Amsterdam or Prague?

Neither city is a place for a beach trip, but Amsterdam at least has real sand nearby. The broad dune-backed shore at Zandvoort and Bloemendaal is half an hour by train, although the cold North Sea means most people walk the beach rather than swim.

Prague is far from any sea. On hot days you are limited to the Dzban reservoir, outdoor pools or the wooded banks of the Slapy reservoir, about an hour south.

Amsterdam's food is more varied, mainly because of its trading history. Indonesian rijsttafel, Surinamese roti, herring stalls and the Albert Cuyp market give you more to explore than Prague's narrow range of roast pork, dumplings and svickova. Eating well in Amsterdam is easiest in De Pijp, the Jordaan and Oost.

Prague is the better city for beer. Carefully poured unpasteurised lager and plenty of microbreweries are the main pleasure, and fried cheese and chlebicky are the food that goes with them. In both cities, avoid eating around the main tourist streets: Damrak in Amsterdam, Old Town Square in Prague.

The two are about equal for culture, but their strengths differ. Amsterdam is the museum city: Rembrandt's Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House are visits people plan whole trips around. They sit alongside the 17th-century canal ring of merchant houses.

In Prague, the city itself is the main sight. The castle complex and St Vitus Cathedral, the Baroque palaces of Mala Strana, the Charles Bridge, Josefov's synagogues and rare Cubist buildings cover a thousand years of building. Its galleries are good but not world-class.

Amsterdam has the stronger night out, especially for dancing. Its electronic music scene is serious, with all-night clubs in old industrial buildings and across the IJ in Noord, and the Amsterdam Dance Event every October. Canal-side terraces in the Jordaan and De Pijp are good for an evening drink.

Prague's evenings centre on the pub. Long tables of cheap lager in Zizkov and summer beer gardens on Letna make it a better choice for drinking than for clubbing. The big clubs in the Old Town mostly serve stag parties, and the more interesting techno venues are out in Holesovice.

Prague has more green space and more varied country around it. Petrin's orchards, the Stromovka park and the rocky Divoka Sarka gorge are all within the city. Within about two hours there are the limestone gorges around Karlstejn and the sandstone rock towers of Bohemian Switzerland, which give real hiking.

Amsterdam's countryside is flat and quiet. Wide skies, windmills and dykes in Waterland are best seen by bike, and the dunes of Zuid-Kennemerland have walking trails and bison.

Both cities are good bases for day trips, but Amsterdam has more within easy reach. Fast, frequent trains link a string of historic towns: Haarlem, Leiden, Delft, Utrecht, The Hague with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring, and modern Rotterdam. Most are less than an hour away, and Antwerp is less than two.

Prague's trips are mostly to castles and take a little longer. Kutna Hora and its ossuary, Karlstejn and Terezin are each about an hour away. Dresden takes about two hours, and Cesky Krumlov is far enough that many visitors stay the night.

Amsterdam is the easier city with children. As well as the Artis zoo and the NEMO science museum, it has flat parks with good playgrounds, city farms and canal boats. The dangers to watch are fast bikes and canals without fences.

Prague has fewer things to do with children, but its castle, knights in armour and the astronomical clock's moving apostles do appeal to them. The Troja zoo is excellent. The hard part is physical: cobbles, long flights of castle stairs and crowded lanes make pushchairs a struggle.

Both centres are easy to walk and well served by public transport, but they feel different on foot. Amsterdam is completely flat, and the most natural way to get around is by bike, with free ferries across the IJ and a direct train to Schiphol. On foot, the thing to watch is the bike lanes.

In Prague you get around by tram. The dense network runs through the night and saves you the climb up to the castle. Cobbles are tiring underfoot, and pickpockets work the crowded trams through Mala Strana.

Amsterdam is the better shopping city. The Nine Streets across the western canals are full of independent boutiques and vintage shops. There are also the luxury labels on PC Hooftstraat, De Bijenkorf, and markets such as the Noordermarkt and the floating flower market.

Prague is a city for browsing. Its best buys are local: Bohemian crystal, garnet jewellery and marionettes. Much of the old centre is filled with identical souvenir shops, and better finds are in Vinohrady and Holesovice.

Prague costs much less. Beer, pub lunches and transport stay cheap, and staying a few tram stops out of the centre and eating in Vinohrady or Zizkov keeps a stay good value. The things to watch are hotels in the old core and the exchange booths in the centre.

Amsterdam is one of Europe's expensive cities. Rooms in the canal ring cost a great deal, and the tourist tax and museum tickets add to the bill. Staying in Haarlem or Utrecht is the usual way to save.

Both are good cities for classical music, in different ways. Amsterdam's highlight is the Concertgebouw and its orchestra, and it has a stronger contemporary and rock scene: the Bimhuis for jazz, and Paradiso and the Melkweg for touring bands.

Prague is the city for opera. It has three stages, including the Estates Theatre, where Don Giovanni had its premiere, plus the Rudolfinum and the Prague Spring festival. Black-light theatre and marionette shows are also easy to follow without speaking Czech.

Neither city is built for relaxing, and neither has a bathing tradition. The difference is in what each offers instead. Amsterdam has large Northern European day spas on its outskirts, usually mixed and nude. A slow canal morning or a ferry across the IJ is the gentler option.

Prague offers hotel spas, massage studios and novelty beer baths. Its calmer moments come from an afternoon in an old coffee house, the terraced gardens below the castle, or a bench on Kampa island.