Basel or Geneva?

Neither city has a sea or a sandy beach, but Geneva's lake makes the easier summer swim. You can dive off the jetty at the Bains des Pâquis with the Jet d'Eau in view, or spread out on the lawns and use the pools at Genève-Plage, and the water can reach about 23°C.

Basel's equivalent is a float down the Rhine on a swim bag, which is great fun but means a strong current and is only for confident swimmers. Sunbathing there happens on gravel riverbanks rather than at lidos.

Geneva eats slightly better, mainly because it has more of its own. It has perch fillets from the lake, fondue in wood-panelled brasseries, longeole in winter and Chasselas from its own vineyards, and the international community supports a wide range of cuisines.

Basel has fewer local dishes beyond Läckerli and the Fasnacht flour soup, and it borrows from Alsace and Baden instead. The Markthalle is its best casual stop. In both cities meals are expensive, and locals often cross into France or Germany to eat more cheaply.

Basel is the stronger museum city by some way. It has Holbein and the Old Masters at the Kunstmuseum, Impressionists in Renzo Piano's building at Riehen, Tinguely's machines by the river and Vitra's architecture over the border. Around them is a well-kept red sandstone old town with modern buildings by Herzog & de Meuron.

Geneva tells a different story, about Calvin, the Red Cross and world diplomacy. St Pierre Cathedral, the Palais des Nations and CERN are memorable, but they fill fewer days than Basel's collections.

Neither city is somewhere to go for nights out, and both are quiet on weeknights. In summer, Basel's best evenings are spent outdoors at the riverside buvettes on the Kleinbasel bank, with a few clubs in old harbour buildings. Its one great event is Fasnacht, three days of drums, piccolos and lanterns that starts at four in the morning.

Geneva has more variety of setting. The late bars of the slightly rough Pâquis, the wine terraces of Carouge and the alternative centres in Plainpalais and Jonction each have their own feel.

Geneva is the better base for the outdoors. Mont Blanc shows at the end of the lake on clear days, the Salève has cliffs, paragliding and trails just over the border, and Chamonix and the ski resorts are close enough for a day. The lake adds sailing and rowing.

Basel's countryside is gentler. There are the wooded Jura ridges, the Black Forest summits and the Vosges, with flat Rhine paths for cycling into two countries. It suits walkers and cyclists, but the real Alps are a couple of hours away.

Both are excellent bases, and Basel has a slight lead for sheer range. From one station you can reach Colmar and the Alsace wine villages, Strasbourg, Freiburg, Lucerne, Bern and Zurich, most within about an hour, and Roman Augusta Raurica is a quarter of an hour away.

Geneva's outings are more about scenery and the lake. Steamers run to Lausanne, the Lavaux terraces, Château de Chillon and medieval Yvoire, and Annecy is under an hour by road. Bern and Gruyères are a longer day from Geneva than Bern is from Basel.

Both cities are safe, tidy and easy with a pushchair, and neither has a great deal built for children. Basel has the bigger single attraction in the Zolli, one of Europe's best zoos, plus the current-pulled river ferries and Europa-Park about an hour away.

Geneva has no zoo, but the dioramas at its Natural History Museum hold young children for hours. Small animal enclosures, lakeside playgrounds and the yellow harbour boats fill short outings. The lake shore is also more forgiving for paddling than Basel's strong Rhine.

Getting around is effortless in both, with walkable centres, punctual trams and free local transport for most hotel guests. Basel's trams cross into Germany and France, and its little ferries make crossing the Rhine part of the fun. Its airport, shared with France, is reached by bus.

Geneva's airport is only a few minutes from the main station by train, and its harbour boats are part of the same network. The Old Town hill is the only real climb.

Geneva is the far better place to shop, at least at the top end. The Rue du Rhône is a world centre for watches and jewellery, Carouge has craft and design workshops in its low old streets, and the Plainpalais flea market is good for antiques.

Basel's Freie Strasse and Gerbergasse offer watches, chocolate and the usual chains, and the Spalenberg lanes have some small design shops. Its Christmas market around the Münster is the main seasonal reason to shop there.

Both are among the most expensive places in Europe to visit, and neither is a sensible choice on a tight budget. In both, hotel rooms get scarce and costly during big fairs, and many visitors sleep or eat across the border.

The ways to save differ a little. In Basel, cheaper German and French towns are only a tram ride away. Geneva has many free city museums and cheap lake lidos to soften the bill.

The classical and stage scenes are well matched, and each is stronger than you would expect for a city this size. Basel has Theater Basel, known for bold opera, ballet and drama, the Stadtcasino's fine acoustics and a long tradition of early music. It goes quiet in July and August.

Geneva has the Grand Théâtre for opera, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in the gilded Victoria Hall, and French-language theatre. In summer it has open-air concerts, so it is the better bet for music in high summer.

Both cities are restful rather than spa destinations, with calm Sundays and riverside or lakeside promenades for slowing down. Geneva has a bathing ritual in the city itself: in winter the Bains des Pâquis becomes a sauna and hammam, and regulars plunge straight from the heat into the lake.

From Basel you travel for proper bathing. The saline thermal pools at Rheinfelden are about twenty minutes away, and the spa towns of southern Baden are just over the border.