Bern or Como?

Neither city has a beach, but Bern has the more memorable swim. Locals walk upstream from the Marzili, jump into the cold green Aare and let the current carry them past the Federal Palace. That is for strong swimmers only, but the riverside lidos have pools and lawns for everyone, and Lake Thun is about twenty minutes away for calmer water.

Como's lake is a few degrees warmer in high summer, but swimming means lido decks such as the one by Villa Olmo, or small pebble strands up the lake reached by ferry. The water at the city's busy southern tip is the least inviting part of the lake.

Both cities eat well rather than adventurously, and the difference is in kind. Bern serves heavy Swiss fare in guildhall rooms and cellar restaurants: the Berner Platte, rösti, fondue, Emmental cheese from the markets and very good chocolate.

Como cooks lake and mountain Lombard dishes, such as risotto with perch and dried shad, and its evenings have the Italian aperitivo ritual on the cathedral squares. Its best meals are often in family places up the lake rather than on the view-priced lakefront.

Bern has more to see and more to stay for. The whole old town is a UNESCO site of arcades, painted fountains and the Zytglogge. The Zentrum Paul Klee, the Kunstmuseum and the Einstein Museum give it museums well beyond its size, and two days pass easily.

Como's sights are fine but few. There is the marble cathedral, the Romanesque churches, Terragni's Casa del Fascio for architecture lovers, and Volta and silk along the shore, and most visitors finish in a day.

Bern gives you more to do after dark, though it is modest. There are vaulted cellar bars under the arcades, a weekend crowd on Aarbergergasse, the Reitschule for late, scruffy parties and riverside terraces in summer.

Como's evening is the aperitivo, a long dinner and a stroll on the lakefront, with a few wine bars around Piazza Duomo. Little stays open late, and anyone after a club goes to Milan.

Both are superb outdoor bases, with different scenery. From Bern the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau are about an hour away by train, with high-mountain hiking, cable cars and winter skiing. Gentler walking and cycling run along the Aare, on the Gurten and through the Emmental.

Como's landscape is the lake itself, hemmed in by steep wooded slopes. You can take ridge trails from Brunate, kayak and paddle on the water, or ride the cycling climbs to Madonna del Ghisallo. It is the better choice for water sports, while Bern is the place for snow and real Alpine height.

Both make excellent bases, and the difference lies in how you travel. Bern's day trips run on Swiss trains that leave from the top of the old town and hardly ever need checking. Lucerne, Zurich and Basel are each about an hour away. Fribourg, Murten, Thun and Solothurn are closer still, and Gruyères with its castle and cheese dairies is a short onward trip from Fribourg.

Como mixes boats with trains. Ferries and hydrofoils go up the lake to Bellagio, Varenna and the villa gardens of Tremezzo. By rail, the Last Supper and La Scala in Milan are about forty minutes away, and Lugano and Bergamo's upper town are also within easy reach.

Bern is clearly better with children. The bear park, the Dählhölzli zoo with its wooded enclosures, the animal dioramas at the Natural History Museum and the big playground on the Gurten fill several days. Trams take pushchairs easily, though the Aare is too fast for young swimmers.

Como is calm and safe, and children like the boats, the Brunate funicular and paddling at a lido. Beyond those, its villas and churches are aimed at adults, and there is no zoo or theme park within easy reach.

Bern is about as easy as a city gets. The centre is a twenty-minute walk end to end, with the arcades as shelter from rain. Trams and buses run on one fare system, small funiculars and a lift reach the river, and the station sits at the top of the old town.

Como's centre and lakefront are flat and walkable, and trains to Milan and Lugano are simple. Going up the lake is slow, though, whether on the ferries or on narrow shore roads that clog in summer.

Bern offers somewhat more to browse. Its arcaded line of Spitalgasse, Marktgasse and Kramgasse has watch and chocolate shops, and the cellar shops down steep steps on Gerechtigkeitsgasse sell antiques, design and crafts.

Como has one real speciality, silk. Scarves, ties and fabric come from old-town shops and mill outlets, and beyond that there is a short run of boutiques, with serious fashion shoppers heading to Milan.

Como is the cheaper of the two, though neither is a bargain. Its lakeside hotels and terraces are costly in summer, but rooms back from the water, old-town trattorias, cheap trains and ferries, and spring or autumn dates bring costs down.

Bern is very expensive across the board, from plain guesthouses to a terrace beer. It softens this with the free transport pass most hotels give and with free pleasures such as the bear park, the river paths and Federal Palace tours.

Bern has the fuller calendar. Opera and ballet play at the Stadttheater, the symphony orchestra performs in the Casino, contemporary dance runs at the Dampfzentrale and alternative gigs at the Reitschule. On top of that come a spring jazz festival and the Gurtenfestival in July.

Como centres on the Teatro Sociale, with its open-air Arena in summer and chamber concerts in churches and lakeside villas, where the setting does much of the work. Most nights are quiet, and La Scala is the reason to take the train.

Bern has the better proper spa in town: a large thermal bath and wellness complex on the western edge, with warm pools, saunas and steam rooms, plus a hammam-style spa in the old town. On top of that come quiet Sundays and long lunches by the river.

Como's spas are mostly in the grand villa hotels on the lake, with only a few day spas in town. Its calm comes more from the setting: slow ferries, gardens that run down to still water and villages that go quiet early. Spring and autumn suit this best.