Antwerp or Dusseldorf?

Beaches play no real part in a stay in either city. Antwerp's riverbank has the sandy Sint-Annastrand, but the Scheldt is for looking at, not swimming. The difference is that Antwerp can reach the Belgian coast at Blankenberge or Knokke by train for a long day out.

Düsseldorf is further from any sea. In return it has a proper swimming lake, Unterbacher See, inside the city limits, which is the easier summer dip of the two.

Both cities eat well, and both centre their tables on beer, but the beer and the cooking differ. Antwerp offers Flemish stoofvlees, mussels with frites and chocolate, with Trappist and abbey beers poured in brown cafés and an ambitious modern restaurant scene in Het Zuid and Het Eilandje.

Düsseldorf pairs dark Altbier in its brewhouses with sauerbraten and spicy mustard. Its distinctive extra is the Japanese quarter around Immermannstrasse, where ramen and izakaya give a range of cooking Antwerp cannot match.

Antwerp has the deeper and older heritage. The Cathedral of Our Lady with its Rubens altarpieces, the UNESCO-listed Plantin-Moretus printing house, the guild houses of the Grote Markt and the domed Central Station make the city itself the attraction, with the MAS and the Red Star Line museum adding to it.

Düsseldorf is strong on modern art, with Klee at K20 and the net under the dome at K21. But its rebuilt Altstadt has little old fabric, and its finest historic site, Benrath Palace, lies out in the suburbs.

Düsseldorf has the more obvious night out. The Altstadt packs hundreds of bars and brewhouses into a few streets, weekend crowds drink standing in the lanes, and Carnival turns the whole city into a party for days. It can be loud, with stag groups in the mix.

Antwerp is quieter on the surface but serious underneath. Its warehouse house and techno clubs and its well-known gay scene give it more to offer anyone who goes out to dance rather than to drink.

Düsseldorf has more to offer outdoors. The broad Rhine meadows carry long cycle paths, Grafenberg forest and the Neandertal valley lie on the city's edge, and the wooded Bergisches Land and the Siebengebirge are close enough for a day's walking.

Antwerp's surroundings are flat and dominated by the port. The Kalmthoutse Heide heathland and the dyke rides through the polders are pleasant by bike, but there is little else beyond city parks.

Both are superb rail bases, but Antwerp has the edge. Ghent, Bruges, Mechelen, Leuven and Brussels are all short train rides away, and Rotterdam, Delft and Kinderdijk across the border mean two countries' worth of historic towns.

Düsseldorf's range is excellent too, with Cologne cathedral under half an hour away and Bonn, the Brühl palaces and Aachen within reach. Its list mixes old cities with the industrial heritage of the Ruhr and the castles of the Middle Rhine.

Children are equally well served, in different ways. Antwerp's zoo stands right beside Central Station, and the MAS rooftop, the Steen castle and the foot tunnel under the Scheldt make cheap, easy outings.

Düsseldorf counters with the Aquazoo, the free game park in Grafenberg forest and Rhine beaches to play on. Phantasialand and Movie Park are within an hour, which beats Antwerp's car-dependent theme park for a big day out.

Both centres are compact and walkable, with trams for longer hops and no need for a car. Antwerp is the more natural city for cycling, with shared bikes and marked lanes, and its premetro links the walking core to Het Eilandje and Zurenborg.

Düsseldorf's advantage is reach. Its network runs on into Cologne and the Ruhr and connects to the airport in minutes, though the fare zones take some getting used to.

The two are evenly matched for shopping but reward different kinds of shopper. Antwerp is the place for Belgian avant-garde fashion, the legacy of its academy, found in small boutiques around the Nationalestraat and Het Zuid rather than in global brand stores. It also has the old trades that Düsseldorf lacks: antiques and interiors dealers, secondhand auctions and the diamond district by the station. A browser there is more likely to come home with something old or unusual.

Düsseldorf reverses the balance. The Königsallee gathers the luxury flagships and jewellers that Antwerp's fashion streets largely pass over, and its big department stores make mainstream shopping easy. Its independent side is smaller, with Flingern's design shops and the Japanese quarter's stationery and homeware supplying the less predictable finds.

Neither is a budget destination, and both suit a mid-range wallet. Antwerp's rooms are usually kinder than in nearby capitals, but sit-down dinners follow high Belgian prices. Frites, café beer and lunch menus keep costs down.

Düsseldorf's food is fairer value through its brewhouses and noodle bars. Its hotels are the risk: during big trade fairs they can cost several times the usual rate, so the dates of a visit matter more there.

The two are closely matched, and both have opera, ballet and a symphony orchestra in proper houses. Antwerp stands out for contemporary dance at deSingel and early music at AMUZ in a Baroque church.

Düsseldorf has the Tonhalle in a domed former planetarium, a strong cabaret tradition and its place in electronic music history as Kraftwerk's home. In both cities much of the theatre is in the local language, Dutch in one and German in the other.

Düsseldorf makes rest easier. Saunas are part of everyday life in its public pools, several large thermal complexes are within an hour, and Aachen's hot springs are close. The Hofgarten, the Japanese garden in Nordpark and the Rhine meadows add calm places to walk.

Antwerp's wellness options are mostly hotel spas or sauna complexes in the countryside reached by car. Unwinding there usually means a park or a brown café rather than a day of treatments.