Montreal or Stowe?

Neither is a beach destination, and in both the water reaches only about 22°C at the height of summer. Montreal makes a swim easier, with a supervised sand beach at Parc Jean-Drapeau that you can reach by metro, a small river beach in Verdun and the larger shore at Oka about an hour away.

In Stowe, swimming means rocky holes in mountain streams or the unguarded state-park beaches on Waterbury Reservoir and Lake Elmore, all reached by car. They are good for cooling off after a hike rather than for a lazy beach day.

Food is a main reason to go to Montreal, and a pleasant part of a stay in Stowe. Montreal has its own dishes, from wood-fired bagels and smoked meat to poutine and spring sugar-shack meals. It adds Québécois bistros, the Jean-Talon and Atwater markets, and Haitian, Lebanese and Vietnamese cooking.

Stowe's strengths are narrower: hazy IPAs from some of the most sought-after breweries in the country, farm cheddar, cider doughnuts and farm-to-table dining rooms along Mountain Road. The choice is small and gets smaller in the quiet weeks, so you will eat well but without much variety.

Montreal fills two or three good days. You have the grey-stone streets of Old Montreal, the blue and gold interior of Notre-Dame Basilica, the archaeology of the founding site at Pointe-à-Callière, Saint Joseph's Oratory on the mountain and the Museum of Fine Arts on Sherbrooke Street.

In Stowe the main cultural sight is the village scene itself, a white steeple and covered bridges below the mountain, plus the ski museum and the von Trapp estate. That takes an afternoon, and nobody travels there for it.

Only one of these two offers a real night out, and in Montreal you can find one on any night of the week. A big student crowd keeps the cocktail bars, dive bars and clubs along Boulevard Saint-Laurent busy, Saint-Denis and Mile End have quieter wine bars and taverns, and the Village has large gay clubs. In summer people drink on terraces in pedestrianised streets, and the electronic scene moves outdoors to after-hours parties and dance events on Île Sainte-Hélène.

Stowe's evenings start when the lifts close. Skiers crowd the base-lodge bars, then move on to taprooms and taverns on Mountain Road, which sometimes have a band on winter weekends. Outside peak ski weeks it is quiet. There are no clubs and very little open after midnight, because most people want to be up early for the slopes. Anyone after a bigger night drives the 45 minutes to Burlington.

Stowe puts the outdoors right outside your door. Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak at 1,339m, carries the ski runs and glades. The Long Trail, the boulder-filled pass of Smugglers' Notch, the mountain-bike trails and the riverside path all start from the valley.

For a city, Montreal has a lot of nature: Mount Royal's trails beside downtown, the Lachine Canal bike path and river surfing below the Lachine Rapids. For real mountains and ski slopes, though, you drive about an hour and a half to the Laurentians, while in Stowe you are already in them.

Montreal has the better day trips, and you can reach the best of them without a car. Ottawa, with its Parliament buildings and national museums, is about two hours by train, and the Eastern Townships and Mont-Tremblant are easy drives. Quebec City is too far for a day and is better as an overnight stay.

From Stowe every outing is by car, and most go to small places: Burlington on Lake Champlain, Montpelier with its gold-domed statehouse, and the cider mills of Waterbury. The Shelburne Museum is the one worth planning a whole day around.

Montreal has more ready-made outings for children. The Biodome, Insectarium and Botanical Garden sit together at the Olympic Park, the Old Port has its Science Centre and Île Sainte-Hélène has the Expo 67 amusement park, all within reach of the metro. Deep winter cold is the main drawback.

Stowe suits families who want to be active together. It has a large ski school with beginner slopes, the children's resort beyond Smugglers' Notch and sugarhouses to visit in summer. There are no zoos or children's museums, though, and every outing means getting in the car.

Montreal is easy without a car. The central neighbourhoods are close enough to walk between, the rubber-tyred metro reaches the main sights and the islands, and bike lanes and bike-share cover the warm months. In winter the underground walkways keep you out of the cold.

In Stowe you need a car. The village centre is walkable, and the riverside path and the winter shuttle on Mountain Road help. Trailheads, swimming holes, neighbouring towns and the airport at Burlington all mean driving, sometimes on steep, icy roads.

Montreal has real range, from the department stores and malls of Rue Sainte-Catherine and the luxury shops of the Golden Square Mile to Quebec designers and vintage clothing in Mile End and Saint-Henri. Stowe offers ski and outdoor shops, galleries and craft work such as pottery and wool. Both are good for maple syrup and cheese to take home, but only Montreal is worth an afternoon spent shopping.

Neither is cheap, but Montreal is easier on the wallet. Much of its best food is casual, bring-your-own-wine bistros save on drinks, public transport is reasonably priced and many summer festival concerts are free.

Stowe is priced like a well-known ski resort. Lodging, lift tickets, ski rental and resort meals add up fast in winter and in the foliage season. Spring and November are far cheaper, and valley motels and the free trails help, but a winter week here costs more than a city stay in Montreal.

Montreal has a full performing arts calendar. Place des Arts is home to the symphony, the opera and Les Grands Ballets, there is a large French-language theatre scene, and TOHU stages contemporary circus. The International Jazz Festival takes over the summer, and small venues in Mile End and the Plateau carry the indie music scene all year.

Stowe's programme is a performing arts centre at Spruce Peak with touring acts and comedy, summer community theatre, and hillside concerts linked to the von Trapp family. Outside the main seasons there is little on.

Both do spa days well, but in different ways. Montreal follows the Quebec Nordic circuit of hot pools, saunas and cold plunges, including one aboard a converted ferry in the Old Port with views of the skyline. It adds summer terraces and picnics in Parc La Fontaine.

In Stowe, wellness happens inside the resorts: full spas with heated outdoor pools under falling snow, followed by quiet country inns and wood fires. It is the more secluded option, suited to a couples' weekend, at resort prices.