Annecy or Rothenburg ob der Tauber?

Annecy offers a real summer of swimming. Lake Annecy is clear and clean and warms to about 22-24°C by July. In town there are the grassy lawns at Albigny and Marquisats, and around the shore there are village beaches at Sevrier, Talloires and Doussard. Expect lawns and shingle rather than sand, and only from late June to early September.

Rothenburg sits on a hilltop far from any coast. A swim means the town's outdoor pool, or a drive of about an hour to Franconian lakes such as the Altmühlsee. Water should play no part in choosing it.

Both towns cook hearty regional food, but Annecy has more to it. Besides the Savoyard cheese dishes there is lake fish such as féra and char with Savoie whites, and morning markets under the old-town arcades. The lakeside villages of Talloires and Veyrier also have some acclaimed gastronomic tables.

Rothenburg's roast pork, Schäufele and bratwurst with Silvaner or local beer are satisfying, but around the Marktplatz much of the cooking is for coach parties. The better meals are in family guesthouses and wine taverns further out. Neither town has much range beyond its own region.

Here Rothenburg is clearly the stronger choice. The whole town is the attraction: intact walls with a covered walkway, the Plönlein between its gate towers and the view from the Rathaus tower. St Jakob's holds Riemenschneider's Holy Blood Altar, a masterpiece of late Gothic carving, and the Medieval Crime Museum adds real depth.

Annecy's old town is pretty rather than profound. The canals, the island Palais de l'Isle and the château museum fill an unhurried day, with less to dig into after that.

Annecy's evenings carry on after dinner, and Rothenburg's mostly end with it. In Annecy there are canal-side terraces in the old town, a handful of wine and cocktail bars kept going by the students, and one or two small clubs. In summer the lakefront stays busy until late, though out of season the town is quiet by midnight.

Rothenburg goes still once the day visitors have left. The evening's main outing is following the night watchman on his walking tour, then a glass in a wine tavern, and by eleven the lanes are silent. For a real night out you would have to drive to Würzburg or Nuremberg.

This is the widest gap between the two. Annecy has Alpine scenery right at the shore: hikes up Mont Veyrier, the Semnoz or the Tournette, paragliding from the Col de la Forclaz and paddling or sailing on the lake. Road cyclists ride the mountain passes, and in winter the Aravis ski resorts are under an hour away.

Rothenburg's outdoors is gentle and pastoral. Paths drop from the walls into the Tauber valley past mills and the Topplerschlösschen, the Tauber valley cycle path is easy for families and the Frankenhöhe rolls away to the south. It is lovely for an afternoon, but there are no mountains or big lakes.

Both are good bases for day trips, but the outings differ in kind. Annecy's mix cities and high mountains: Geneva is under an hour away, Chamonix lies under Mont Blanc, Chambéry and Aix-les-Bains are short train rides, and Lyon makes a long day out.

From Rothenburg the trips stay on its own theme, done well. Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen in its crater and Schwäbisch Hall are nearby, with Würzburg's Residenz and Nuremberg's castle about an hour away. A car matters more here, because the train needs a change on a quiet branch line.

Annecy suits children better, mostly thanks to the lake. There are beaches, pedal boats, cruises and the flat cycle path along the shore, and summer toboggan runs and treetop courses in the hills nearby. It is far less fun for children outside summer, though, and it has no zoo or theme park.

Rothenburg works like a storybook for a day or two. Children can walk the ramparts, climb the Rathaus tower and follow the lantern-carrying night watchman, and older ones are often gripped by the crime museum. Beyond that there is little for them, and the cobbles and steep valley paths are hard work.

Both towns are easy on foot at the centre and lean on a car beyond it. In Annecy the old town, lakefront and station are close together on flat ground, and bikes and summer lake boats add pleasant options. Trailheads and Chamonix are still far simpler to reach by car, and summer traffic around the lake can be heavy.

Rothenburg's walled centre takes fifteen minutes to cross, on cobbles, and the climb back from the valley is steep. Most rail journeys need a change at Steinach, and buses to other Romantic Road towns are sparse.

Annecy's best buys come from its market stalls, while Rothenburg sells Christmas all year round. In Annecy the old town fills with Savoyard cheese, sausage, honey and génépi on market days. The streets around Rue Sainte-Claire add independent boutiques, cutlery and kitchenware shops and outdoor gear, and the newer centre has the usual French chains, so there is a bit more choice overall.

In Rothenburg the shops along the Herrngasse and Schmiedgasse are full of glass baubles, nutcrackers and Erzgebirge carvings, plus teddy bears and cuckoo clocks. In December the Christmas market on the Marktplatz is among the most atmospheric in Germany. You will find almost no fashion or everyday shopping there.

Rothenburg is the easier on the wallet. Prices there are those of small-town Germany with a tourist premium, beer and wine in the inns are reasonable, and staying outside the walls or in a nearby village saves a good deal.

Annecy charges resort rates in summer and stays expensive all year because Geneva is so close. Its lake beaches, trails and cycle path cost nothing, and self-catering or a shoulder-season visit helps.

Annecy has a proper stage in Bonlieu, the national theatre by the lake, with a year-round programme of theatre, dance, circus and concerts. In summer there is also a classical music festival and the Fête du Lac fireworks over the water.

In Rothenburg, performance mostly means history plays: the costumed Meistertrunk play, a small open-air theatre in summer, and organ and choral concerts in St Jakob's. For opera or a major orchestra, Annecy's visitors can reach Geneva or Lyon, while Rothenburg has no regular season at all.

Annecy has a slight edge for unwinding, mostly because of its setting. You get slow mornings by the water, long lunches in lake villages and calm hotel spas around Talloires and Veyrier, with Aix-les-Bains and Saint-Gervais within reach for thermal baths. In July and August, though, the crowds make it far less restful.

Rothenburg's calm comes at the edges of the day, when the coach groups have gone and the walls and valley fall silent. For bathing you drive to Bad Windsheim's salt-water pool or to Bad Mergentheim, both within about an hour.