Basel or Portofino?

Neither place has a proper beach on its doorstep, but Portofino comes much closer. Its rock platforms and ladders lead straight into deep, very clear Mediterranean water, there is sand at Paraggi and pebbles at San Fruttuoso, and the season runs from June into October.

Basel's answer is the Rhine: drifting past the old town in a swim bag, then drying off on the gravelly banks. It is a memorable local ritual, but it is fast river water for confident swimmers and lasts only through the high summer.

Basel eats better, mostly because it borrows from its neighbours. Alsatian tarte flambée, Baden wines, a strong fine-dining tier and the Markthalle give you range, and the wine villages over the border are close.

Portofino has Ligurian classics such as trofie with pesto and Recco focaccia, but the harbour restaurants charge for the view more than the cooking, and there is no market or casual scene. Keen eaters head to Camogli or the hill trattorie.

Here the two are far apart. Basel has art collections well beyond its size, from Holbein and the Old Masters at the Kunstmuseum to the Impressionists in Renzo Piano's Fondation Beyeler and Tinguely's machines by the river. Between museums there is the red sandstone Münster above the Rhine, the guild lanes up the Spalenberg and modern buildings by Herzog & de Meuron, enough for three or four full days.

Portofino's main sight is the village itself: ochre and terracotta houses around the harbour, San Giorgio above it, Castello Brown and, round the point, the abbey at San Fruttuoso. It is lovely to look at, but there are no real museums and a day covers it.

Basel is quiet by city standards, but it does have a night out: drinks on the Kleinbasel river steps in summer, bars around the Kaserne and a few clubs in old harbour buildings. Its carnival, Fasnacht, takes over the city for three nights.

Portofino's evening ends with dinner. After a dressed-up aperitivo facing the yachts there are no clubs and few late bars, so anyone wanting more goes on to Santa Margherita or Genoa.

Portofino is the more dramatic of the two. The whole headland is a regional park and marine reserve, with cliff paths, some of them chained, running to San Fruttuoso and Camogli, and offshore there are coral walls and the Christ of the Abyss statue for divers.

Basel's outdoors is gentler and spread further out: Jura ridges, Black Forest summits and the Vosges, with flat Rhine cycle paths into two countries. It suits walkers and cyclists, but the city itself has no scenery to speak of.

Both make good bases, but Basel has the edge because it opens on to three countries by fast train. Colmar, Freiburg, Lucerne, Bern and Zurich are each about an hour away, and you could spend a week without repeating a trip.

Portofino's outings run along one coast: Camogli, Sestri Levante, Genoa's palaces and, in summer, ferries to the Cinque Terre and Portovenere. Arriving by boat is a pleasure, but out of season you depend on the trains.

Basel is the easier family choice. The Zolli is one of Europe's best zoos, the current-driven ferries and toy museum please younger children, and Europa-Park is an hour away. Even so, the list of things to do runs out after a few days.

Portofino gives children boats, the castle walk and rock swimming, but nothing designed for them, and the steep steps rule out pushchairs. Families usually stay in Rapallo or Santa Margherita instead.

Basel is about as easy as it gets. The centre is walkable, the trams reach across the borders, hotel guests ride free, and the main station puts most day trips within reach without a car.

Portofino is tiny on foot but awkward to reach. One narrow road from Santa Margherita jams in summer, parking is scarce, and you rely on a crowded bus or the seasonal ferries.

Basel offers more to browse: Swiss watches and chocolatiers on Freie Strasse, small design shops in Spalenberg and St Johann, and a pretty Christmas market. Portofino packs designer and resort-wear boutiques for the yacht crowd into a few lanes, with some lace and pesto, and you will have seen it all in under an hour.

Both are among the most expensive places you could choose, and neither has a cheap way to stay. The difference is in how you get round it. Basel's free hotel transport and the short hop to cheaper German and French towns take the edge off, and big trade fairs are when rooms become scarce.

Portofino's handful of luxury hotels charge top European prices in summer, and so do loungers, boats and parking. Here the trick is to sleep in Camogli or Rapallo and come in for the day.

Basel has a real season. Theater Basel stages opera, ballet and drama with an international reputation, the Sinfonieorchester plays in the Stadtcasino, and there are early-music concerts and jazz too, though July and August are quiet.

Portofino has no theatre or regular venue, only the occasional summer concert in the piazzetta or at the castle. A proper night of music means the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa.

Basel comes out a little ahead because real bathing is close by. Rheinfelden's saline baths are twenty minutes away, the German spa towns of southern Baden are just over the border, and the city's quiet Sundays set an easy pace.

Portofino's calm depends on timing. Early mornings and the months either side of summer are restorative, and the luxury hotels have spas, but in the middle of a summer day the tour-boat crowds fill the harbour.