Bergamo or Lausanne?

Neither city has a real beach, but Lausanne's swimming starts right on the waterfront. The Bellerive lido and the lawns at Vidy and towards Lutry are a short ride from the centre, so a swim fits easily into a summer afternoon.

From Bergamo, swimming means a day out to the lidos of Lake Iseo or the Lecco arm of Lake Como. The shores at both are pebble, grass and concrete rather than sand, and the season is short.

The two are level, but they suit different appetites. Bergamo is mountain pasta and cheese: casoncelli with butter and sage, polenta with braised meats, and the cheese counters of the upper town selling Taleggio and Strachitunt. Lower-town trattorias make it easy to eat well without spending much.

Lausanne's table is lake perch, papet vaudois and winter fondue, and wine is what makes it special: tasting Chasselas with the growers in the Lavaux caveaux. Both cities have a strong fine-dining tier, but in Lausanne a cheap, ordinary meal takes more finding.

Bergamo has the richer set of sights, because the walled Città Alta is itself the attraction. Its Venetian walls are UNESCO-listed, and Piazza Vecchia, Santa Maria Maggiore and the marble front of the Cappella Colleoni sit close together. Below the hill, the Accademia Carrara holds Raphael, Bellini and Mantegna.

Lausanne's old town is smaller and steeper, centred on the Gothic cathedral and its painted portal. Its strength lies in the museums: the Olympic Museum at Ouchy, the cluster at Plateforme 10 and the unusual Collection de l'Art Brut.

Lausanne has more of a night out, thanks to its large student population and the Flon, a valley of old warehouses that now holds clubs and late bars, busiest at weekends. Ouchy's waterfront fills up on summer evenings.

Bergamo's evenings are calmer. A long aperitivo around Borgo Santa Caterina or drinks on the walls of the upper town usually end near midnight, and anyone after clubs takes the train to Milan.

Both cities have mountains close by, but Lausanne makes them easier to reach and adds the lake. The Alps rise across the water, and the Lavaux terraces offer one of Switzerland's loveliest vineyard walks. Trains reach skiing and hiking at Villars and Les Diablerets, or the Jura ridges, in about an hour.

Bergamo starts well, with the wooded Colli park climbing from the upper town to San Vigilio. The Orobie valleys beyond have rifugi and serious summer hiking, but they are best reached by car, and its ski areas are small.

Both make excellent bases, so the choice comes down to what you want to see. From Bergamo, the trips are to Italian cities of art: Milan's Last Supper, Verona, Cremona's violin workshops, Brescia and Mantua, plus Lake Iseo's car-free Monte Isola.

From Lausanne, the outings are lakeside towns and Swiss old towns: Montreux and the Château de Chillon, Bern, Gruyères and Murten. Boats also cross to Évian on the French shore, and almost none of these trips needs a car.

In Bergamo, the main event for children is the ride up the hill. One funicular climbs to the Città Alta and a second goes on to San Vigilio, and the ramparts make a good place to run about between the two. Beyond that, the city has little made for children, so bigger days out mean driving to the theme park by the Adda or the wildlife park below the hills. The cobbled slopes of the upper town are tiring with a buggy.

Lausanne has more for children within the city itself, which makes it easier to fill several days without a car. On a wet day there are the hands-on displays at Ouchy or the river and lake creatures on the northern edge of town. On a dry one there is the wooden lookout tower in the Sauvabelin woods, and in summer the pools and lawns at Bellerive. The metro takes most of the strain out of the hills, though pushing a buggy up the stepped streets is still hard work.

Lausanne is easier to get around. The m2 metro climbs more than 300m from the lakeshore to the upper town, so the steep slopes stop being a problem, and punctual Swiss trains and lake boats reach the wider region without a car.

Bergamo works well within the city, with a funicular linking the lower town and the Città Alta and a short bus ride to the airport. Direct trains run to Milan and Brescia, but the upper valleys and most lake shores are much quicker by car.

Neither is a shopping destination, and each has its own speciality. In Bergamo, the best buys are edible: the delicatessens and cheese shops along the main lane of the Città Alta, with fashion chains below on the Sentierone.

In Lausanne, Rue de Bourg is the place for Swiss watches, jewellery and chocolate. Serious fashion shoppers do better elsewhere, and from Bergamo that means Milan, under an hour away.

This is the biggest gap between the two. Bergamo is a moderately priced Italian city, where lower-town hotels and trattorias are fair value and the funicular and buses cost little. Only the Città Alta and summer weekends push prices up.

Lausanne is very expensive. Hotels, meals, wine and taxis all cost far more, so a stay of the same length costs much more, and budget travellers end up picnicking by the lake.

Lausanne has the stronger stage, and dance leads it. It is home to the Béjart Ballet and the Prix de Lausanne, and the Théâtre de Vidy is internationally known for contemporary work. A full opera season and a respected chamber orchestra add to it, and the Montreux Jazz Festival is a short train ride away in July.

Bergamo is built around opera and Donizetti, who was born there. The autumn Donizetti festival at the Teatro Donizetti and the spring Bergamo Jazz festival are its highlights, and La Scala in Milan is close enough for an evening.

Bergamo's spa outings lead to historic resort towns, while in Lausanne wellness centres more on the grand lakeside hotels and the region's private retreats. From Bergamo, San Pellegrino Terme is a Belle Époque spa town about forty minutes up Val Brembana, and Trescore Balneario has sulphur springs that have been used since Roman times. Back in town, the Città Alta is at its quietest in the early morning and evening.

Lausanne has thermal water within easy reach too: Yverdon-les-Bains is under half an hour by train, and Lavey-les-Bains up the Rhône valley has the hottest springs in Switzerland. The centre is busier and steeper than Bergamo's upper town, so for calm you head to the edges, along the promenades at Ouchy and Vidy.