Basel or Dusseldorf?

Neither city has a beach, but in summer Basel has something close to one. People float down the Rhine past the old town with their clothes in waterproof bags, then sunbathe on the gravel banks. It is only for confident swimmers, and only from about June to early September.

In Düsseldorf the Rhine is off limits because of strong currents and shipping. A swim means heading out to Unterbacher See or one of the region's outdoor pools. The sandy riverbanks are a nice place to spend a summer evening, but not to get in the water.

Düsseldorf is the better place to eat on purpose. Its brewhouse cooking gives it a clear local identity: sauerbraten, pork knuckle and the city's sharp brown mustard, served with Altbier. The Japanese quarter adds ramen counters, izakaya and Japanese bakeries, and Basel has nothing like them.

Basel eats well but borrows much of its menu from Alsace and Baden, and everyday meals can feel dear for what arrives. Its strengths are a small fine-dining tier, the Markthalle and the Marktplatz market, and the easy option of crossing the border for dinner in a wine village.

Basel gives a sightseer more. Its museums are led by the Kunstmuseum's Holbeins and the Fondation Beyeler, and it also has an intact old town. The red sandstone Münster stands above the river, the painted Rathaus fronts Marktplatz, and guild-house lanes climb to the Spalentor.

Düsseldorf can hold its own in modern art, with Klee at K20 and the net slung under K21's glass dome. But wartime bombing left it little old fabric, so its sights are spread out: the leaning Gehry buildings of the Medienhafen, the Rheinturm, and Benrath Palace out in the southern suburbs.

Düsseldorf is the place for a night out. The Altstadt packs a few hundred bars and brewhouses into a handful of streets. On weekends the lanes turn into a standing street party that runs well past midnight. If that is too loud, Carlstadt and the Medienhafen have calmer cocktail bars.

Basel is quieter and dearer. Its best evenings are summer ones, drinking on the steps by the Kleinbasel riverside kiosks. Both cities save their biggest moment for carnival. Basel's Fasnacht begins with drums and piccolos at four in the morning, while Düsseldorf's goes on for days in costume and peaks on Rosenmontag.

Basel has real hill country on three sides. The Jura starts just south of the city, the Black Forest rises within an hour with summits above 1,400m, and the Vosges lie to the west. Flat Rhine paths also run out of town for cycling into Germany and France.

Düsseldorf's outdoors is gentler. The Rhine meadows, Grafenberg forest and the Neandertal make for easy walks and rides, and the Bergisches Land and the Eifel lie further out. None of it comes close to the wooded ridges within reach of Basel.

Both are excellent bases, with Basel slightly ahead for variety because it opens on to three countries. Colmar and the Alsace wine villages, Freiburg and the Black Forest, and Lucerne, Bern and Zurich are all about an hour away, so each day can feel like a different country.

Düsseldorf's trips are shorter and more urban. Cologne cathedral is under half an hour away, Bonn and the Brühl palaces are close by, and the Ruhr shows off its industrial heritage at Zollverein. Aachen, Maastricht and the castles of the Middle Rhine gorge round out a strong list.

Families will find the two cities equally easy. Both are safe and orderly, with trams that take buggies without fuss. The difference lies in the headline outings: Basel has the Zolli, one of Europe's best zoos, with Europa-Park about an hour away.

Düsseldorf answers with the Aquazoo, the tilted windows of the Rheinturm, and both Phantasialand and Movie Park within reach. In summer, Basel's Rhine is too strong for small children, while Düsseldorf's river meadows have playgrounds and sandy banks to play on.

Basel is the simpler city to get around. The old town and both riverbanks are walkable, and some tram lines run into Germany and France. Hotel guests ride local transport free, and the main station puts most day trips a direct train away.

Düsseldorf is easy on foot too, with the Altstadt, the Königsallee and the Japanese quarter close together, and the airport is only minutes from the centre by train. Its regional network reaches Cologne and the Ruhr, but the fare zones take some getting used to.

Düsseldorf is a shopping destination in a way Basel is not. Luxury flagships line the Königsallee along its canal. Big department stores and Schadowstrasse cover the mainstream, and Flingern's boutiques and the Japanese quarter's stationery and homeware shops add independent character.

Basel's Freie Strasse and Gerbergasse are tidy but limited, best for watches, chocolate and Läckerli, with small design shops around Spalenberg. Its Christmas market by the Münster is a highlight, but locals often cross into Germany for better prices.

Düsseldorf costs a great deal less. Rooms are pricey for a city of its size, and much more so during trade fairs. Day to day, though, brewhouse meals, noodle bars and public transport keep spending in line with any prosperous Western European city.

Basel is expensive at almost every turn, from hotels to museum tickets. The free transport card for hotel guests helps. Many visitors cut the bill by eating or staying across the border in Germany or France.

On stage the two are evenly matched, and the difference is in flavour. Basel's strengths are Theater Basel's bold opera and ballet, the fine acoustics of the Stadtcasino, and a long tradition of early-music concerts.

Düsseldorf has the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the domed Tonhalle and a political cabaret tradition, and as Kraftwerk's home town it has its own place in electronic music history. Its Schauspielhaus works mainly in German. In Basel the season goes quiet in July and August.

Neither city is a spa destination in its own right, but Basel has the edge for an unhurried stay. Its Sundays are calm and its riverside is made for idling. The saline baths at Rheinfelden are about twenty minutes away, and the spa towns of southern Baden are just over the border.

Düsseldorf's version is the German sauna habit in public baths, usually mixed and without swimwear. Thermal complexes lie within an hour, and Aachen's hot springs a little further. The Hofgarten and the Japanese garden in Nordpark are quiet places to walk, unlike the Altstadt at weekends.