Loire Valley or Provence?

On beaches the two are as far apart as they can be. The Loire is inland, and its river is unsafe for swimming. A swim means a supervised lake such as the Lac de Maine near Angers or, more often, the pool at your gîte. The Atlantic beaches lie west of Nantes, a long drive from the château country around Tours.

Provence has a real coast. There is fine sand at Pampelonne, pale shallow water at Hyères and Porquerolles, and rocky turquoise inlets in the calanques between Marseille and Cassis. Inland bases in the Luberon or the Alpilles are far from the sea, though, so beach lovers should stay on the coast.

Both are places to eat well and drink local wine, but Provence gives a food lover more. Its weekly markets in Aix, Apt and Saint-Rémy are a reason to visit in themselves, Marseille adds bouillabaisse and North African cooking, and the wines run from Bandol reds to Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The Loire is the quieter choice, and its wine leads. You taste Vouvray, Chinon and sparkling Saumur in tufa cellars and eat rillettes, river fish in beurre blanc and goat cheese with them. Restaurant choice thins out quickly outside Tours and Angers.

Both regions are among France's richest for sights, but they belong to different eras. The Loire is the Renaissance: Chambord, Chenonceau, Blois and Amboise, with Fontevraud Abbey and the Apocalypse Tapestry in Angers. They are clustered so closely that a base near Tours reaches most of them.

Provence goes further back and is more spread out. It has the Roman theatres of Orange and Arles, the papal palace in Avignon, Cézanne's Aix and the MuCEM in Marseille. Expect to move between several towns to see it all.

Neither region is built for partying, but Provence offers real nights out. Marseille's Cours Julien and La Plaine have bars and clubs that stay open late, and Saint-Tropez has a glossy beach-club scene in summer. In the Loire, going out mostly means the student terraces around Place Plumereau in Tours or the bar quarter of Angers, and the countryside is silent after dinner.

Provence wins clearly on landscape. The Gorges du Verdon, the white cliffs of the Calanques, the bare summit of Mont Ventoux and the flamingo lagoons of the Camargue give walkers, climbers, kayakers and cyclists real terrain. Summer heat and closures on days of high fire risk limit it.

The Loire is gentle lowland by comparison, with a willow-lined river, troglodyte cliffs, vineyards and the ponds of the Sologne. Its strengths are the flat Loire à Vélo route and canoeing among the river islands, which are pleasant rather than dramatic.

Both are made for touring from a base, and the difference lies in what you go out to see. From Tours the outings are towns and châteaux strung along one river: Amboise, Chinon, Loches and the cave villages around Saumur, with Paris about an hour away by fast train.

Provence's outings vary more in scenery. You can visit perched villages such as Gordes and Roussillon, Roman Nîmes and the Pont du Gard, or take a ferry to Porquerolles, but nearly all of these trips need a car.

The Loire is easier with children. The ZooParc de Beauval fills a whole day, while the Leonardo machines at Clos Lucé and the Maison de la Magie at Blois make château visits fun. The flat cycle route and quiet roads suit young riders.

Provence works best as a pool-and-beach vacation. The shallow sand around Hyères suits little ones, and canoeing or riding Camargue horses appeals to older children. July heat, long drives and steep villages are hard going with a pushchair.

Without a car, the Loire is the easier of the two. A single rail line follows the river through Orléans, Blois, Amboise, Tours, Saumur and Angers, and Chenonceau and Chinon have stations of their own. The riverside bike route, with luggage sent ahead, is a real way to travel.

In Provence, trains link the big towns, but the villages, abbeys and gorges need a car. Hill lanes and parking in perched villages test your patience, and the road into Saint-Tropez jams in summer.

Provence gives shoppers far more to bring home. Its markets sell printed fabrics and olive-wood bowls, and you can also find Marseille soap, Moustiers faience, the antiques dealers of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and summer luxury boutiques in Saint-Tropez. In the Loire most souvenirs are edible: cellar-door wine, goat cheese and Orléans quince paste, with Gien faience the one well-known craft.

The Loire is easier on the budget. Town hotels and gîtes in Tours, Blois or Saumur are fairly priced and cellar-door wine costs little for its quality, though entrance fees add up when you see several châteaux a day.

Provence is costly in summer, when Luberon villas and the Var coast are among France's most expensive places to stay. Marseille, Arles and the less famous villages are more reasonable. In both regions, spring and autumn cost less than July and August.

In July Provence is one of Europe's great stages. The Avignon theatre festival and its huge fringe run alongside opera in the courtyard of the Archbishop's Palace at Aix and in Orange's Roman theatre. Beside that, the Loire's summer is modest: sound-and-light shows at Blois and Amboise, chamber music at the Grange de Meslay, and the Angers street-arts festival in September. Outside the festival season, both rely on regional opera houses and theatres.

Provence has the edge for a restful stay. It has real spa towns at Gréoux-les-Bains and Digne-les-Bains, a thermal spa in Aix, and farmhouse hotels offering lavender and olive-oil treatments. The Loire's spas are mostly in château hotels with grape-based treatments, so it relies instead on its slow pace: riverside cycling, the gardens of Villandry and quiet nights in Touraine guesthouses.