Basel or Munich?

Neither city is a beach destination, but Basel has the more memorable swim. You can float down the Rhine past the old town in the middle of the city, with bathing huts, ladders and gravel banks to climb out on. It is river swimming in a strong current, though, so it suits confident adults.

Munich's Isar banks are better for sunbathing and barbecues than for swimming. For a proper swim you take the S-Bahn out to the Starnberger See or the Ammersee, where the water is calmer but fresher and the trip takes up half a day.

Munich gives you more reasons to plan meals. Its brewery beer halls and chestnut-shaded beer gardens are an experience in themselves, the Bavarian cooking has a strong identity, from roast pork with crackling to white sausage before noon, and the Viktualienmarkt is a fine place to graze.

Basel eats well but borrows much of its character from its neighbours, with Alsatian tarte flambée and Baden wines next to Swiss-German comfort food. Everyday meals can feel expensive for what they are. Its best eating is often a short trip across the border into the wine villages.

Both are serious art cities. Munich's collections are bigger and grander: the Kunstareal groups the Alte Pinakothek, the Pinakothek der Moderne, the Glyptothek and the Lenbachhaus, and then come the Wittelsbach Residenz, Nymphenburg and the vast Deutsches Museum.

Basel's strength is concentration rather than scale. Holbein at the Kunstmuseum, the Fondation Beyeler and the Vitra campus give a remarkable run of art and architecture for a small city. Its old town, with the red sandstone Münster and the painted Rathaus, survived largely intact, while much of Munich's centre was rebuilt after the war.

Munich has more going on after dark. Beer halls set an easy start to the evening, the Glockenbachviertel and Gärtnerplatz have dense rows of cocktail and gay bars, and a few serious techno clubs run until morning. Oktoberfest takes over the city for just over two weeks from late September.

Basel is quieter: summer drinks on the steps by the Kleinbasel riverside kiosks, bars around the Kaserne and a handful of weekend clubs. Its one big night is Fasnacht in late winter, three days of drums, piccolos and lantern processions starting at four in the morning.

Munich has the mountains. The Alps begin about an hour south, with real alpine hiking around the Wetterstein and the Zugspitze, skiing in winter and the Five Lakes for sailing and cycling. In town, the English Garden is huge, and surfers ride the Eisbach wave at its edge.

Basel's countryside is gentler. The Jura ridges, the Black Forest and the Vosges are all close and well waymarked, and the flat Rhine paths carry cyclists into France and Germany. It suits walkers and cyclists rather than anyone after high peaks.

From Basel a single morning can take you into France, Germany or deeper into Switzerland. Half-timbered Colmar and the villages of the Alsace wine route are about an hour away, with Strasbourg's cathedral a little further, and Freiburg's minster is under an hour by train into Germany. Bern, Lucerne and Zurich are each about an hour by train, and the Roman town of Augusta Raurica is only a quarter of an hour out.

Munich's list has fewer border crossings but more depth in one region. Augsburg, Nuremberg and medieval Regensburg make a run of historic German towns, and Salzburg and Innsbruck are within easy reach in Austria. Neuschwanstein, about two hours away near Füssen, is the best-known single outing from either city. Herrenchiemsee adds another royal palace on its island in the Chiemsee.

Munich is the easier city to fill with children's days. The Hellabrunn zoo along the Isar, the hands-on sections of the Deutsches Museum, the transport museum and an aquarium are all there, beer gardens often have playgrounds, and the lake beaches make summer simple.

Basel is safe and pram-friendly, and its Zolli is one of Europe's best zoos. Beyond that and a rainy-day museum or two, the options thin out, and the Rhine is too strong for small swimmers.

Both are effortless without a car, but they work differently. Basel is small enough to walk, its green trams cross into France and Germany, hotel guests ride free, and current-driven ferries cross the Rhine.

Munich is bigger. Its pedestrianised old town is walkable, but you will use the integrated U-Bahn, S-Bahn and tram network to reach Nymphenburg, the Olympic Park and the lakes. It is also flat and very good for cycling, though delays on the central S-Bahn line are a known nuisance.

Munich is a far better place to shop. Maximilianstrasse has the luxury houses, Neuhauser Strasse and Kaufingerstrasse carry the department stores, and Glockenbach and Schwabing have independent boutiques. The distinctive buy is Tracht, dirndls and lederhosen from specialist tailors.

Basel offers a tidy main street of watches, chocolate and chains, with small design shops around Spalenberg. Its Christmas market by the Münster is lovely, but locals themselves cross into Germany for cheaper shopping.

Neither is cheap, but Basel is the harder hit. Hotels, meals, drinks and museum tickets all come at Swiss prices, and rooms during Art Basel are scarce. Free transport for hotel guests and cheaper meals over the border help a little.

Munich is dear by German standards, especially for hotels during Oktoberfest and trade fairs, but day-to-day costs are gentler. Beer-hall food is fair value, you can bring a picnic to a beer garden, the parks and lakes are free, and some museums charge only a token fee on Sundays.

Munich is one of Europe's great music cities. The Bavarian State Opera in the National Theatre is world-class, three orchestras of real standing play in halls such as the Herkulessaal, and the rococo Cuvilliés Theatre is a jewel for chamber opera. Its season runs through most of the year, summer included.

Basel punches above its size. Theater Basel is known for bold opera and ballet, the Stadtcasino has fine acoustics, and early music is a local speciality. Its season goes quiet in July and August, though.

Munich has its own bathing culture in the city. You can swim under the Art Nouveau vaults of the Müller'sches Volksbad, try German-style textile-free saunas with infusion rituals, or go to the huge thermal complex at Erding, about forty minutes away.

Basel relaxes you through its calm pace and quiet riverside rather than its facilities. For a real soak you head out to the saline baths at Rheinfelden or the spa towns of southern Baden, so it suits an easy trip with a spa day added.