Bamberg or Dusseldorf?

Neither city works for a beach vacation. Both lie far inland with the sea a long day's travel away, and in both a summer swim means a lake, a pool or a gravel pit.

What differs is the river. In Bamberg locals still bathe in the Regnitz at the old bathing spot in the Hain park, while in Düsseldorf the Rhine's currents and shipping rule it out, so swimmers head to Unterbacher See on the city's edge.

Both are beer towns first, and they eat about equally well, but in different ways. Bamberg is about smoky Rauchbier poured from wooden barrels, Schäufele with dumplings, and long summer evenings at the Bierkeller under chestnut trees, with little beyond Franconian cooking.

Düsseldorf pairs its Altbier brewhouses and their mustard-sharpened sauerbraten with something Bamberg cannot offer: the Japanese quarter around Immermannstrasse, plus a proper fine-dining tier and Carlsplatz market. If you want variety over several dinners, that matters.

Bamberg is the stronger sightseeing destination because the town itself is the attraction. The intact old centre spreads over seven hills, with the four-towered Imperial Cathedral and the Bamberg Horseman, the frescoed Old Town Hall on its island in the Regnitz, and the fishermen's houses of Little Venice. Its museums are small, though.

Düsseldorf is the reverse: little old fabric survived the bombing, but the art is first rate, with Klee at K20, the net under the dome at K21 and the Kunstpalast. Benrath Palace is its one great historic set piece, so come for galleries rather than streets.

Düsseldorf is far ahead here. The Altstadt's few hundred pubs and brewhouses spill into the lanes on weekend nights in a loud, crowded street party, there are calmer cocktail bars in Carlstadt and the Medienhafen, and Carnival turns the whole city out for days.

Bamberg's evenings are gentler and end earlier: brewery taverns after work, student bars in the Sand quarter in term time, and beer cellars on summer nights. Locals wanting a real night out take the train to Nuremberg.

Bamberg has the better countryside within reach. Franconian Switzerland, with its limestone valleys, rock towers, caves and castle-topped crags, starts less than an hour east, the Steigerwald's beech forests lie to the west, and many hiking routes run from one village brewery to the next.

Düsseldorf's outdoors is flatter and more tied to the river: grassy Rhine meadows with long cycle paths to Kaiserswerth, Grafenberg forest, and the Neandertal and Bergisches Land a short way out. Both are pleasant rather than dramatic.

Both are excellent bases, but Düsseldorf has more within easy reach. Cologne's cathedral is under half an hour by train, and Bonn, the Brühl palaces, the Ruhr's Zollverein colliery, Aachen, Münster and even Dutch Maastricht are all straightforward rail trips.

From Bamberg the choice is smaller but rich. Nuremberg, Würzburg's Residence, Coburg and Bayreuth are each about an hour away, with Vierzehnheiligen closer still and Rothenburg ob der Tauber for a long day.

Düsseldorf gives children much more to do. The Aquazoo Löbbecke combines an aquarium with a natural history museum, the Rheinturm's tilted windows are a hit, wild boar come close in the Grafenberg game park, and Phantasialand and Movie Park Germany are within about an hour. Trams also take pushchairs easily.

Bamberg is safe and relaxed, with the Hain park's playgrounds, rowing boats on the Regnitz and beer gardens where children play between the tables. But its sights are churches and townscape, and the cobbled climbs are hard with a buggy.

Bamberg is a walking town of short, steep climbs, while Düsseldorf has a flat centre with trams to fill the gaps. In Bamberg the island town, cathedral hill and Little Venice are minutes apart on foot, but the cobbles up to the cathedral and Michaelsberg are uneven, and the station is a fair walk from the old town.

Düsseldorf has a network as well as a walkable core. Trams and light rail reach the Medienhafen and the museums, trains get to the airport in minutes, and the same regional system carries on to Cologne and the Ruhr. The fare zones take some working out at first.

Düsseldorf is a shopping destination in its own right. The Königsallee lines a canal with luxury flagships and jewellers, Schadowstrasse and the Kö-Bogen cover the high street, and Flingern's design shops and the Japanese quarter's stationery and homeware add character.

In Bamberg shopping fills an hour between sights. The best finds are local: market-garden produce, bottled smoked beer from the brewery shops and antiques around the cathedral quarter.

Bamberg is the easier city on the wallet. Guesthouses are moderately priced for most of the year, a brewery-tavern meal costs less than in a big city, and walking everywhere keeps transport costs low. Weekends and the Christmas market season are the dearer times.

Düsseldorf is a wealthy business city, and its hotel rooms are expensive, many times more during the big trade fairs. Day-to-day costs are fairer, with Altbier, brewhouse food and Japanese noodle bars all good value.

Düsseldorf has the fuller programme: opera and ballet at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, its symphony orchestra in the domed Tonhalle, the Schauspielhaus for German-language theatre, political cabaret, and a place in music history as the home of Kraftwerk.

Bamberg's scene is smaller but has one real treasure in the Bamberg Symphony, an orchestra of international standing, along with the ETA Hoffmann Theatre and church concerts in the cathedral. It has no opera of its own, though the Bayreuth Festival is an hour away.

The two are evenly matched, and both rely on a short trip for proper spa bathing. From Bamberg it is the warm brine pools of Bad Staffelstein, about half an hour by train, and the town's restful pace does the rest.

Düsseldorf offers the German sauna habit in its public baths, large thermal complexes within an hour and Aachen's hot springs further on, plus calm walks in the Hofgarten and Nordpark's Japanese garden. Only the Altstadt on weekend nights breaks the calm.