Antwerp or Cologne?

Neither city is a beach destination, but they handle summer swimming differently. Antwerp's Sint-Annastrand is a sandy bank on a tidal river that is not safe for swimming. The Belgian coast at Knokke or Blankenberge is reachable by train, though it makes a long day out. Cologne cannot reach the sea in a day, but gravel-pit lakes such as Fühlinger See give it real swimming close to town.

Antwerp eats better. Its beer culture is broader, from the local amber ale in its round bolleke glass to long Trappist and abbey lists in the brown cafés. Its cooking runs from stoofvlees and mussels to modern, design-led kitchens with a few starred tables in Het Zuid and Het Eilandje.

Cologne's offer is narrower but memorable: the Brauhaus ritual of Kölsch topped up by the Köbes, with Himmel un Ääd or sauerbraten on the side. Beyond the brewhouses, the Turkish and Middle Eastern food on Ehrenfeld's Venloer Strasse is the best reason to leave the Altstadt.

Antwerp's heritage hangs together better. The Flemish Baroque is everywhere, from Rubens's altarpieces in the cathedral to his own house and studio, and the Plantin-Moretus printing house survives intact. The guild houses of the Grote Markt and the Art Nouveau streets of Zurenborg give you whole streets to wander, not just single sights.

Cologne has the single greater landmark in its cathedral. It adds twelve Romanesque churches, Roman remains and Museum Ludwig's Pop Art. Postwar rebuilding left a plain townscape, though, so a day there means going from one fine building to the next rather than walking through an old city.

Cologne is the livelier night out. Evenings in the brewhouses lead on to the Belgian Quarter's cocktail bars, the Zülpicher Strasse student strip and the clubs in Ehrenfeld's old factories. At Carnival the whole city turns into a costumed street party for days.

Antwerp's scene is smaller but has its own edge. Brown cafés have no fixed closing time, and a long house and techno tradition lives on in warehouses near the docks. In both cities, weekends carry the scene and midweek nights are quieter.

Cologne has far better outdoors within reach. In town, the Grüngürtel ring of parks and the Rhine meadows suit long walks and runs. Within about an hour you can reach the Siebengebirge, the rolling Bergisches Land and the Eifel's crater lakes and vineyard slopes.

Antwerp's surroundings are flat and heavily built up. The heathland of the Kalmthoutse Heide and the dyke rides through the Scheldt polders are pleasant by bike, but there are no hills to walk.

Both cities make excellent bases, but Antwerp's reach is denser. Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, Leuven and Mechelen, a run of Flemish art cities, are all within about an hour and a half. Rotterdam, Delft and the Kinderdijk windmills bring the Netherlands into range as well.

Cologne's outings vary more in kind than in number. You can choose Brühl's rococo palaces, Bonn, Charlemagne's chapel in Aachen, the castle-topped wine towns of the Rhine Gorge or the industrial heritage of Zollverein. Maastricht is an easy run across the border from either city.

Cologne is the easier city with children. Phantasialand, one of Europe's major theme parks, is a short trip away. The Chocolate Museum, the cable car over the Rhine and the Rheinpark playgrounds fill the days in between. Avoid Carnival time with small children.

Antwerp has a real asset in its zoo right beside Central Station, and children enjoy the foot tunnel under the Scheldt and the MAS rooftop. Its theme park needs a car, though, and damp weather often pushes plans indoors.

Both are flat, walkable cities where a car is more trouble than it is worth. Antwerp's sights stretch along a half-hour walk from Central Station to the river and Het Zuid, with the premetro and easy cycling filling the gaps. In Cologne the station stands right beside the cathedral, but the Stadtbahn map is less intuitive and the trams can be crowded.

Antwerp is worth a trip for shopping in its own right. Boutiques on the Nationalestraat and Kammenstraat sell the avant-garde Belgian fashion its academy is known for. The Kloosterstraat antique shops and the diamond quarter add depth you will not find in many cities this size.

Cologne's shopping is more practical. Schildergasse and Hohe Strasse are big chain-store streets, and Ehrenstrasse has the independents. Eau de Cologne from the historic Glockengasse perfume houses is the gift to take home, and the Advent Christmas markets are the city's best shopping season.

Cologne is the gentler city on the wallet. A brewhouse meal with Kölsch costs less than in most capitals, and the cathedral and many churches are free to enter. Hotel rooms are the catch, because they climb steeply during the big trade fairs and Carnival.

Rooms in Antwerp often cost less than in nearby capitals, but sit-down dinners follow Belgium's high prices. Lunch menus, café beers and frites from a stand make it workable on a mid-range budget.

Cologne has the deeper stage and concert life. The Philharmonie beside the cathedral is home to two major orchestras, and the opera and the Schauspiel share the theatre complex on Offenbachplatz. Clubs in Ehrenfeld and the Südstadt host electronic, jazz and band gigs most nights, and the Carnival sessions are a tradition found nowhere else.

Antwerp's strengths are narrower but real: the Flemish opera and ballet company in the Frankrijklei house, contemporary dance at deSingel and early music at AMUZ. Much of its theatre is in Dutch.

Cologne is the better place to wind down. Large, mostly textile-free sauna landscapes are part of everyday life there. The Rheinpark thermal bath, fed by local mineral springs, looks across the Rhine to the cathedral, and Aachen's Roman-era hot springs are under forty minutes away.

Antwerp has no springs or historic bathhouses, and its larger sauna complexes sit out in the suburbs. Most visitors rest with a slow afternoon in the Stadspark or a brown café.