Basel or Cortina d'Ampezzo?

Neither city has a beach. Basel does have a proper summer swimming culture: people float down the Rhine past the old town on the current, then climb out onto the gravel banks to sunbathe. The current is strong, though, so it suits confident adults.

Cortina has no real equivalent. Its alpine lakes, such as Ghedina and Pianozes, are fed by snowmelt and too cold for more than a brave dip, so swimming mostly means a hotel pool.

You will eat about equally well in both, but in different ways. Basel borrows from its neighbours: Alsatian tarte flambée, Baden wines, the Markthalle and the market on Marktplatz, with cheaper meals just over the border.

Cortina's food is Ampezzan mountain cooking with a Venetian accent, such as beetroot casunziei, polenta with game and barley soup. The best meals tend to be on rifugio terraces among the peaks rather than in town.

This is where the two differ most. Basel can fill several days with major collections: Holbein and the Old Masters at the Kunstmuseum, the Beyeler in its Renzo Piano building, Tinguely by the river and the architecture campus at Vitra. Around them is a well-kept old town of red sandstone and guild houses.

Cortina's sights fit into a rainy afternoon: the basilica, the 1956 Olympic ice stadium and the Rimoldi art collection. Its most moving heritage is the First World War front line on Lagazuoi and the Cinque Torri, and reaching it takes a day in the mountains.

Neither is a party destination, but Basel gives you more to do after dark. In summer people drink on the riverside steps of Kleinbasel, there are bars around the Kaserne all year, and a few clubs in old harbour buildings play electronic music at weekends. Fasnacht turns the whole city out at four in the morning.

Cortina's evenings are après-ski drinks, the passeggiata on the Corso Italia and long dinners. A few glamorous late spots open only in the peak winter weeks.

Cortina is one of the great mountain settings in Europe. The Tofane, Cristallo and Cinque Torri ring the valley, lifts leave straight from town, and the Tre Cime and Lago di Misurina are under an hour away. It offers serious skiing, via ferrata and long-distance trails.

Basel's countryside is gentler but close at hand. The Jura, the Black Forest and the Vosges are all within reach for marked walks, and flat Rhine paths run into Germany and France for easy cycling. It suits walkers and cyclists rather than climbers.

Basel sits where three countries meet, which makes it a superb base. Colmar and the Alsace wine villages, Freiburg, Lucerne, Bern and the Rhine Falls are all easy by train, and Roman Augusta Raurica is a short hop away.

Cortina's outings mostly lead further into the mountains. San Candido and Brunico in South Tyrol are pleasant, Bolzano and its Iceman are about two hours away, and Venice is a long day there and back by coach.

Basel is the easier choice for families. It is small and safe, the trams take prams, and the Zolli is one of Europe's best zoos. The natural history and toy museums cover rainy mornings, and Europa-Park is within reach for a big day out.

Cortina works well for families who ski or hike, with ski schools at Socrepes, public skating and gentle walks to huts. Beyond the outdoors there is little made for children, so wet days can drag.

Basel could hardly be simpler. The centre is walkable, green trams cover the rest of the city and even cross the borders, hotel guests ride free, and the main station puts three countries within easy reach.

Cortina's own centre takes minutes on foot, but the valley has had no railway since 1964. You arrive by coach or car, buses to the passes are limited, and most visitors hire a car to explore the Dolomites.

Both offer a polished but small range of shops. Basel's Freie Strasse has Swiss watches and chocolatiers, the Spalenberg lanes have design shops, and there is a pretty Christmas market around the Münster.

Cortina has one luxury strip, the Corso Italia, with furriers and upmarket mountain wear. The century-old Cooperativa sells everything from local food to ski gear.

Both are among the most expensive places you could pick, and the money goes on different things. In Basel it is hotels, meals and museum entry at Swiss prices, made a little easier by free trams and cheaper meals over the borders.

In Cortina, peak-season rooms, lift passes and equipment hire push costs up. Rifugio meals and the shoulder months of June and late September bring some relief.

Basel has a proper season. Theater Basel stages bold opera, ballet and drama, the Sinfonieorchester plays at the Stadtcasino, and early-music and jazz concerts fill out the calendar from autumn to early summer.

Cortina has no theatre and no regular venue. Its music comes from summer chamber festivals in churches and occasionally out on the mountainsides.

Basel is slightly ahead because real thermal bathing is close by. The saline pools at Rheinfelden are twenty minutes away and the spa towns of southern Baden are just over the border, on top of quiet Sundays by the river.

Cortina has no springs, so wellness means hotel spas with hay baths and saunas after a day outdoors. Its calm comes from clear air and hut terraces, though only outside the peak weeks.