Black Forest or Dolomites?

Neither is a place for swimming, and both offer lakes instead of sea. In the Black Forest the bathing is up in the hills at Titisee and Schluchsee, with small beaches and boat hire, but the water stays cool.

The Dolomites work the other way round. Their famous high lakes are too cold for most people, and the warm water is down at Lake Caldaro, with grassy lidos, or at the northern tip of Lake Garda.

Both regions eat and drink very well, and both have fine dining in surprisingly small villages: Baiersbronn in the Black Forest, Alta Badia in the Dolomites. The Black Forest leans towards France, with smoked ham, Flammkuchen, Kirsch cake and fruit brandies, and Pinot from the Kaiserstuhl and Markgräflerland.

The Dolomites mix Alpine and Italian cooking: speck, canederli and strudel, followed by a proper espresso. The meal people remember is lunch on a hut terrace high above the valley, with Lagrein or Gewürztraminer from the slopes below Bolzano.

The Black Forest has slightly more to build a day around. Freiburg's red sandstone Minster and car-free old town, Baden-Baden's spa quarter and the Maulbronn monastery are its high points, with half-timbered towns such as Gengenbach and Schiltach in between.

In the Dolomites the landscape is what UNESCO listed, and the built heritage sits in the valley towns. The highlights are Ötzi in Bolzano, the frescoed Castello del Buonconsiglio in Trento and Bressanone's cathedral. First World War tunnels on the high passes add something the Black Forest has no equivalent for.

Both are early-to-bed regions, but the nights out they do have happen at different times and places. The Black Forest's comes from Freiburg's student pubs and summer beer gardens in term time. The Dolomites' is winter après-ski at the foot of the slopes in Selva, Canazei and Cortina, which mostly winds down by early evening.

This is where the Dolomites pull far ahead. Sheer limestone peaks such as the Tre Cime, the Sassolungo and Seceda rise out of green meadows, lifts take walkers high from almost every village, and the via ferrata network lets non-climbers onto real rock. In winter the Dolomiti Superski area links a dozen valleys.

The Black Forest is fine walking country, but in a different register: dark fir forest, rounded summits, gorges such as the Wutach and the Triberg waterfalls. The Feldberg rises to 1,493m, and on clear days you can see the Alps from the top. Skiing there is mostly cross-country plus a few small downhill areas.

The Black Forest has the better outings because it sits on the border with France and Switzerland. Strasbourg is under an hour from Baden-Baden, Basel is a short train ride from Freiburg, and the Alsace wine villages, Heidelberg and Lake Constance are all easy days out.

The Dolomites have good trips too, such as Merano, Verona by train and the northern end of Lake Garda. But nearly every trip from the high valleys starts with a winding pass road, so it works best to base yourself in Bolzano or Trento for this kind of travel.

The Black Forest has the edge for children, mainly because of Europa-Park and its indoor water park at Rust. Summer toboggan runs, treetop walks, wildlife parks and cable cars up the Feldberg fill the gaps between visits.

The Dolomites are very good in summer: the Alpe di Siusi and Armentara meadows are nearly flat, lifts do the climbing, and many hotels are set up for families. On a wet day, though, the options shrink to pools and the museums in Bolzano and Trento.

Getting around is about equally easy in both, and both reward a car. In the Black Forest the Rhine valley line and the scenic Schwarzwaldbahn and Höllentalbahn railways do much of the work, often free with a guest card. The car is mainly useful for linking waterfalls, lakes and small towns.

In the Dolomites, trains and buses serve the valleys well and lifts take over once you are in a village. The hard part is crossing from one valley to the next on slow hairpin passes. If you stay in one valley you can manage without a car.

Neither is a shopping destination. In both, the souvenirs are woodwork and things to eat or drink. The Black Forest has cuckoo clocks from the Triberg workshops and Kirschwasser, plus Freiburg's department stores and a small luxury quarter in Baden-Baden. The Dolomites have the carved figures of Ortisei, loden and food shops under Bolzano's arcades, Cortina's boutiques, and some of the best-known Advent markets in the Alps.

The Black Forest is noticeably easier on the budget. Valley guesthouses and farm stays are fairly priced, inn meals are filling, and many hosts give free local transport cards. Baden-Baden and the top restaurants are the expensive exceptions.

The Dolomites cost a lot in peak winter and in July and August. Cortina and Alta Badia are among Italy's dearest resorts, and lift passes and hut stays add up. Staying in Fassa, Fiemme or Bolzano, or going in June or September, lowers the cost.

The Black Forest has much more to see and hear. Baden-Baden's Festspielhaus, one of Germany's largest opera and concert halls, brings in international orchestras and ballet, with its Easter festival as the high point. Freiburg adds opera, drama and a well-known baroque ensemble.

The Dolomites offer fewer performances but more unusual settings. Bolzano and Trento have orchestral seasons, and in summer musicians play on alpine meadows, hut terraces and castle courtyards.

The Black Forest has one of Europe's great bathing traditions. Baden-Baden's domed Friedrichsbad and the Caracalla baths sit in a town built for slow days, with Badenweiler, Bad Wildbad and other spa towns close by.

In the Dolomites, wellness mostly means the hotel spa: saunas facing rock walls, outdoor pools in the snow and hay baths below the Schlern. Merano's thermal baths are the main public alternative, so it pays to choose your hotel with this in mind.