Bamberg or Leipzig?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Leipzig has the better summer swimming. Old open-cast mines south of the centre have been flooded into lakes with sandy shores and clear water, the Cospudener See among them, and you can reach them by tram or bike for a whole afternoon on the sand.

Bamberg offers less. Locals swim from the old river bathing spot in the Hain park and at gravel-pit lakes on the edge of town, which is enough to cool off on a hot day but has no real beach.

Bamberg is the stronger place to eat and drink if beer is part of the point. Its district has an extraordinary density of small breweries, smoky Rauchbier is poured from wooden barrels, and summer evenings move up to the beer cellars under chestnut trees, with Schäufele and dumplings to match. The catch is narrow range, with little international or fine dining.

Leipzig's table is plainer but more varied. Saxon roasts, sour Gose and a coffee-house tradition dating back to the eighteenth century cover the old town, while the Südvorstadt and Plagwitz add brunch cafés and casual international kitchens that Bamberg lacks.

Bamberg wins on atmosphere. The entire old town is UNESCO-listed and came through the war largely undamaged, so the cathedral hill with the Bamberg Horseman, the frescoed Old Town Hall on its river island and the fishermen's houses of Little Venice form one continuous historic scene. Its museums are small, and the pleasure lies in walking through the streets.

Leipzig's appeal is about history and collections more than looks: Bach's Thomaskirche, the Nikolaikirche where the 1989 revolution gathered pace, the Stasi headquarters at the Runde Ecke and the Grassi museums. It has more to see indoors, but it lacks Bamberg's unbroken townscape.

Leipzig is by far the better night out. Its electronic club scene grew up in old factories and warehouses, weekend nights run past dawn, and the doors are relaxed. The Karli, Connewitz and the canal-side bars of Plagwitz give a choice of mood.

Bamberg's evenings belong to the brewery taverns and, in summer, the hillside beer cellars, with student bars in the Sand quarter during term. It is sociable but early, and locals wanting a club take the train to Nuremberg.

Bamberg has the better countryside. Franconian Switzerland's limestone valleys, caves, rock towers and castle-topped crags begin less than an hour away, the Steigerwald beech forests lie to the west, and walking routes link village breweries.

Leipzig is flat but has green space inside the city. The Auwald floodplain forest runs through town, canals let you canoe almost to the centre, and the lake district suits cycling and paddling. For proper hills you need a two-hour train ride.

Both are excellent bases, and Leipzig has the edge. From its station you can reach Dresden's Frauenkirche and Zwinger, Weimar, Erfurt, Halle and even Berlin within about an hour or so, with Wittenberg, Naumburg and the Bauhaus in Dessau as shorter outings. That mix of major cities and Reformation towns is hard to match.

Bamberg's trips are more regional and Franconian: Nuremberg's castle, Würzburg's Residence, Bayreuth's opera houses and Coburg's fortress, plus the baroque basilica of Vierzehnheiligen nearby.

Leipzig is the clear choice with children. The zoo is among Europe's best, its Gondwanaland hall saves rainy days, and summer adds lake shallows and the Belantis theme park, all within easy reach on flat streets and trams.

Bamberg is safe and calm but has little made for children. The Hain park playgrounds, rowing boats on the Regnitz, a leisure pool and child-friendly beer gardens fill a day or two, and the cobbled climb to the cathedral is hard going with a pushchair.

Both are easy without a car, but in different ways. Bamberg is a walking town where the island, cathedral hill and Little Venice are minutes apart, though the climbs are steep and cobbled and the station is a fair walk out.

Leipzig is flat and bigger, so you rely more on trams, the underground S-Bahn line and the city's many cycle lanes. Its main station sits right at the edge of the old town, which makes day trips very simple.

Leipzig gives shoppers more to do. Its trade-fair arcades and courtyards, such as the Mädlerpassage, keep the old town pleasant in bad weather, while Karl-Heine-Strasse in Plagwitz has vintage, records and small design shops, and the Spinnerei's galleries open for weekend tours.

Bamberg's shops fill an hour between sights. The best things to take home are produce from the market gardens, bottled smoked beer and finds from the antique dealers near the cathedral.

Costs are similar overall, but the savings come in different places. In Bamberg the beer and tavern meals are cheap, while old-town rooms tighten at weekends and during the Christmas market. In Leipzig the beds are the bargain, but meals and drinks cost the national rate and rates jump during big trade fairs.

Leipzig is one of Europe's great music cities. The Gewandhaus Orchestra and the opera house face each other on Augustusplatz, the Thomanerchor sings Bach most term weekends, the Bachfest fills the churches each June, and there is operetta, cabaret, jazz and the Whitsun Wave-Gotik-Treffen besides.

Bamberg has one outstanding asset in the Bamberg Symphony, plus the ETA Hoffmann Theatre and church concerts. It has no opera company, and opera fans look an hour away to Bayreuth.

Bamberg is the more restful choice. Its quiet evenings, riverside mornings and long beer-garden afternoons set an unhurried pace, and the thermal brine pools at Bad Staffelstein are an easy half-day by train.

Leipzig can be calm too, with Sunday walks through the floodplain forest, but its wellness comes down to sauna complexes and hotel spas, and its spa towns are a separate drive away.