Marseille or Lyon?

This is where the two cities differ most. Lyon is inland, so swimming there means the supervised lake at Miribel-Jonage or a long day out to Annecy or the Lac du Bourget.

Marseille has the sea on its doorstep. Families use the Prado beaches, locals swim early at the Catalans and in the Corniche inlets, and the clear water of the Calanques and the Frioul coves makes a half-day outing. The only drawbacks are the mistral, which can chill the water, and the occasional beach closure after heavy rain.

Lyon is the more rewarding city to eat in. Its food is built around the bouchon and a long fine-dining tradition, and generous set lunches make good cooking easy to find. Les Halles Paul Bocuse and the nearby Beaujolais and northern Rhône wines add to it.

Marseille's strength is variety rather than refinement: bouillabaisse by the small harbours, panisses and wood-fired pizza, and the North African and Armenian grocers of Noailles. It wins on cheap everyday food and flavours from around the Mediterranean, which Lyon largely lacks, but for a trip planned around meals Lyon is the better choice.

Lyon's heritage is close together and well kept. There are the Roman theatres on Fourvière, a large Renaissance quarter with its traboules, and the Musée des Beaux-Arts, enough for a few full days of steady sightseeing.

Marseille has the older history, going back to its Greek founding, and strong individual sights in Notre-Dame de la Garde, the MuCEM and Le Panier. However, these are spread through a rough-edged working city rather than gathered in one preserved centre, so sightseeing there hangs together less well.

Evenings out are about as lively in both cities, and the difference is the setting. In Lyon people go out to the wine and cocktail bars of the Presqu'île, the pubs of Vieux Lyon and the péniches moored on the Rhône. The city also has a serious electronic music scene and the Nuits Sonores festival.

Marseille is louder and more of a street scene. It centres on the graffiti-covered bars of Cours Julien and La Plaine and the terraces of the Vieux-Port, with summer parties by the sea. It quietens in winter, and some central streets feel edgy late at night, so a taxi home is sensible.

Lyon's outdoors is mostly gentle: the car-free Rhône quays, the Parc de la Tête d'Or and walks in the Monts d'Or. The Chartreuse, the Vercors and the Alps are a drive away.

Marseille has a national park inside its city limits. The Calanques offer white limestone ridges, a famous coastal walk, sport climbing and diving, and Sainte-Victoire and the Sainte-Baume are within an hour. Summer heat and closures on days of high fire risk make spring and autumn the time to go.

Both cities are good bases, but Marseille has the richer choice of places to visit. Aix, Cassis, Arles and Avignon are all close, and the Luberon villages, Les Baux and the Pont du Gard fill longer days.

Lyon's day trips lean towards wine and old towns: Roman Vienne, medieval Pérouges, the Beaujolais villages and Beaune, with Annecy for a lake. They are rewarding, but they lack the run of famous Provençal names that Marseille has within easy reach.

Lyon is the easier city with children. The Parc de la Tête d'Or alone can fill a day, with its free zoo, pedalos and small train. The dinosaurs at the Musée des Confluences, the Guignol puppet shows and the funicular rides add more.

Marseille works best in summer, around the Prado beaches, Parc Borély and boat trips to the Château d'If. It has no zoo, aquarium or theme park, and the traffic, narrow pavements and heat make pushing a buggy hard going.

Lyon is much easier to get around. Most sights are on or next to the flat Presqu'île, and the metro, trams, funiculars and bike-share cover the rest. A tram runs straight from the airport.

Marseille's centre around the Vieux-Port is walkable but steep, and the metro has only two lines. The beaches and the Calanques depend on buses that crawl in traffic. The summer ferries help, and a car is worth having for the Provence villages but not in the centre.

Neither city is a shopping destination, but Lyon has more choice. It has chains on the rue de la République, luxury labels near Place des Jacobins and a large mall at Part-Dieu, plus silk from its weaving past and designers' workshops on Croix-Rousse.

Marseille is better for souvenirs with local character than for fashion: Marseille soap, santon figures from Le Panier and the crowded streets of Noailles. Anyone looking for designer boutiques runs out of options quickly.

Costs are much the same, in the middle range for a large French city. In Lyon the bargain is the set lunch, and hotel rooms get scarce during trade fairs and the Fête des Lumières.

Marseille is slightly easier on a tight budget, thanks to cheap street food and free walking in the Calanques, though rooms near the sea cost much more in July and August.

Lyon has the fuller stage life. Its glass-vaulted opera house is home to opera and ballet, the national orchestra plays at the Auditorium, and dance is a real speciality, from the Maison de la Danse to the Biennale. Summer concerts in the Roman theatres of Fourvière have a setting that is hard to beat.

Marseille's stage is solid and leans more towards popular music and theatre. It has the art deco Opéra, the Théâtre de la Criée and the Friche la Belle de Mai, plus deep roots in hip-hop and Mediterranean music. It is at its best during the summer and autumn festivals.

Neither city suits a spa break, and both have only a few hammams and hotel spas. The difference is pace. Lyon's long lunches, quiet Sunday mornings by the river and large park make it the more restful of the two, and the thermal baths of Aix-les-Bains make a day out.

Marseille is louder and more crowded, and calm there comes from a slow lunch by a small harbour on the Corniche or from staying out in Cassis.