Basel or Stuttgart?

Neither city has a beach, but Basel has something Stuttgart can't offer. On summer afternoons people walk upstream along the Kleinbasel bank and float back down the Rhine past the old town, then dry off on the gravel banks. It suits confident swimmers, since the current is strong.

Stuttgart's Neckar is a working river with barges and locks, so summer swimming there means outdoor pools, some fed by mineral springs. The nearest open water worth the trip is Lake Constance, more than two hours away.

Stuttgart gives you more to eat that you couldn't get elsewhere. Maultaschen, Käsespätzle and Zwiebelrostbraten fill the wine taverns, vineyards inside the city limits supply Trollinger and Riesling, and in season the Besen taverns open in growers' own homes.

Basel cooks well but borrows much of its menu, with tarte flambée from Alsace and wine from Baden, and its own specialities stop at Läckerli and Fasnacht flour soup. Everyday meals there feel expensive for what they are, which is why many locals cross the border to eat.

For art and old streets, Basel comes out ahead. Holbein and the Old Masters at the Kunstmuseum, the Fondation Beyeler and the Museum Tinguely make up a remarkable run of museums. The sandstone Münster, the painted Rathaus and the guild lanes up to the Spalentor survive whole.

Stuttgart's strengths lie in another century. The Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums, the Staatsgalerie and the Weissenhof Estate tell a story of industry and modern design, while wartime bombing left its historic core only in fragments around Schlossplatz.

Neither is a party city, and evenings are about equally lively in both. The difference is in style. In Basel, summer nights are spent outdoors, drinking on the Rhine steps by the Kleinbasel kiosks, and the Kaserne area and a few harbour clubs carry the rest of the year.

Stuttgart is more of an indoor bar town, centred on the Theodor-Heuss-Strasse strip with quieter wine bars in the Bohnenviertel. For an extraordinary few days, time a visit for the beer tents of the Cannstatter Volksfest in Stuttgart or for Basel's Fasnacht, whose drums start at four in the morning.

There is little to choose between them for walkers and cyclists, and neither has real mountains. From Basel you can reach three ranges, the Jura, the Black Forest and the Vosges, along with flat Rhine paths that cross into two countries.

Stuttgart has more green on its own doorstep, with vineyard trails and deer forests climbing straight out of the basin. The cliffs and caves of the Swabian Jura are an hour away.

Both make excellent bases, but Basel has a little more variety because it opens onto three countries. Colmar and the Alsace wine villages, Freiburg, and Lucerne, Bern and Zurich are each about an hour away, so a week of outings could each feel like a different country.

Stuttgart's trips stay mostly within Germany, but they are very good ones. They include Ludwigsburg's palace, Tübingen's punts, Heidelberg's castle, Hohenzollern on its hilltop and the spire at Ulm.

Children are in safe, tidy surroundings in either city, so the choice comes down to the kind of day out you want. Basel's best is the Zolli, one of Europe's finest zoos and a short walk from the station, along with the little Rhine ferries pulled across by the current. After that the list is short, though Europa-Park is about an hour away by car.

Stuttgart spreads its attractions more widely. Wilhelma sets animals and gardens among Moorish-style pavilions, Killesberg has a narrow-gauge railway and a lookout tower, and the car museums keep older children busy. The catch is the hills, which mean some uphill pushing with a pushchair.

Basel is easier to get around. Both riverbanks are walkable, the green trams reach even into France and Germany, and hotel guests travel free. The main station links straight to three countries.

Stuttgart's flat centre is easy on foot, but the city soon climbs the sides of its basin. Beyond the centre you rely on the Stadtbahn and S-Bahn or tackle the Stäffele stairways, although one integrated ticket covers everything.

Stuttgart is the better place to shop. Königstrasse is a long pedestrian high street, Breuninger anchors luxury fashion, and the Metzingen outlet town is half an hour away.

Basel's Freie Strasse is compact and leans towards watches, jewellery and chocolate. The Christmas market around the Münster is its prettiest shopping moment, and many locals go to Germany for everyday buys.

Stuttgart is noticeably cheaper, although it isn't a bargain. Weekend hotel rates drop when the business travellers leave, and generous tavern portions keep meals reasonable.

Basel costs Swiss prices for rooms, meals, drinks and museum tickets alike, and fair weeks such as Art Basel push them higher still. Free trams and cheaper meals across the border help, but you will still spend much more than in Stuttgart.

Stuttgart has the stronger stage. Its ballet, shaped by John Cranko, is among Europe's most respected companies, and it shares the state theatre with a bold opera company. Big musicals in Möhringen and a Bach tradition at the Liederhalle round out the season.

Basel is impressive for its size, with Theater Basel's daring productions, the Stadtcasino's acoustics and historical early-music concerts. Its output is smaller, though, and it slows down in July and August.

Stuttgart wins here because its bathing is in the city. The springs of Bad Cannstatt and Berg feed public baths where you soak in naturally carbonated warm water and finish in the sauna.

Basel relaxes you through its pace instead, with quiet Sundays and an unhurried riverside. For thermal water you go out to Rheinfelden or the Baden spa towns, which turns a soak into a day trip.