Bavaria or Dolomites?

Neither region has a coast, but Bavaria's lakes are the better place to swim. The Starnberger See, Ammersee and Chiemsee all have jetties and lawns within reach of Munich, and in hot weather you can take a dip in the Isar in the middle of the city.

In the Dolomites, the famous high lakes such as Braies are too cold for most people. For real swimming you have to go down to Lake Caldaro or the north end of Garda.

The two are evenly matched at the table, but they eat and drink differently. Bavaria is built around beer: Munich's beer gardens, Bamberg's smoked beer and Franconian Silvaner, with roast pork and sausages to go with them.

The Dolomites mix Tyrolean and Italian cooking, with speck, canederli and a proper espresso. They also have wines from the slopes south of Bolzano, lunch on a hut terrace and a surprising number of serious kitchens in Alta Badia.

Bavaria has far more heritage than the Dolomites. Munich has the Lenbachhaus's Blue Rider painters and the science collections of the Deutsches Museum, and Nuremberg adds its imperial castle and the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. Beyond them are Würzburg's Tiepolo ceiling, Rothenburg's full ring of walls and Ludwig II's castles. The catch is that seeing it well means moving between several bases.

In the Dolomites, the landscape is what UNESCO lists, and the buildings play a supporting role. Ötzi in Bolzano, the frescoed rooms of Trento's Castello del Buonconsiglio and the First World War tunnels on the passes will fill a rainy day, but they are not a reason to come.

Bavaria offers much more after dark, and not only in Munich. Students keep the pub streets of Bamberg, Würzburg and Regensburg busy, and Nuremberg has a modest bar scene. In the Alpine and lake resorts, though, an evening usually ends with dinner.

The whole of the Dolomites is closer to those Bavarian resorts. Bolzano and Trento have student and wine bars around their old centres, but neither stays up late. Winter après-ski in Selva and Canazei winds down in the early evening, and Cortina's dressier wine bars are about as smart as a night out gets here.

Bavaria has good mountains: the Zugspitze above Garmisch, the Königssee in Berchtesgaden and hut walks in the Allgäu. Further north it adds gentler forest and river cycling.

Even so, the Dolomites are on another level. The limestone towers of the Sassolungo and Tre Cime rise straight out of meadows, and the Alpe di Siusi offers easy high walking. The Alta Via routes and the Sella Ronda ski circuit put world-class terrain within a lift ride of most villages.

Bavaria is easier for outings. From Munich, Augsburg, Nuremberg, Regensburg and Salzburg are all quick by train, and Franconia works as a second hub for Bamberg and the Romantic Road.

In the Dolomites the best outings start from the Adige valley, with Merano, Trento and Verona all in reach. From the high villages every trip begins on a winding pass road, so many visitors split their stay.

Bavaria works for families all year. It has beer gardens with playgrounds, zoos in Munich and Nuremberg, the Deutsches Museum's children's section and Legoland at Günzburg, so a wet day is easy to fill.

The Dolomites are excellent in summer, with flat paths across high pastures, huts with farm animals and family hotels with children's clubs. But there are no zoos or theme parks, so rain means the pool or a long drive.

With a regional day ticket, much of Bavaria is within reach by train. Lines from Munich run to Nuremberg, Garmisch, Berchtesgaden and the lakes, so you don't need a car for the main towns. Delays do happen, though, and some lake shores and valleys depend on infrequent buses.

In the Dolomites, trains and buses serve the valleys, and lifts link the villages within a ski area. Crossing from one valley to another is the hard part: the hairpin passes are slow and crowded in summer, and Cortina has no station. Most visitors who want to see several areas hire a car.

Bavaria has real city shopping. Maximilianstrasse and the streets around Marienplatz offer luxury and department stores, and there is Dirndl tailoring, Nuremberg toys and big Christmas markets on top.

The Dolomites are narrower. Woodcarving in Ortisei, loden under Bolzano's arcades, a short strip of boutiques in Cortina and Advent markets cover most of it, along with speck and wine to take home.

Neither is cheap, but Bavaria is gentler on the budget. Munich is expensive, while Franconian towns, the Bavarian Forest and village guesthouses are moderate, and in beer gardens you can bring your own food.

In the Dolomites, Cortina, Alta Badia and Val Gardena are among Italy's costliest resorts in high season, and lift passes and guides add up. Fassa, Fiemme and the valley towns, or a visit in June or September, keep the cost down.

Bavaria is the place for an evening in a concert hall or opera house. The Bavarian State Opera performs most nights in season, Munich has two orchestras of international rank and the rococo Cuvilliés Theatre, and Bayreuth's Wagner festival draws devotees every summer.

The Dolomites offer orchestras in Bolzano and Trento and memorable summer concerts on alpine meadows and in castles. For most of the year, though, there is little to book.

Bavaria has a public spa culture going back centuries. There are the colonnades of Bad Kissingen, the brine baths of Bad Reichenhall, Kneipp's water cure at Bad Wörishofen, Erding's vast thermal complex and the Art Nouveau Müller'sches Volksbad in Munich.

In the Dolomites, wellness mostly means a good hotel spa, with saunas facing rock walls and hay baths below the Schlern. Merano is the one real spa town, so choose your hotel carefully.