred on the Maison de la Danse and the Biennale. Summer adds the Nuits de Fourvière, with performances in the Roman theatres.

Lille has a dependable season of its own, with the Opéra on Place du Théâtre, a national orchestra and the Théâtre du Nord. It is worth booking an evening there, but you would rarely plan a trip around it.

Neither city has a bathing culture of its own, but Lyon is the more restful stay. Long lunches, Sunday mornings by the Saône, hammams and an open-air pool on the Rhône quays give it an unhurried rhythm. The lake and spa town of Aix-les-Bains also make a good day of bathing.

Lille offers hotel spas and tea rooms in Vieux-Lille, with modest thermal baths a short train ride away at Saint-Amand-les-Eaux. It is easygoing, but not a city for rest.