Bamberg or Hamburg?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Hamburg at least has sand. The Elbe shore at Oevelgoenne and Blankenese is a fine place to sit and watch the container ships, though not to swim, and the Baltic resorts at Travemuende and Timmendorfer Strand are about an hour away.

Bamberg is a full day from any coast. You can swim at the old river bathing spot in the Hain, in the gravel-pit lakes and in the pools. That is enough for a hot afternoon and nothing more.

The two eat equally well but very differently. Bamberg is about beer first: Rauchbier poured from wooden barrels, hillside Bierkeller under chestnut trees, and pork shoulder with dumplings, with little outside that tradition.

Hamburg cooks like a port, with fish rolls on the piers, Labskaus and Franzbroetchen, and behind them a wider spread of international cooking and a proper fine-dining tier. Go to Bamberg for depth in one tradition and to Hamburg for variety.

Bamberg has the more complete historic town. Its UNESCO-listed old town came through the war largely intact, and the Imperial Cathedral, the Old Town Hall on its island and Little Venice are all a short walk apart. The museums are small, so the pleasure is in the streets.

Hamburg lost much of its old centre in the war and offers something else: the red-brick Speicherstadt and the Chilehaus, the Elbphilharmonie, and much stronger collections at the Kunsthalle. It is better for galleries, while Bamberg is better for a whole old town to walk through.

Hamburg offers by far the bigger night out. The Reeperbahn, the pavement bars of the Schanzenviertel and clubs in bunkers and beside the harbour often keep going until dawn, especially at weekends.

Bamberg's evenings belong to brewery taverns, summer beer cellars and the student bars of the Sand quarter, and the town goes quiet well before the small hours. People who want to dance take the train to Nuremberg.

Both have gentle countryside rather than mountains, but of different kinds. Around Bamberg it is hills and rock: the limestone valleys and crags of Franconian Switzerland less than an hour away, the beech forests of the Steigerwald, and walking routes that link one village brewery to the next.

Hamburg's outdoors is about water. You can sail or paddle on the Alster, walk the Elbe path to Blankenese, cycle through the orchards of the Altes Land, and reach the heather of Lueneburg Heath in about an hour.

Both make excellent bases with fast trains, so the choice is about which region you want to see. Bamberg puts Franconia's imperial and baroque towns within easy reach: Nuremberg's castle, Würzburg's Residence, Bayreuth, and the basilica of Vierzehnheiligen.

From Hamburg the trips run to the brick Gothic towns and Hanseatic ports of the north. Luebeck comes first, then Lueneburg, Bremen and Schwerin's castle on its lake, with the Baltic beaches as a summer extra.

Hamburg is much better set up for children. Miniatur Wunderland, Hagenbeck's moated enclosures and aquarium, the Stadtpark planetarium and the water play areas in Planten un Blomen make a full programme, and two theme parks are about an hour away.

Bamberg is safe and relaxed, with playgrounds in the Hain, boats to hire on the Regnitz and beer gardens where children play among the tables. Beyond that there is little aimed at young visitors, and the cobbled climbs wear out small legs.

Hamburg is the easier city to get around. The U-Bahn, S-Bahn and harbour ferries all run on one ticket, the airport is on the S-Bahn, and outlying sights like Blankenese are a single train ride away.

Bamberg barely needs transport, because its sights are minutes apart on foot. Still, the steep cobbled climbs to the cathedral and Michaelsberg and the fair walk from the station make it a little harder on the legs.

Hamburg is a proper shopping city. Luxury labels line Neuer Wall, covered arcades around the Jungfernstieg are handy on wet days, the Alsterhaus stands on the water, and the Karolinenviertel and Schanzenviertel have vintage and small design shops.

Bamberg fills an hour between sights, with chain stores and bookshops around Grüner Markt. The local finds are bottled smoked beer, produce from the market gardens and antiques near the cathedral.

Bamberg is the cheaper place to stay. Beer and tavern meals cost less than in a big city, rooms are moderately priced outside busy weekends, and you walk everywhere.

Hamburg is one of Germany's pricier cities, with dearer hotels and restaurants in the centre and HafenCity. A day ticket that covers the ferries, the free waterfront sights and cheap fish rolls take some of the edge off.

This is where Hamburg pulls furthest ahead. It has the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle, the State Opera and the Hamburg Ballet, two leading drama theatres, long-running musicals reached by boat, and the St Pauli club circuit where the Beatles started out.

Bamberg's strength is narrower but real. You can hear the Bamberg Symphony, an orchestra of international standing, in its home hall, along with organ and choral concerts in the cathedral. For opera, people go to Bayreuth, an hour away.

Neither is a spa destination, and they help you unwind in different ways. Bamberg's calm comes from its slow pace and quiet evenings, and for real thermal bathing the warm brine pools of Bad Staffelstein are half an hour away by train.

Hamburg relies on its city bathhouses with large sauna areas, such as the art nouveau Holthusenbad, and on gentle outings like a boat ride on the Alster or an afternoon in the Japanese garden of Planten un Blomen.