Bergamo or Lyon?

Neither city is on the coast, but Bergamo has better swimming close at hand. Lake Iseo is near enough for an easy afternoon at the lidos around Sarnico or Lovere, and the Lecco arm of Lake Como is close as well. By July the water is about 23°C, and you swim from pebble, grass or concrete platforms.

Lyon's own option is the supervised bathing lake in the Grand Parc de Miribel-Jonage on the city's north-eastern edge, which is fine for a hot afternoon with the locals. For clear Alpine water you go to Annecy or the Lac du Bourget, one and a half to two hours away. A proper lake swim therefore takes half a day from Bergamo and a whole day from Lyon.

Lyon is one of the great eating cities of France, and for food it is clearly the stronger choice. Its bouchons serve quenelles and andouillette, Les Halles Paul Bocuse and the Sunday markets along the Saône are worth a morning each, and its fine dining goes back to the Mères lyonnaises. Beaujolais and the northern Rhône wines come from just outside the city.

Bergamo's cooking covers less ground but has real character. Try casoncelli with butter and sage, and polenta with braised meats and game. The valley cheeses, Taleggio, Branzi and Strachitunt, are reason enough for a slow browse in the upper town. Neither city has much food from outside its own region.

Lyon has more to see and needs more time for it. Its sights run from the Roman theatres on Fourvière and the Renaissance lanes and traboules of Vieux Lyon to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, the silk-weavers' hill of Croix-Rousse and the Institut Lumière. That is enough for several full days.

Bergamo has one compact, almost complete old town. The walled Città Alta holds Piazza Vecchia, Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cappella Colleoni, and the Accademia Carrara below the hill has Raphael and Bellini. It is the more picturesque of the two, and you can see it in a day or two.

Lyon gives you a proper night out, and Bergamo mostly does not. Students keep the wine and cocktail bars of the Presqu'île busy, the barges on the Rhône quays turn into bars and clubs, and the electronic clubs towards Gerland and the Confluence stay open much later.

In Bergamo the evening is a long aperitivo around Via XX Settembre or Borgo Santa Caterina, or a summer drink on the walls of the Città Alta, and it usually ends around midnight. If you want more than that, take the train to Milan.

Bergamo has wilder country closer to town. The Colli di Bergamo climb straight up from the upper town. A short drive away, Val Brembana and Val Seriana lead into the Orobie Alps, with rifugi, high lakes and serious summer hiking, and Iseo and Como add sailing and lakeside cycling.

Outdoors in Lyon is gentler and more urban. You can run or cycle on the car-free Rhône quays, take a boat on the lake in the Parc de la Tête d'Or, or walk in the Monts d'Or. The real mountains of Chartreuse and Vercors are an hour or more away by car, and in both places a car helps for the best of the countryside.

Both cities make good bases, but Bergamo has more within easy reach. Milan is under an hour by train, the lakes are closer still, and Brescia, Verona, Cremona and the factory village of Crespi d'Adda each make an easy day out.

Lyon's day trips are mostly wine country and old towns: Roman Vienne twenty minutes south, medieval Pérouges, the Beaujolais villages, and further out Cluny and Beaune. Annecy is two hours away towards the Alps. It is a good list, but no nearby city is as big a draw as Milan.

Lyon has more to keep children busy without leaving the city. The Parc de la Tête d'Or can fill a day with its free zoo, pony rides and pedalos. For wet days there are the dinosaur skeletons at the Musée des Confluences, the Guignol puppet theatres and an aquarium.

Bergamo is calmer and smaller, with funicular rides and gelato on the walls. Its best children's outings, the Leolandia theme park and the Le Cornelle wildlife park, are outside the city. In both cities the hilltop lanes are hard going with a pushchair.

Lyon is the easier city to get around. The flat Presqu'île is pleasant to walk, and the metro, trams, buses and funiculars all use one ticket system. With bike-share on the riverside paths as well, you never need a car in town.

Bergamo is smaller but built on two levels. Two funiculars and the city buses link the lower town with the Città Alta and San Vigilio, and trains run directly to Milan, Brescia and Lecco. It falls behind for the valleys and lake shores, which are much quicker to reach by car.

Bergamo's shopping is modest. There are chains and mid-range fashion under the arcades of Via XX Settembre and the Sentierone, and little luxury or design. The delicatessens, cheese shops and wine sellers along the main lane of the Città Alta are more memorable, and serious fashion shoppers take the train to Milan.

On a shopping trip, Lyon goes much further. Chains fill the rue de la République, luxury labels gather around Place des Jacobins, and Part-Dieu is one of France's biggest city-centre malls. The silk scarves and designer workshops on the slopes of Croix-Rousse come from the old weaving trade. In both cities the best things to take home are edible: Valcalepio and valley cheeses from Bergamo, pralines and charcuterie from Lyon.

Bergamo is the cheaper of the two. Hotels in the lower town are fairly priced and the buses and funicular cost little, which is why many people stay there to explore Lombardy. Costs go up for rooms inside the Città Alta and for summer weekends.

Lyon is cheaper than Paris but not cheap, and rooms become scarce during trade fairs and the Fête des Lumières. Food is where you save money there: a set lunch in a bouchon lets you eat very well for less than dinner would cost.

Opera is the heart of Bergamo's stage life, because Donizetti was born here. The Teatro Donizetti's autumn festival of his works draws serious opera lovers, and Bergamo Jazz runs in spring. Outside these the programme is a provincial one, though La Scala in Milan is within easy reach for an evening.

For theatre, music and above all dance, Lyon is the stronger choice. An opera and ballet company performs under the glass vault of the Opéra, the Orchestre National plays at the Auditorium, and the Célestins is one of France's grand old playhouses. The Maison de la Danse is among Europe's leading dance venues, and in summer the Nuits de Fourvière festival puts on performances in the Roman theatres.

Bergamo is the better choice for a restful stay. San Pellegrino Terme, forty minutes up Val Brembana, has a thermal spa in a grand Belle Époque setting, and the sulphur springs at Trescore Balneario have been used since Roman times. Quiet mornings in the Città Alta and walks along the walls help you slow down.

Lyon has hammams, day spas and a large open-air pool on the Rhône quays. For thermal bathing you go to Aix-les-Bains, an hour and a half away. In Lyon you slow down with long lunches and Sunday mornings by the Saône rather than with a spa.