Belgrade or Zakopane?

Neither city has a coast, but Belgrade has real summer swimming. Ada Ciganlija's long gravel shores on the Sava lake are warm and lifeguarded, and the sandier, wilder Lido on Great War Island is a boat ride from Zemun.

Zakopane's glacial lakes are cold and closed to bathers, and the nearest open water is the Czorsztyn reservoir about an hour's drive away. In practice a swim there means the outdoor thermal pools, which do at least stay warm in any season.

Both cities cook hearty, meat-heavy food, but Belgrade has more of it and more variety. Ćevapi, pljeskavica and slow-roasted meats come with kajmak and ajvar, the kafanas of Skadarlija and Zemun keep the old tavern style alive, and burek, the Kalenić and Zeleni Venac markets and Fruška Gora wines fill out the day.

Zakopane's highland table is distinctive but narrow. Grilled oscypek with cranberry and kwaśnica soup are worth trying, but many Krupówki menus repeat each other, and the better meals are found in family inns on the side streets.

Belgrade has more to see, even if little of it is grand. Kalemegdan layers two thousand years of walls above the meeting of the Sava and Danube, the Temple of Saint Sava glows with gold mosaic inside, and the Museum of Yugoslavia and the National Museum hold the strongest collections. It takes two or three days to cover.

Zakopane's heritage is small and very much its own. The wooden Zakopane style shows in Villa Koliba, the Jaszczurówka chapel and the steep-roofed villas, and the carved grave markers of Pęksowy Brzyzek are the most memorable sight. It fits into a single day.

Belgrade is one of the reasons people travel to the Balkans for a night out. Splav clubs moored on both rivers play everything from turbo-folk to house through the summer, Dorćol's bar streets spill onto the pavement, and the big clubs run on table bookings, bottle service and sharp dress until dawn.

Zakopane's evenings centre on the pubs and a few clubs along Krupówki. They are lively mainly on winter weekends and during the ski season, and they go quiet midweek, when most hikers turn in early anyway.

This is where Zakopane pulls far ahead. Granite peaks, cirques and glacial lakes lie right above town, with easy valley walks through Kościeliska, the long road to Morskie Oko, harder climbs to Giewont and Rysy, and the Orla Perć ridge for scramblers. Winter adds skiing, and the Dunajec gorge offers rafting in summer.

Belgrade's outdoors is gentler and grows out of its rivers. There are long promenades for cycling, herons on Great War Island, the woods of Košutnjak and Avala, and easy vineyard walks on Fruška Gora.

Both have a good range of outings, and the difference lies in their character. From Belgrade the best day goes north by fast train to Habsburg Novi Sad and its Petrovaradin fortress, or to baroque Sremski Karlovci and the Fruška Gora monasteries. Danube fortresses at Smederevo and Golubac lie to the east, though most trips beyond Novi Sad need a car or a tour.

Zakopane's big outing is Kraków with the Wieliczka salt mine, about two hours away on a busy road. Nearer at hand are the painted wooden church at Dębno, the log houses of Chochołów and, over the Slovak border, Spiš Castle and Levoča. Weekend traffic is the catch.

Zakopane is the easier choice with children. The Gubałówka funicular leads to slides and a summer toboggan run, the flat Kościeliska valley suits pushchairs, winter brings sledging and ski schools, and the thermal water parks save a rainy day.

Belgrade welcomes children warmly at the table, and Kalemegdan's ramparts, tanks and small zoo make a good afternoon, as does the shallow water at Ada in summer. Beyond that there is little built for them, and the traffic and crowded pavements make pushchairs hard work, so it suits older children better than toddlers.

Both are easy to manage once you are there, in quite different ways. Belgrade's central sights are walkable, though slopes climb up from the rivers. Trams and buses cover the city without a metro and are crowded, so cheap taxis and ride-hailing do much of the work for visitors.

In Zakopane the pedestrianised centre is tiny, and minibuses run to Kuźnice and the valley trailheads. The hard part is arriving: the road jams at peak times, and the train from Kraków is slow.

Belgrade gives a little more to browse, with Knez Mihailova and the riverside malls for familiar brands, young designers in Dorćol and Vračar, and markets for honey, ajvar and rakija to take home.

Zakopane's shopping is almost all souvenirs, but the craft behind it is real. Look for thick wool sweaters, sheepskins, carved boxes and wheels of oscypek at the Gubałówka market.

Belgrade's low costs hold steady through the year. Kafana meals, terrace coffees, rounds of rakija and taxis all cost little, and the fortress park and many museums are cheap or free. The main expenses are a central room in Dorćol or near Knez Mihailova and the smarter clubs on the river.

Zakopane's prices move with the seasons. Family guesthouses, inn meals, minibuses and park entry cost far less than in the Alps, but at Christmas, New Year, the winter school breaks and on long summer weekends rooms cost noticeably more and need booking early. Spring and autumn are the cheapest times to go.

Belgrade has a proper capital's stage. The National Theatre puts on opera and ballet, the Belgrade Philharmonic plays at the Kolarac hall, and BITEF and BEMUS anchor the autumn. Tamburica bands in the Skadarlija kafanas add music every night.

Zakopane's offering is smaller but rooted in the place. There is the Witkacy Theatre, highland fiddle bands play in the inns, and every August the International Festival of Mountain Folklore fills the streets with dance troupes.

Zakopane was built on the idea of restoring health in mountain air. The geothermal complexes at Chochołów, Białka Tatrzańska, Bukowina and Szaflary, with outdoor pools steaming in the snow, make a soak after hiking or skiing part of the routine. A guesthouse on the quieter slopes avoids the noise of the centre.

Belgrade has no bathing tradition and only hotel spas. Its restful moments are long terrace coffees and lazy afternoons by the lake or the Danube, in a city that otherwise runs loud and late.