Monaco or Saint-Tropez?

Of the two, Saint-Tropez is the beach destination. Pampelonne has about 5km of fine sand, and the coves at Escalet, Cap Taillat and Gigaro offer quieter swimming further south. All of these lie outside the town, though, and you need transport to reach them.

Monaco has only Larvotto, a short groomed strip behind breakwaters, plus rocky platforms and private clubs. The calm, clear water is fine for a swim, but for real beach days Monaco sends you along the coast to Menton or Nice.

Both serve sunny southern cooking based on olive oil, fish and vegetables, at polished and expensive tables, and neither is good for cheap, casual meals. Monaco has the deeper top end, with an unusual number of starred and grand-hotel dining rooms. Its cooking leans Ligurian and Italian, and the Condamine market sells local barbagiuan.

Saint-Tropez is more Provençal and more seasonal: bouillabaisse, aïoli, long lunches with rosé on the sand, and the tarte tropézienne. Its quayside restaurants rely on the view, and many close for the winter.

Monaco has more to see, and all of it is a short walk apart. There is the Prince's Palace with its guard ceremony, the cathedral with Grace Kelly's tomb, the Belle Époque Oceanographic Museum on the cliff, and the Casino across the harbour. Together they fill a day or two comfortably.

Saint-Tropez has less heritage. The Annonciade's pointillist and Fauvist paintings are the real reason to go indoors, and the citadel's maritime museum and the lanes of La Ponche fill out a single day.

Both are about champagne, dress codes and table service rather than bar-hopping, but Saint-Tropez has the bigger reputation and the longer nights. In summer the day starts with a beach-club party at Pampelonne, moves on to the yachts and harbour terraces, and ends in clubs that stay open until dawn.

In Monaco, a night out centres on the Casino square, the hotel bars and a few seafront lounges, and it peaks on Grand Prix weekend. Out of season both towns go quiet, but from Monaco, Nice is a short train ride away for a more varied night.

The two are broadly level outdoors, but the landscapes are quite different. Behind Monaco, limestone mountains rise straight from the sea, so the walking is steep: old mule paths up to Èze, the view from the Tête de Chien and the Mont Agel ridge. The Mercantour lies further inland.

Saint-Tropez is gentler and greener. The Sentier du Littoral runs around its wild capes, the Massif des Maures has cork-oak forest, and the islands of Port-Cros and Porquerolles form a national park. Summer fire risk can close trails there, so spring and autumn are the times for walkers.

Monaco is far the better base for outings. Trains and buses put Nice, Villefranche, Menton, Èze and the Italian towns of Sanremo and Ventimiglia within easy reach. Antibes, Cannes and Grasse are also manageable without a car.

Saint-Tropez's outings are pleasant but local: the hilltop villages of Ramatuelle and Gassin, Grimaud's castle, canal-built Port Grimaud by boat, wine cellars, and a longer day on Porquerolles. They depend on a car or a boat, and the summer roads jam.

Monaco is easier with children. It is small and safe, and the public lifts take the effort out of the hills. The aquarium's sharks, the palace guard and Larvotto's sheltered water fill a couple of days, though the formal restaurants are a drawback.

Saint-Tropez gives families gently shelving sand at Pampelonne and Gigaro, but little else is aimed at them, and the summer traffic and afternoon heat wear on small children. Many families stay across the gulf in Sainte-Maxime instead.

Both centres are small enough to walk, but that is where the likeness ends. Monaco is about 3km across, with free lifts and escalators for the slopes, local buses and a harbour ferry. Its station connects straight to the Riviera railway.

Saint-Tropez has no railway, slow buses and one road along the gulf that jams for hours in July and August. The main beaches lie several kilometres out, so you usually need a car, a scooter or taxis. The passenger boats from Sainte-Maxime are the most pleasant way in.

Monaco's shopping fits into one tight cluster, the Carré d'Or around the Casino gardens. There, high jewellers, watchmakers and the big fashion houses sit within a quarter of an hour's stroll. Outside it there is only a covered mall with a few mainstream labels and the olive oil and souvenir shops on the Rock, so anyone after everyday clothes takes the train to Nice.

Saint-Tropez gives a shopper more variety and more to discover. The fashion houses open summer shops in the lanes behind the port, next to resort wear and swimwear, and the leather Tropézienne sandal is still stitched by hand in the old town. The Place des Lices market adds linen, baskets, pottery and vintage finds, though many shops close for the winter.

Neither town is a place to save money, and there is little to choose between them. Monaco is expensive all year, and hotel rates jump on event weekends. Its free lifts, cheap buses and walks around the Rock cost little.

Saint-Tropez is dearest in July and August and eases slightly in late spring and autumn, but taxis or parking add to the bill. In both, budget travellers sleep elsewhere: in Nice or Beausoleil for Monaco, and inland or across the gulf for Saint-Tropez.

For the performing arts, Monaco is far ahead. The opera performs in the gilded Salle Garnier inside the Casino, the Philharmonic and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo have international reputations, and the Grimaldi Forum hosts larger productions. The main season runs from winter to spring.

Saint-Tropez has open-air classical and jazz concerts in summer and the Bravade procession each May, which is a fine sight but a street festival rather than a stage. For opera or theatre you would have to drive to Toulon or Nice.

Monaco has more for someone who wants to unwind. There is the large thalassotherapy centre beside the Casino with its heated seawater pools, several grand hotel spas, and calm gardens and ramparts for slow mornings.

Saint-Tropez relies on the spas of its luxury hotels, which are mostly for guests. How calm it feels depends on the season: crowded and loud in high summer, but in May, June and September it slows to long lunches and pétanque under the plane trees.